Jagel Schleswig Air Base - Spotting Guide

Jagel Schleswig Air Base – Spotting Guide

April 25, 2024 - last modified on June 22, 2024

Schleswig Air Force Base or in German Fliegerhorst Schleswig (WBG/ETNS) is a military airport located in the Schleswig-Holstein region in Northern Germany. It permanently houses the Fighter Squadron 51 (TLG51), which is part of the NATO Tigers association and the only recce unit of the air force. The squadron flies Panavia Tornado IDS and ECR, which are in the process of being phased out. It regularly hosts international exercises, as well as Nato Tiger meets. During these exercises, support aircrafts usually land in the nearby satellite base of Hohn instead.

The airport was built during the First World War and was always used for military purposes. During the Second World War the airfield saw strategic importance in the bombings of London and Manchester, as Ju-88s, He-111s and Bf-109s were based here. The Royal Air Force took the airfield after the war and operated it until 1958 to support the Berlin Airlift. The base was handed to the German Navy, which operated Sea Hawks, F-104s and Tornado IDS. These can still be found as gate guardians at the base. In 1994, the Tornado IDS squadron and the air base were transferred to the Luftwaffe. The TLG51 is a tiger squadron and the air base has hosted Nato Tiger meet events in 2004 and 2014, and it will host it again in June 2024.

Three aircraft (Tornado, F-104 and RF-84) are preserved near the entrance to the fence. The location can easily be reached on foot from spot #1. The light on the Tornado is good from sunrise till mid-afternoon, on the F-104 and RF-84 from midday until early evening. A ladder is not needed and NOT allowed due to the vicinity to the base entrance.

Written by Tommaso dal Maso and Alex Zur. Last Update: June 2024

Rating
Movements
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
05/23	2,439 m (8,003 ft) – Concrete
07/25	2,460 m (8,071 ft) – Concrete/Asphalt
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed, but can be helpful for spot 5.
Car/Public Transport	A car is highly recommended to reach the spots, as public transport only brings you to the city of Jagel or Klein Rheide. Owschlag is the closest train station and is connected by RE7 on the Flensburg/Hamburg line. All the nearby streets are equipped with cyclying lanes.
Drinks/Food	There is nothing near the indicated spots. An Aldi, EDEKA and LIDL supermarket can be found in the center of Kropp. In the city of Jagel a pizzeria can be found, but more options are present in Kropp.
Hotels	The closest hotel is Landgasthof Hotel zum Norden. More hotels and airbnbs can be found in Schleswig.
Season	Summer is the preferred season as the weather tends to be nicer. Haze is an issue for aircrafts on runway. Summer is also the period when most military exercises take place in the area. The base has tall grass in the surrounding area and you might suffer symptoms from pollen allergies even if not allergic!
Security	Spotting is tolerated, using ladders is possible especially during military exercises. Taking pictures of aircrafts on the ground is fine but do not photograph any military buildings and infastructure. During large exercises police monitors the roads around the air base, so have your ID with you if needed. The use of radio is forbidden in Germany and it can get you arrested.
Runway Usage
05/23	The main runway is always in use, direction entirely depends on wind direction.
07/25	The secondary runway is used with extreme winds or for maintenance to main runway.

	Spot #1 – Access Road – 23 landings
WHERE	Driving on Bundesstraße North from Jagel, take a left turn into the field next to the base entrance and park there – but do not block the base entrance. From here, walk west towards the fence and find your preferred spot. You can also take the bus up here as buses 680, 681, 696 stop in front of the base entrance.

WHAT	Landings on runway 23 as well as 23 line-ups.

TIME	From sunrise until early afternoon for arrivals, line-ups are best in the morning hours.

