Scharnstein airfield

A small civil sport airfield sits beside the Scharnsteiner Straße in Upper Austria’s Traunviertel, one kilometre west of Scharnstein village. The grass runway and a hangar for four gliders or motor gliders belong to the ASKÖ Flugsportverein Linz, a local flying club. The hangar’s stacked bays keep two aircraft on each level, neatly paired for quick launches. Between 2002 and several later years the Waldrappteam used ultralight craft here to train northern bald ibises to fly and migrate, preparing them for release into the wild. From June 2009 until October 2010 a FlyMed rescue helicopter flew emergency missions from Scharnstein. Since October 2017 Heli Austria’s Martin 3 rescue helicopter has been based here, having already completed about 200 missions from Wels airfield. Visitors find a quiet grass strip framed by farmland and gentle hills. The hangar and clubhouse stand beside the runway, where gliders and motor gliders are readied for flight. From the edge of the field the peaks of the Totes Gebirge can be seen on clear days, adding a backdrop of Alpine grandeur to the modest airfield.