Crawinkel

Crawinkel has grown from a paragliding and hang-gliding field into a full air sports centre in Thuringia, at 473 m, shared today with ultralights and glider (sailplane) operations as well as free flight. The site's reputation rests on real results: hang glider pilot Konrad Lüders once flew 180 km cross-country from here, which says something about the terrain and conditions on a good day. Tow operations run in any wind direction, with runs up to 1,100 m and over 1,000 m of dedicated tow strip, plus UL-tow options alongside the winch. The standout local feature is aerological rather than administrative: in the right conditions — a stable atmosphere with southwest wind — a lee wave of the Thuringian Forest sets up directly over the field, strong enough that hang glider pilots can actually work it, not just sailplanes. The airfield sits southeast of the village and is reachable by train, about a 2 km walk from the station, and there's a pilots' pub right on site for the traditional post-flying debrief.

Launch & conditions

Winch and UL-tow launches work in any wind direction, tow runs up to 1,100 m; launch directions run southwest-northeast and northwest-southeast. In stable conditions with southwest wind, a lee wave of the Thuringian Forest forms directly over the field, workable even by hang glider.

Getting there & local rules

The airfield sits southeast of the village of Crawinkel. Reachable by train, about a 2 km walk from the station.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Crawinkel, 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 Crawinkel with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.