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Stadskanaal Airfield is a small ultralight-only aerodrome in the northeastern Netherlands, sited about two nautical miles east of the town of Stadskanaal in the province of Groningen. It offers a single grass runway and informal air-ground radio service, making it a modest but characterful destination for microlight and ultralight pilots exploring the flat, canal-crossed Groningen countryside.
Stadskanaal Airfield (ICAO: EHST) is a small, ultralight aviation-only airfield located near the town of Stadskanaal in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is operated as a private microlight base and is home to a local ultralight flying club, giving it a low-key, grassroots character that appeals to sim pilots interested in light sport and microlight flying rather than commercial traffic.
The airfield lies in the province of Groningen, roughly two nautical miles from the town of Stadskanaal, within the wider Groningen airspace environment. Flight information service for the area is provided by Eelde Approach on 120.305 MHz, indicating the field sits under the FIS coverage associated with Groningen Airport Eelde to the north.
Stadskanaal has a single grass runway orientated 05/23, with the 05 threshold offering 1,628 ft of usable length and the 23 threshold 1,627 ft. There is no ILS or other instrument approach aid at the field, reflecting its status as a visual, ultralight-only strip.
Pilots can contact Stadskanaal Radio, an air-to-ground (A/G) station, on 128.96 MHz. Broader flight information service for the region is available from Eelde Approach on 120.305 MHz. No navaids or instrument approach procedures are published for the airfield.
The airfield traces its origins to 1961, when it was established under the name "vliegterrein Onstwedde", after the former community of Onstwedde, with an initial plan to serve the local Philips factory in Stadskanaal. That commercial use did not prove economically viable, and the town of Stadskanaal subsequently took over the site, which for a time operated as a base for agricultural crop-spraying aircraft. Ultralight aircraft began using the field from 1981, and in 1993 it was privatised, becoming the property of the "stichting Luchthaven Stadskanaal" (Stadskanaal Airport Foundation). The field's history has not been without difficulty: following two fatal accidents, the municipality ordered the foundation to close the airfield on 24 April 2006, though it reopened two weeks later. In 2007 further closure was threatened unless firefighting equipment was brought up to standard; the airfield has continued to operate since.
Stadskanaal remains a small, active ultralight airfield and is the home of a local microlight flying club. It continues to be used for ultralight training and recreational flying. Pilots planning a visit should note that prior permission is required before flying in.
