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Stadskanaal airfield in the Netherlands is situated near Vledderveen, Northeast of Stadskanaal at the co-ordinates N 52°59' 46",  E 0.07°01' 13". The runway direction is 06-24, the length of the grass runway is 500 meters. The towerfrequency of Stadskanaal airfield is 123.425 MHz. Only flights with MLA's (Micro Light Aeroplanes) are permitted. The airfield is owned and operated by the "Luchthaven Stadskanaal" foundation.

History of the airfield goes back to 14 July 1961 when the Ministry of Traffic and Public works indicated the land on which the airfield is situated as airfield "Onstwedde". Philips constructed for their flight division a 750 meter runway and the airfield became operational in 1961. The airfield was hardly used by the Philips Vliegdienst and was transferred to the municipal Stadskanaal in 1977. When Mastboom Vliegbedrijf used the airfield for their Piper Super Cub and Piper Pawnee cropsprayers it looked like an airfield, but it remained idle. Over the years there were ideas how to use the idle airstrip, including an aviation park of retired airliners.

Finally the airstrip got back to live in 1983 when it was let to the Vereniging van Ultralichte Vliegtuigen "Westerwolde". On 30 August 1983, a Comco Sherpa I was the first ultralight aircraft to start at Stadskanaal. The first real training-aircraft was the Sky-Walker. Since 1993 the airfield is owned by the related "Luchthaven Stadskanaal" foundation. Nowadays, Stadskanaal houses over 80 Micro Light Aeroplanes in 6 hangars. The club-home is a pavilion with restaurant and tower.

In 1981, Ultra Light Motorised aeroplanes became a new dimension in the Dutch airspace. For the registration of the Dutch ultra light aeroplanes a separate register was created, starting with PH-1A1 on 16 September 1981. Registration of an ULM in the Dutch Ultra-Light register means that the ultralight motorised aircraft is granted dispensation on the aviation law. With this dispensation it is allowed to fly under strict conditions with this ultralight aeroplane. On 16 June 2003, the issuing of rules about the ultralight aeroplanes has been laid down in the regulations Regeling Micro Light Aeroplanes.

The Sherpa II is an example for the simplicity and suitability of the first generation micro-light aircraft. The manufacturer of  the Sherpa, Comco GmbH, was originally specialised in the production of special machinery. In 1976 Comco began making hang gliders, of which under the name Ikarus over 2000 were built. The Sherpa was the first motorised Ikarus micro-light aircraft and entered serial production in 1982. Comco-Ikarus Sherpa II PH-1W6 was photographed on 17 February 2002. The MLA was built in 1984 and registered D-MSKG before.

The two-seat Sky-Walker 1+1 was popular as an ultralight-training-aircraft. The airframe exists out of an aluminum-tube construction. The plane is constructed out of alu-tube covered with sail cloth. As powersource the Sky-Walker 1+1 has a four cylinder, horizontal opposed air cooled Limbach L 1700 EA engine. The Limbach engines are frequently used by motorgliders en ultralight aeroplanes. The L 1700 EA was a perfect engine for the ultralight Skywalker with a continuos 56 HP (maximum 60 HP) and a weight of only 73 kg. The 1988-built Sky-Walker 1+1 PH-1U9 was photographed on 17 February 2002.

A widely used ultralight aircraft is the Ikarus Fox C-22. Comco developed the Fox II as the successor of the popular Ikarus Sherpa II ultralight aeroplane. Production of the improved 2-seat Fox II by Comco Ikarus GmbH in Mengen, Germany started in 1982. In 1987 the Fox II was replaced in production by the C22. Over 1000 Fox II / C22 planes are already built. The Ikarus C22 is offered for sale in 3 models: the C22 C, CS and Aero. The Comco-Ikarus C22 C Aero PH-2F3 was photographed on 13 May 2001. The engine of this 1991-built Fox C22 is a Rotax 462 UL engine. In March 2004 the plane was sold in Sweden as SE-VGD.

