Auf Wiedersehen

Oct. 31, 2008, will go down as yet another dark day in recent aviation history. That’s when Berlin, Germany’s historic Tempelhof Airport will cease flight operations.

What's so special about Tempelhof? Here's an excerpt from a recent article

Most associate Tempelhof with Hitler’s Third Reich, but the fact is that Tempelhof’s history stretches back to the middle ages, when the site belonged to the Knights Templar—hence the name’s “Tempel” root (“Hof” translates to “court”). Prussian kings used Tempelhof as a parade grounds until 1917.

Powered flight began at Tempelhof in 1909, when Orville Wright demonstrated his Model B Flyer. Lufthansa was founded at Tempelhof in 1926, and the airport served as a major air terminal ever since. Under Hitler, Tempelhof’s massive, curved structure was built, but World War II halted construction. During the war, fighter airplanes were built in tunnels beneath Tempelhof.

After the war, Berlin was divided between the allied nations and the Soviet Union. In 1948, the Soviet Union attempted to isolate and starve West Berlin by blocking all land and water routes to the city. The United States, along with the British and French, responded with the Berlin Airlift. This operation used the three air corridors serving West Berlin, transporting food, coal, medicine, and other necessities—yes, including candy—to Tempelhof on an around-the-clock basis. In September 1949 the Soviets relented. A monument was built in front of Tempelhof commemorating the Airlift and its pilots. To this day, the good will toward Americans established by the Airlift endures among Berliners.

History, that's what makes it special.