Stadskanaal

52°59'46.60"N 007°01'22.45"E

Runway 06/24 - 500x30meter - grass (suitable for ultralights only)

Stadskanaal airfield (Dutch: Vliegveld Stadskanaal, also known as vliegterrein Onstwedde, ICAO: EHST) is a small Microlight Aircraft-only airfield vliegveld in Stadskanaal, 2NM northeast of the city of Stadskanaal.
The airfield came into existence in 1961 and received the name aviation terrain Onstwedde, after the former community of Onstwedde. The plan was to have it used by the Philips factory in Stadskanaal, but that proved to be not economicaly viable. The city of Stadskanaal took over, after which the field was used for some time as an agricultural spraying hub.

As of 1981 the first ultralights (older name for microlights) began using the airfield. In 1993 the airfield was privatised and became the property of "stichting Luchthaven Stadskanaal" (Airport Stadskanaal Foundation). After two deadly crashes, the municipality of Stadskanaal ordered "stichting Luchthaven Stadskanaal" on 24 April 2006 to close the little airfield until further notice. It was reopened two weeks later.
On 11 October 2007 it was announced the airfield would have to shut down if security measures (firefighting equipment) were not brought up to standard. As the airfield is still open, these measures must have been adequately taken.

 
Aeronautical chart 2010 (Stadskanaal airfield website).


Stadskanaal was a quiet little airfield when I visited it in July 2015, with two Microlight aircraft on the brick platform and one doing practice approaches in the circuit (RonaldV).