Departure
82%
vs 95% ▼ 13
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Purkshof is a grass Sonderlandeplatz (special landing field) some 12 km northeast of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, run by the Fliegerclub Rostock e.V. and popular with visiting pilots as a low-cost, informal alternative to the international airport at Rostock-Laage, not least during the annual Hanse-Sail festival. Its two grass runways and long, layered history as a Luftwaffe, GST and Volksmarine site give it plenty of character for a VFR visit.
Flugplatz Purkshof (EDCX) is a small grass Sonderlandeplatz near Rostock on Germany's Baltic coast, operated by the Fliegerclub Rostock e.V. It is used for gliding, motor-gliding, powered flying and model flying, and its relaxed, club-run atmosphere and lower fees make it a favoured alternative to the nearby international airport of Rostock-Laage, particularly for pilots visiting the maritime city and its Hanse-Sail festival.
The airfield lies in the Landkreis Rostock, about 12 km northeast of Rostock city centre, near the villages of Klein Kussewitz and Rövershagen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It sits close to the Baltic coast and within reach of Warnemünde, Kühlungsborn and Graal-Müritz, and offers pilots a much closer base to central Rostock than the international airport at Rostock-Laage, which lies well outside the city.
Purkshof has two grass runways, both lit. The main runway 04/22 is 3649 ft (1100 m by 40 m) long, while the secondary runway 09/27 is 2580 ft long. There is no ILS at the field.
Purkshof Radio provides an information service on 135.005 MHz. Langen Information is available on 132.65 MHz for wider-area traffic and weather information en route.
Purkshof is a PPR (prior permission required) airfield, and pilots are expected to arrange their visit with the club before flying in. Visiting pilots have noted that, despite first impressions, the field's main landing direction is often runway 27 rather than what newcomers might expect, so it is worth confirming the active runway before joining.
The field lies close to the Baltic coastline and is used as a base for local sightseeing flights over Rostock, Warnemünde, Kühlungsborn, Heiligendamm, Bad Doberan and Graal-Müritz, as well as longer coastal routes towards Fischland, Dierhagen, Wustrow, Ahrenshoop, the Darßer Leuchtturm, Prerow, Zingst, Barth, Ribnitz-Damgarten and Rügen. These coastal towns and landmarks, together with the city of Rostock itself, serve as useful visual references when approaching the field from the surrounding area.
The site was used before the Second World War by the Heinkel-Werke as a glider field, and during the war the Luftwaffe employed it as an alternate and dispersal airfield. After the postwar flying ban was lifted, the Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik (GST) took over the site in 1955, building a flight control building, two hangars, workshops, accommodation and office and teaching rooms, since only a barn had previously been available for housing aircraft. In 1956 it became a district aircraft base. In 1961 the National People's Army (Nationale Volksarmee) relocated two Mil Mi-4A helicopters and associated equipment to Purkshof, and on 1 April 1963 the GST had to hand the field over to the Volksmarine, which used it for tasks including parachute training and the jump service of the Kampfschwimmerkommando 18. After German reunification the site passed to the Treuhand and then briefly to the Bundeswehr, before being transferred to the newly founded Fliegerclub Rostock e.V. in 1990, which has operated it ever since.
Purkshof is run today by the Fliegerclub Rostock e.V., a flying club with around 160 members operating a mix of club-owned powered aircraft, gliders and motor gliders, alongside motor flying, gliding and model flying activity. AVGAS and Super E5 fuel are available on site. The field is PPR, and the club makes an effort to keep it open during the week as well as at weekends, so visiting pilots should arrange their visit in advance. There is no resident flying school at the field.
