Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hello,

Perhaps a stupid question, sorry. On several pictures of German airfields I have seen a building, the air traffic control or Flugleitung I assume, which has a big arrow on the frontage. Do you know what means this arrow? Does she wear signs or numbers? A color? Thanks a lot beforehand.

Best Regards,
Frederic

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

How about direction? Could the arrow be pointing toward the north or some other direction?

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hello Larry,

The arrow is laid out vertically on the frontage, the point towards the ground. Its sizes are important, certainly to be seen from a distance by the airplanes.

Regards,
Frederic

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hello,

I have attached an example found on the Web. When the building is smaller, the arrow appears much bigger...I think its size must be standardized.

Regards,
Frederic

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hi,
The arrow points to the location of fire fighting equipment, simple as that :).
bregds
SES

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hello SES,

Thus simply for the equipment I assume, because there is no possibility to park fire fighting vehicles at this place... it is the case on the two pictures I have regarding German airfields in France. Do you know if this arrow is always hung on the frontage of the Flugleitung?

Regards,
Frederic

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hi Frederic,
You are right, it is not for fire vehicles, but for man operated fire equipment. The arrow was used in many places also inside hangars.
bregds
SES

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Merci for the answers SES.

Regards,
Frederic

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Entirely my pleasure.
SES

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hi Frederic -

Although I lack SES's personal recollections of those times (:grin:), I concur with his answer. The minute he mentioned fire apparatus/equipment, I began to remember the downward-pointing red arrow painted on the inside walls of barracks (Kaserne Gebäude), warehouses, messhalls, etc., wherever a fire extinguisher was hung or sitting in a niche built into the wall. That was in Germany 12-13 years after the war ended, so even though these buildings had changed hands and had been repainted inside, the use of this symbol was retained. It apparently was required by German laws covering fire warnings, fire precautions, fire fighting, etc.

L.

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hello Larry,

All these explanations leave me unconvinced because I found this excerpt in a German book. The English translation is approximately: “The pilot saw the red arrow on the top of the air control and rolled towards her.” I received also this explanation from a friend: “The arrow indicates the parking area for foreign airplanes to the airfield, arrow which is, if possible, near the air traffic control building.” So, I don’t know what to think!

Best regards,
Frederic

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

and it is still there. A hanger at Grove 2009 :). And every five years a poor bloke comes along and re-paint the arrow, although it's purpose has been lost decades ago.
bregds
SES

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hmmm................now I'm confused!

L.

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hello,

Thank you for the picture SES but if you look well at the picture I attached, it is not the same arrow.

Regards,
Frederic

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Hello,



The arrow on the picture I sent is perhaps red if I refer to the book excerpt with a white(?) edging. This arrow is the same (colour (...dark) and sizes) on the two pictures of German airfields in France I have .


Best regards,
Frederic

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Frederic,
You may very well be right in the description you posted, considering the size and placement of the arrow.
bregds
SES

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

I find this explanation totally implausable. There must be some other explanation. You have to ask: "What foreign aircraft?" Foreign aircraft were not buzzing around landing on wartime Luftwaffe airfields in the Reich, except in rare instances. In Russia, Romania, Hungary, Italy and North Africa it was more common to have the Luftwaffe sharing airfields with air units from other Axis nations.

L.

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

We are talking about two different things. The red arrows painted on walls in hangars and barracks did indeed point to firefighting equipment.
The large/huge red arrow, sometimes with a white rim, on the field did point in the direction of the Flugleitung. It was the first place you had to report on landing, if you were not stationed there.

Junker

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

To-day we would use the experssion "Visiting Aircraft".
bregds
SES

Re: Air-traffic-control/Arrow or Flugleitung/Pfeil
 

Bonjour and many thanks to all of you for your involvement.

Best regards,
Frederic