Otopeni and Clinceni airfields

[D13-th_Mytzu]

So during ww2 who used it ?

[cipiamon]

Mr. Chera, pilot on IAR 80, mentions in an interview in Orizonturi Aviatice that he operated from Rosiorii de Vede, flying his plane somewhere around Titu on 10 june (?) when he was hit by a lighning, the engine cought fire, he was scared to jump whit a parasute, so he dived his plane whit 700 kmh and stoped the fire. After that he decided to get to a verry near airfield, the closest was CLINCENI aifield. So he started to go paralel whit the river Arges. He never made it to CLINCENI! Near Bolintin Deal his engine stoped and the plande felt in the Ciorogarla forest. He miracously escaped!

[Gazolin]

According to Modelism no 6/2004 a Ju 86 No V, crashlanded on Clinceni on 29 May 1945 after releasing paratroppers. In another place in the same article the same crash is stated to have taken place at Otopeni. Thats why I asked if it was the same airfield.

Question is now at which airfield did the aircraft crash?

It must have been rather impractical to jump from a Ju 86 without side door! I've never heard of parachute training being done from a Ju 86 before.

[Wings_of_wrath]

I think that aircraft actually came down at Clinceni, because while I flew there a few years go, I came upon this story from a mechanic. (I belive that was in the summer of 2001, just after they managed to accidentally burn down an Extra 300S, and we were discussing flight incidents)
Also, Clinceni was deffinitely used as a training field, because you can still see a concrete wall that was used for aerial gunnery practice just south of the field, some 1.5kms away.
I't intresting this talk about airfield dimensions, since the current size of this airstrip is of 150X1000 m (orientation 060*-240*), and that would have been more than adequate for any fighter/divebomber in ARR service during WW2, yet apparently those dimensions were only reached after the war.
Oh, btw, did you know that in the late 1950s early 60s they used to burn old aircraft on this field? Including the last ever Bücker 133 Jungmeister left in Romania... Sad story.

[transavia]

Acording with what he saw Wing of wrath,the runway was enought longer & larger to be operated by medium bombers like He-111. The TWR was made it by germans like also the tree stil existing hangars. The first hangars made it when was build the airdrome,before the war,was a wood constructions located ,on english model on the top of runway,on 06 direction. Those was demolish in early 6o's.
In '92,when I start to fly at CLN,stil have the runway operationaly and used on 15oo x 15o meters. Was cutted first time in '97,(if I better remember) to 12oo on direction 24 for leave enought space for a new road.

Regards,
A.N.

This post has been edited by transavia on December 29, 2012 02:10 pm

[cainele_franctiror]

Otopeni airfield was before ww2. In 1938, Mircea Cantacuzino Flying School came here from Baneasa airport.

[Simmo]

Would I be correct in stating that these images are Otopeni Airfield or are they Zilistea? Source: expired eBay Auction