MISC.	A ladder is not needed for arrivals at all, but can be useful for line-ups although they also work thru the mesh. Line-up shots will often be hazy! You can find shade under the trees. There is a Burger King with rest rooms a short drive north from the spot.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-400mm C130 = 120mm / AS532 = 200mm / Fighters = 230mm / Line-ups = 300-400mm

	Spot #2 – Sandy hill – 23 landings
WHERE	Start and park at spot #1, walk north, pass the approach lights and enter the public footpath that goes around the base. After some vegetation, you will find a hill of dirt and sand where you can stand on top and see fighters above the tree line. Be careful climbing the hill as it is quite steep. Do not walk through the active sand pit to reach this location!!! Use the public path to access the hill!

WHAT	Landings on runway 23. With a visual break-up circuit that begins at the start of the runway, the first aircraft in the formation landing might be tilted as it is still lining up with the runway.

TIME	Not useable in winter, in summer from later afternoon till sunset.

MISC.	There might be construction workers in the area, they have not bothered us so far being on top of the hill. But eventually, only climb as aircrafts approach. A ladder is not needed. You can find shade under the trees. There is a Burger King with rest rooms a short drive north from the spot.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-400mm Tornado = 300mm / A-10 = 250mm

	Spot #3 – Rheider Au – 07 movements + Hot Pit Ramp
WHERE	From Klein Rheide, drive North on Hauptstraße and then take a right turn into Brütierweg. At the end of the road, park your car so that you do not disturb the local people who live here.

WHAT	Movements on runway 07 are visible from here, as well as the Hot Pit ramp for cargo.

TIME	Runway 07 movements are well lit only on late afternoon/evenings, so the spot is not usable in winter. The hot pit ramp has light from later noon until sunset.

MISC.	Nothing here. Be respectful as this is private property where people living! A ladder is not needed. Heat haze on the hot pit ramp might be a problem if there are no strong winds or cold temperatures.

FOCAL LENGTH	50-300mm C130 on runway = 150mm / A400 in hot pit = 240mm

	Spot #4 – Slope – 05 movements
WHERE	From Klein Rheide, drive East on Flugplatzweg until the end of the road. You can leave the car on the side of the road, but make sure you do not park it near the gate or block the road to emergency vehicles or police will fine you. During large exercises, the owners of the field place a paid parking (€10) to accomodate all cars. Walk the last section of the road until the gate. Here you can walk on top of a dirt hill to see the taxiway and runway.

WHAT	You can see all movements on runway 05 and the taxiway to the hangars for visiting aircraft. Sometimes the aircraft departing runway 05 give a little show and line up at the beginning of the asphalt, coming closer to your spot.

TIME	Runway 05 movements from mid-afternoon until sunset, so the spot is not usable during winter. The taxiway is well light from noon until sunset.

MISC.	Ladder is not needed as a slight incline allows the fence to be completely outside of photos for landing aircraft. The dirt hill instead clears the fence for the movements on ground. During large exercises that see many spotters coming, a lot of tall ladders appear. They are still not strictly required, but recommended if you want to keep other people’s heads outside of your frames. Do not put the ladder on the fence as police will come to you. There is nothing nearby. Heat haze on the taxiway/ground might be a problem if there are no strong winds or cold temperatures.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-400mm Fighters landing = 120mm / Fighters on runway = 200mm / Fighters on taxiway = 400mm

	Spot #5 – Fields – 05 movements
WHERE	From Klein Rheide, drive South on L39 and take the first road on the left. Drive straight past the excavation sites and then find a space to park your car on the side of the road, making sure it is entirely outside of the asphalt. Continue on foot for 10 minutes following the path in the forest and then cross the field. Be respectful and only walk on the section with trees on the side of the field, not over it! Walk up to the fence and find your preferred spot.

WHAT	All movements on runway 05 as well as Tornados taxiing to the eastern hangars.

TIME	From sunrise until late noon.

MISC.	A small stool or 3-step ladder is recommended as this side of the fence is a bit taller, as well as the grass near the runway. However you can still shoot through the barbed wire, or over it for landings. Heat haze on the runway might be a problem if there are no strong winds or cold temperatures.

FOCAL LENGTH	50-300mm Fighters landing = 120mm / A400 on runway = 140mm