It’s cloudy, but that doesn’t bother the pilots at Hoogeveen airfield. The flying season is open and there is a lot of commotion at the airport again. Today there are between ten and twenty landings at the airport. Flying is popular.
In Hoogeveen they have seen for years that gliding is becoming increasingly popular. In 2022 there will have been about four thousand more landings than two years earlier. “We think that this will continue to grow, because the quality of the runway is praised by many pilots who come from outside,” says Jur Stavast, chairman of Stichting Vliegveld Hoogeveen. “We have just been able to open the Brasserie and that makes it more attractive. There are many airports that no longer have a restaurant. And here are many people who come to drink a cup of coffee, eat a meatball and relax before they go to go to another airport or go back home.”
Nevertheless, the limit of the number of aircraft that can take off and land here has almost been reached. A total of 13,000 landings may take place at the airport. In 2022 there were about 11,500 landings. “That has to do with the sound pressure caused by motorized aircraft. But that is getting less and less.” The foundation is in talks with the province to see how the airport in Hoogeveen can still grow.
Electric flying would be an option for the airport in Hoogeveen in the future. This is not possible at the moment because there are no facilities for this yet. “You need charging points and a lot of power for that. We are also discussing this with the municipality and the province to see if we can do something. Also in collaboration with Eelde airport and our German colleagues.”
In one of the hangars, Zakaria Mornly is working on an airplane. “Today we are doing the annual inspection of a two-seater aircraft. That is a check that has to be done every year. We are now checking whether everything is okay and who knows, maybe the plane will take off this afternoon.” Mornly has been flying for about two years now. He was exercising on a nearby sports field when he saw the planes coming over. He became interested, did an internship at the airport and was allowed to fly along once. He was sold.
Mornly also notices that gliding is an unknown sport in his area. “Not everyone knows what gliding is. When I tell people I do gliding, people ask me what it is.” He likes the fact that the sport is becoming more and more popular and notices that it has also become busier in Hoogeveen. “It’s always nice to have new members and share your sport and passion with others.” He is not afraid that there will soon be no place for him to take off. “Fortunately, we have enough planes. Both single-seater and two-seater, so that row will not be too bad,” he laughs.
Meanwhile, a group of young glider enthusiasts are standing at the runway. The motor plane pulling the glider into the air has just landed. The glider has disappeared somewhere behind the clouds. 15-year-old Niels Dolsma enjoys the view and the freedom in the air. Dolsma is flying in Hoogeveen for the third year in a row. “The weather is nice, but there is also quite a bit of wind and there is some rain now and then,” he says when he has both feet on the ground again. “You have to watch where you’re flying, because the wind will blow you off. If you don’t take that into account, you’re in trouble.”
The future of the airport in Hoogeveen is bright, believes Stavast. “In recent years we have also come out positive financially. Before that we had some financial problems. There are none now. We think that more hangars will be built in the coming years. That way we have a solid basis for the future from this airport.”
The 15-year-old Dolsma hopes that more young people will come to the airport to fly in the future. “Peers are always fun!”