Inzenso, Airbus And Neuenfelde

[DaveHarries]

Greetings / Grußen!

 

Airbus are trying it on again, as this article from Herr Kropf's excellent website shows:

 

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April 2005

 

The City of Hamburg is making a second attempt to build a runway exxtension for the Airbus Hamburg production site, an extension which shall go towards the village of Neuenfelde, its ancient centre and its parish church.

The first attempt has been halted by the courts because of noticeable lacks in the founding of the plan: no really proofable need for it could be postulated, many technical aspects were lacking a thorough-going investigation, and the necessary expropriation of several land owners in the area (inculding the lutheran parish) was regarded being not in accordance to valid state and federal laws.

 

Now the plan was modified. It was cut to a smaller shape, which omits the land which could not be purchased from its present owners. Special acknowledgements from the German Federal Aviation Authority are required for that modification (and supposed to happen, as the federal government wants to support the runway extension), as the required safety areas around the runway have to be diminished to leave the land of the offending owners untouched. But at least a very small piece of land has still to be expropriated, and for this and other reasons (environmental and safety issues etc.), another action at court will be taken within the next months, as an already “regular”part of an industrial building project of such size and meaning in Germany.

 

For the church of Neuenfelde, this means: If the runway will be extended or not – the operation of the A380 Super Airbus willl start at the end of this summer. Noise emissions and aerodynamic effects will hit the church, generated by all versions of the A380 being built in the next period, having a take-off weight of more than 400 tons, passing the church in 70m vertical and 250m horizontal distance.

And if the extension will be realised, the touch-down point of the planes will be moved some 120 meters closer to the church, and the customer delivery flights of the even heavier (when proof-loaded) freighter version will also take place at that airport, being now the only remaining argument to support an extension. (The parish was able to proof that its resistance does not lead to any job cuttings at the Hamburg Airbus site).

 

Indepent from that situation, local organ lovers and experts are planning the next restoration of the important Schnitger organ from 1688. Keeping the church and the organ in good condition will be the most important challenge for the future. By supporting the INZENSO campaign launched in 2000, many hundreds of organ lovers from four continents have shown international interest in the church of Neuenfelde. For this reason the city of Hamburg was forced to make more extensive research on possible damages by the runway extension. And, in aerodynamic aspects, reasons for concern have been found. For the future the local lovers of the organ are hoping for further support for the restoration, coming from the region as from abroad, too. The aim is to reinforce the instrument against all influences and to restore it to the state-of-the-art level, which is called by the large amount of original Schnitger substance in the instrument.

 

(taken from http://www.inzenso.de/html/runway.html)

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INZENSO and its supporters have won once. We can win again!

 

Dave

[John Sayer]

I agree. What utter madness it is to build the wings and engines in Britain, the fuselage etc in France, and then fly the completed plane to Hamburg to be painted and fitted out. But that seems to be the EU way of doing things.

 

I wrote to the Senat der freien Hansastadt Hamburg, expressing surprise and concern at their apparent disregard of the city's cultural heritage, particularly in view of their earlier financial support for the magnficent reconstruction of another Schnitger organ less than 10 miles away in St Jakobi.

 

Wir werden sehen......

 

John Sayer