AOPA Germany would like to draw your attention to their battle to preserve the only paved and unrestricted airfield in the Munich area for general aviation.<\/p>\n
The future of F\u00fcrstenfeldbruck is not just an issue for pilots in Bavaria or in Germany. F\u00fcrsti is a vital link in the network of airfields that makes general aviation a feasible travel option for all of us. If F\u00fcrsti is lost, we are all diminished. We are all fighting to keep our airfields open, but the battle for F\u00fcrsti is the most important such campaign in Europe at present.<\/p>\n
Many pilots have sent emails to the would-be operators of F\u00fcrsti, the car company BMW, pointing out that GA pilots are not helpless, that they spend serious money on cars, that BMW has many rivals who produce good vehicles, and that they will in future take BMW\u2019s behaviour over F\u00fcrsti into account when making car purchase decisions. There has been some success with this approach, especially given that a large number of GA pilots control car fleets, and a Europe-wide approach may make the difference between success and failure. Contact details are at the end of this enews.<\/p>\n
There is no need for BMW to shut GA out of F\u00fcrsti. AOPA Germany has demonstrated that the test track they wish to establish there could live in harmony with aviation; we only want to be allowed to keep one small corner of the former military airbase. BMW\u2019s dog-in-the-manger attitude is extraordinary, coming from a company with a strong aviation heritage \u2013 BMW engines powered some of the best aircraft of the piston fighter era, their badge is a stylised propeller, and they house their Gulfstream and Falcon corporate jets at Munich International \u2013 which is not available to GA.<\/p>\n
F\u00fcrsti had the support of the Bavarian Government to be Munich\u2019s GA airport until three years ago, when BMW demanded to use the airport as a test track for cars. There need be no conflict, as there is ample room on the airport for all. But BMW, which has enormous political influence in Bavaria, wanted it all and refused to speak to GA. Operations at F\u00fcrsti had to stop on June 22nd when the military abandoned the airport while civilian certification was still pending. The Bavarian Administration Court is expected to rule this autumn on the political and administrative processes which led to the current situation. AOPA Germany and Munich Flying Club are shareholders of the F\u00fcrsti operating company, which is suing the Bavarian Government over the certification process and the closure of F\u00fcrsti. They have high hopes of winning the case.
\nThis affects you because F\u00fcrsti is an important link in the European aviation chain which, once broken, cannot be repaired. To put it in terms that BMW can understand, it\u2019s like closing the only service station on a motorway \u2013 it would make driving impossible. It\u2019s not a local issue.<\/p>\n
*Are you considering buying a new car? Do you want to buy a car from a manufacturer that is actively engaged in destroying a GA airport? Please voice your opinion to BMW via e-mail to customer.service@bmw.com or kundenbetreuung@bmw.de. Local BMW dealers will want to hear what has influenced their buying-decision, so they can report to the BMW HQ. Please send a copy to\u00a0info@aopa.de.<\/p>\n
BMW calls the shots in Bavaria, but it is sensitive to commercial reality. We are a powerful car-buying constituency, and we can speak to BMW in a language they understand.
\nThe nearest comparable GA airfield to F\u00fcrstenfeldbruck is 60 km away at at Ingolstadt \u2013 home of Audi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AOPA Germany would like to draw your attention to their battle to preserve the only paved and unrestricted airfield in the Munich area for general aviation. The future of F\u00fcrstenfeldbruck is not just an issue for pilots in Bavaria or in Germany. F\u00fcrsti is a vital link in the network of airfields that makes general…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aopa"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t