Developed as the successor of the Fox C22, the Comco-Ikarus C42 is an innovative two-seat micro-light aircraft. Production of the C-42 started in 1997 and over 1000 C42 are built and exported world-wide. The powerplant of the C42 is a 4-cylinder-4-stroke Rotax 912UL engine. The empty weight of the aeroplane is 275 kg. With an airspeed of 175 km/hr and a fuel tank volume of 50 litre the range of the C42B is approx. 650 km. Comco-Ikarus C42B Cyclone PH-3T8 was photographed on 6 February 2005. This 2003-built C42B is owned by the Vliegclub Westerwolde/ U.L.V.

The Mistral, a three-axis, tricycle landing gear, microlight biplane powered by a Rotax 532 engine, was flown first in 1985. The Aviasud AE-206 Mistral was developed by Aviasud Engineering in Fréjus, France. Production of this side-by-side two seated ULM (Ultra Light Motorised aircraft) started in Aril 1986. On 4 May 1987, the Mistral made history when it was flown to the geographic North Pole by Nicolas Hulot. The Mistral was accompanied by another ULM: the Explorer, a highly modified Avid Flyer, flown by Hubert de Chevigny. The 1992-built Aviasud Mistral PH-2S6 is equipped with a Rotax 582 UL engine. It was photographed on 1 May 2004.

The Avid Flyer, a lightweight aircraft with Cuyana engine and tricycle landing gear, was developed in 1983 by Dean Wilson. It was an instant success at Oshkosh in 1983 and won the "Best New Design" award. Nowadays the homebuilt kits of the Avid are produced by Avid Aircraft, Montana, USA. The Mark IV is offered as a folding wing kit-plane; the composition of the building package is tuned on the customer wishes. The customer can choose the wings, tri-gear or tailwheel, etc. The 1992-built Avid Mark IV PH-2H7 was photographed on 24 May 2008.

ATEC v.o.s. started in 1992 with the production of supplements and parts of ultralight aeroplanes. The Zephyr 2000, developed in collaboration with Czech aircraft designer Oldrich Olsansky, was their first ultralight aircraft. The Zephyr is an advanced low-wing two-seater, built in mixed construction of a high content of carbon composites. Production of the Zephyr started in 1997. Nearly 100 aircraft and kits have been sold, not only in Europe, but also in Australia and North America. The 2001-built ATEC Zephyr Model 2000 PH-3N2 was photographed on 25 March 2007.

KAPPA Ltd. was established in 1991 in the Czech republic. In 1994 the development of the all metal UL aircraft KP-2U SOVA was started. Three prototypes were built: two for the flight tests and one for the strength tests. The first test flight of the SOVA was done in May 1996. In September 1997 the aircraft obtained the type certificate by the UL-2 regulations from the Air Amateur Association of the Czech republic. In June 1977 KAPPA a.s. was founded and the KP-2U entered serial production. The 2002-built PH-3R5 is a KP-2UR with retractable landing gear. It was photographed on 12 October 2003.

The Czech company TL Ultralight started in 1990 with the production of trikes. Their first ultralight was the TL-32 Typhon, of which since 1991 over 300 were produced. In 1996 TL Ultralight designed a complete new type: the TL-96 Star. The development took 2 years and for TL it meant the transition to complete new materials and technology. The TL-96 Star is a high performance glasscomposite aircraft with an empty weight of 265 kg. The cruise speed of the TL-96 is 200 km/hr. TL Ultralight TL-96 Star OK-FUU-51 was photographed on 13 May 2001.

The TL Ultralight TL-3000 Sirius is a hing-wing carbon composite two-seat aeroplane. TL Ultralight manufactures the TL3000 Sirius in both Ultralight and LSA versions. Development started in 2006 and TL-Ultralight s.r.o. completed the first series of test flights of the high-wing TL-3000 Sirius in the Czech Republic in May and June 2008. Czech Type Certificate for the TL 3000 Sirius was received on 1 April 2010. On 1 June 2010, TL Ultralight TL 3000 Sirius c/n 10 SI 16 was registered PH-4F9. The Sirius was delivered at the MLA airfield Stadskanaal in Vledderveen, on 4 June 2010.

All photos on this site are copyrighted by international copyright laws, and remain the property of the relevant photographer. Prior permission should always be sought directly from the photographer for any other means than private viewing. If no photographer is mentioned the photos on these pages are made by Jack Wolbrink.

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to insure the correctness of data. However, I disclaim any responsibility in case of any errors or omissions. I am not responsible for the content of the linked websites.

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