Mollis

47°04'41"N 009°03'54"E

runway: 01/19 - 1800x..m/5900x..ft - concrete

Mollis airfield (German: Flugplatz Mollis, ICAO: LSMF) is an airfield 120 km east of Berne.
The airfield was built before April 1923 as on 3 April 1923 the first Aviation Day was held at the airport.
The military planned the first (grass) runway in 1932, building it in 1935. The Swiss Flying Corps held its first exercise in 1936.
A hangar, a refuelling point and the 900m runway were completed in 1937.
In 1939 Fliegerkompanie 20 was stationed at the base, flying 9 C-35 observation planes.
The runway was lengthened to 1100m in 1942. The following year it was shortened to 900x40m again, but this time it was also hardened. It also got 3 aircraft parkings, 4 rearming points and a taxitrack.

On 29 September 1946 the third Aviation Day was held at the airfield followed by the fourth two years later. In 1949 the runway was lengthened again. That same year P-51 Mustangs began operating from the airfield.
In December 1954 a hangar collapsed during bad weather, damaging three C3603 aircraft. Fliegerkompanie 20 flew its final P-51 Wiederholungskurs (repeat course, a reserve exercise) in 1955. From 1957 the unit was to fly the DH-112 Venom jet fighter. The type was to remain with the unit until 1978. From then on they operated Hawker Hunter jets until their final Wiederholungskurs in June 1993.


Mollis air base in 1952 (Flugplatz Mollis).

In 1995 Fliegerstaffel (fighter squadron) 19 moved to Mollis from Alpnach with F-5E 'Tigers'. The move suggested that the airfield was to be operational for years to come. Although 5 'Tiger' Wiederholungskurzen were held at Mollis, the final one in October 1999, the squadron eventually moved to Buochs air base. Due to the magnetic variation the runway was renumbered from 02/20 to 01/19 around the same time. The airfield then became a helicopter/light aviation base. The final Wiederholungskurs with Super Puma, Cougar and Alouette III helicopter units took place in January 2007. The airfield command was disbanded by the end of the exercise.

After the Swiss Air Force abandoned the airfield, it did not fully close. It is still being used by the Swiss Hawker Hunter association Hunterverein Mollis and the Airfield Mollis association. Its taxiways are closed and used as local roads however, making in necessary to backtrack along the runway to the center exit to access the platform. 
After 4 years of relative silence the municipality of nearby Glarus announced plans to acquire the airfield in November 2011. They intend to develop the airfield for civilian use. A working group is preparing more detailed plans. Meanwhile, the airfield remains open, albeit strictly PPR.


Mollis in 2009. Notice the 500m taxitrack to the underground hangars on the northeast of the airfield (Google Earth).