Kennemer Zweefvlieg Club

The Kennemer Zweefvlieg Club (KZC) is the only Dutch Gliding club situated in the urban periphery called Randstad.[1] The club was established in 1945 and has the Langeveld as homefield. Langeveld is situated between the dunes of the Dutch west coast in between Zandvoort and Noordwijk. The club flies from March till November in the weekends and on Wednesdays. On Wednesday evenings the club is opened for passengers to experience gliding. The club has a former RAF MEL-winch with six cables.

Langeveld
Summary
Airport typePrivate
LocationNoordwijk
Opened1945
Time zoneCET (+1)
Elevation AMSL16 ft / 5 m
Coordinates52°17′46″N 4°30′24″E
Websitewww.kzc.nl
Map
Langeveld
Location in the Netherlands
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09-27 950 m Grass
04-22 600 m Grass
Statistics (2016)
movements8,000
flighthours860
members90

Dune running

The KZC is one of the few clubs in the Netherlands that is able to make use of Ridgelift.[2] When a strong northwest wind blows, it is possible to fly alongside the dunes without sinking. The wind is pushed up by the dunes which counteracts the descent of the glider. Because the gliders on the ridge do not reach the required altitude to return to the field, they land on the beach. The gliders are derigged and then taken back to the Langeveld by trailer.

The fleet

The KZC fleet consists of 7 gliders[3] and gives members the possibility to train as pilots, to take passengers, fly cross country and to fly competitions.

The club has the following gliders:

  • Schleicher ASK 21, a twin seater that is excellent for both training flights and passenger flights.
  • Schleicher ASK 23, a single seater that, because of its easy flight characteristics, is perfect for student pilots.
  • Rolladen-Schneider LS4, a single seater with great performance and with good flight characteristics, is perfect for both training and cross country flights.
  • Rolladen-Schneider LS8, a single seater with 15 or 18 meter wingspan. Because of the good performance, the LS8 is mainly used for competition soaring.
  • DG1001, a high performance twin seater with both 18 and 20 meters wingspan. The glider is used as a trainer and cross country glider.

Furthermore, the club possesses two self-built oldtimer gliders. They were assembled in the 1960s in the Fokker factory:

  • Schleicher K 8, a single seater with easy flight characteristics that is used by apprentices to practice.
  • Schleicher K 6, a singleseater with an eye-catching green fuselage. This glider received the 'most beautiful K6' award in 2014 by the Dutch association for historic gliders [4]..

References
  1. http://www.landings.com/_landings/pages/sor/sor-holland.html
  2. http://www.kzc.nl/index.php?id=hellingvliegen , Ridgerunning at the KZC (Dutch)
  3. http://www.kzc.nl/index.php?id=vloot , KZC Fleet (Dutch)
  4. Most beautiful K6 award (Dutch)
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