Review: Beautiful, More Beautiful, Schönhagen

Some designers might appear to the “average simulator” user as (positively meant) “crazy” given the realism, high display quality, and richness of detail in their sceneries.

That there’s an escalation towards (also positively meant) “insanity” is proven by Dennis Passolt with his label Aviation-Sim-Design (ASD) for quite some time with the freeware “Fliegerhorst Holzdorf” as well as the payware offerings Airfield Emden (FS MAGAZINE 5/2022), Kyritz Airfield (FS MAGAZINE 1/2023), and then with Airfield Norden-Norddeich (FS Reviews 1/2024).

In calendar week 8/2025, ASD came sharply around the curve with a new project: Schönhagen Airfield (ICAO code EDAZ), which was enhanced with three gimmicks. Initially “only” for MSFS 2020, later also for MSFS 2024, as the designer still needs to work into the new Software Development Kit (SDK). A not enviable fate that he shares with many colleagues…

Let’s first look at the reality of the sceneries included in the add-on:

Schönhagen Airfield

The Schönhagen Airfield is located on B246 in the Trebbin district of Schönhagen.

The history of EDAZ begins as a glider field in 1928. From 1937 to 1945, the Wehrmacht was active here with He 126 and Me 163 aircraft. During GDR times, the state sports and technology society’s school complex “Ernst Schneller” conducted preliminary flight training for future National People’s Army (NVA) pilots. In 1959, the first GDR gliding championships took place in Schönhagen. The only two-seater sports aircraft of the GDR, the FSS-100 “Tourist” with air-cooled 4-cylinder engine type “Walter Mikron III” was designed and test-flown here.

After reunification, the airfield was expanded, with runways 07/25 measuring 1,510 by 23 meters and 12/30 measuring 700 by 18 meters being paved. The 12/30 and the grass strip 12/30 lying west of it, measuring 760 by 30 meters, are only operational exceptionally. A grass area for gliders can be used directly south of 07/25. The 07/25 was equipped on both sides with short approach lighting without sequenced flashing lights. An RNP approach procedure was published for runway 25. Operations on and from 07 and both 12/30s can only be conducted under visual flight rules.

Around 40 aviation and other companies plus a flight school are active at the airfield in the “Aviation Technology Park” and provide about 300 jobs. Research is also conducted here, such as on “Innovative Fuels for Low-Emission Air Transport” (ITEAL) or the “Advanced Low Altitude Data Information System” (ALADIN). The airfield’s website provides information about this.

A Do-27 with registration D-EDAZ was “mounted” at the airfield in special livery. A similar aircraft was used by veterinarian and zoologist Bernhard Grzimek with registration D-ENTE for flights over the Serengeti in Africa. His son Michael fatally crashed with this aircraft in 1959 during filming of the movie “Serengeti Shall Not Die” (the first film after World War II to win an Oscar in 1960). The displayed aircraft was transferred from Saarmund to Schönhagen on September 23, 2003, in its original livery with registration D-ELVK and later painted like D-ENTE. By the way: A model of D-ENTE still stands on one of the primate houses at Frankfurt Zoo. Also visible is a glider of type Blanick L-13, which was used for gliding in the GDR.

Since August 5, 2023, her 80th death anniversary, a memorial stone commemorates Cato Bontjes van Beek: The passionate glider pilot and resistance fighter against the Nazi regime was executed by guillotine on August 5, 1943, in the former Plötzensee prison. She learned gliding in the Trebbin area.

In front of the terminal on the landside stands a Bo-105 helicopter from today’s Airbus subsidiary Motorflug Baden-Baden. The machine was damaged in 1996 during a very low flight when the rotors touched a traffic sign. Stripped of its ability to fly, it was subsequently used for “dry training” for flight engineers. In 2002, Motorflug Baden-Baden opened a branch at Schönhagen Airfield and prominently marked this event by displaying the said Bo-105 with a new paint job.

Helicopter Landing Pad at KMG Klinikum Luckenwalde

The helicopter landing pad at KMG Klinikum Luckenwalde is mainly used by intensive care transport helicopters for transferring severely injured or ill patients to and from maximum care hospitals. The illuminated landing pad is located 300 meters east of the hospital in a green area. Ambulances serve as shuttles to and from the helicopter. These often use EDAZ for refueling.

Helicopter Landing Pad Groß-Kreutz

DHD-Heliservice GmbH, which offers passenger and material transport, maintains a flight school, and offers sightseeing flights, maintains a helicopter location in the Brandenburg town of Groß-Kreutz directly on a double-track railway line. The Regional Express (RE) 1 Magdeburg – Werder – Potsdam – Berlin – Fürstenwalde – Frankfurt (Oder) – Eisenhüttenstadt – Guben – Cottbus operates here. Additionally, there is frequent shunting and freight traffic.

Helicopter Operations at BER

From the helicopter landing pad at BER (south of the intersection of taxiways K, K1, and N1 at the old airport area), sightseeing flights over Berlin can be taken with Air Service Berlin‘s helicopter with registration D-HERZ.

World Balloon

At the former “Checkpoint Charlie,” the aforementioned Air Service Berlin offers the “World Balloon”: For 30 euros, vertigo-free explorers can hover 150 meters above Berlin for 15 minutes and enjoy the view.

Simulation

Schönhagen became known to the virtual pilot community through the proper implementations by Rainer Kunst https://forum.simmershome.de . His works have received multiple “Editor’s Tips” from FS MAGAZINE. His EDAZ was released multiple times as freeware: For FS X, Prepar3D, MSFS, and X-Plane.

ASD has committed to delivering at least one heliport with every airport scenery. And a railway line. He has kept this with EDAZ, as all the above-described partial sceneries are included in the package for around 18 euros.

Highlights are undoubtedly the highly detailed airfield and the Groß-Kreutz helicopter landing pad including railway line and dynamically animated gated station. The widely visible “World Balloon” is compatible with FSDG’s “German Landmarks: Berlin & Brandenburg”. The helicopter D-HERZ regularly circles over simulated Berlin.

At Schönhagen Airfield, the various buildings on the land and air side impress with their high design quality. The tower and small terminal particularly stand out with their detailed interior furnishings, moving elevator, and opening and closing glass doors. Below the tower stands an older model airfield fire truck in a hall. Its gate goes up and down several times a day – the fire truck drives out and back in.

Information boards – well readable in the scenery – were placed for all displayed aircraft mentioned above and the memorial stone.

During the photo tour of the airfield, it was initially noticed that the white-white-flashing rotating beacon on the tower roof, according to the German Air Traffic Control (DFS) www.dfs.de map, wasn’t moving. The designer then let it be known that the active COM1 frequency of the aircraft used must be set to 131.115 MHz and the standby COM1 frequency to 127.900 MHz: Then it moves smoothly animated in a circle, the beacon!

On approach to EDAZ from the east, the transmission tower “Hinterer Löwendorfer Berg” is clearly visible. The “Observation Tower on Löwenberger Berg” with its interesting wooden construction, built just under 560 meters north of it, is still missing – it will be added via update, as promised by the designer.

Conclusion

The core scenery Schönhagen Airfield alone is worth every cent of the purchase price. Through the “side venues,” it becomes even better and more interesting for virtual VFR fixed-wing and rotary-wing pilots.

In short: Purchase recommendation and the gold medal from FS Reviews for it!

Bert Groner/FS Reviews