Altenbeuthen – Vor den Leiten

Altenbeuthen – Vor den Leiten is a winch-tow flying site in Thuringia, Germany, at around 526 m, working wind from the northeast or southwest. It's a flatland field — pilots tow up behind a winch rather than launch off a hill — set among working farmland, and usability here is tied directly to the harvest: launch and landing areas only open up once the fields are cut, or once the remaining vegetation is low enough for safe flying. For training flights specifically, the landing area has to measure at least 80 by 80 meters, a concrete minimum that keeps beginners' margin for error wide while they're still learning to judge a landing approach. With two workable wind directions, the site offers more flexibility than a single-aspect field, but the real gatekeeper here is agricultural timing rather than wind — check the crop status before planning a session, not just the forecast.

Local rules & hazards

Launch and landing areas open only once the fields are harvested or vegetation is low enough for safe flying; the minimum landing area for training flights is 80 × 80 m.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Altenbeuthen – Vor den Leiten, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Altenbeuthen – Vor den Leiten with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.