Lesce-Bled Airport is located in Lesce

Lesce

Lesce is a town in the Radovljica municipality in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It is an industrial as well as a tourist centre.It is one of the oldest mentioned settlements in the region, first noted in a document from 1004 together with Bled and Bohinj...

, in the northwest part of Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

, only a few "air" kilometers between airports in Slovenia and Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

. Road connections with Austria and Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 are possible via the A2 motorway

A2 motorway (Slovenia)

The A2 motorway is a motorway in Slovenia, around 175 km long, connecting Karavanke Tunnel via the capital city Ljubljana to Obrežje . It connects several larger Slovenian cities, including Kranj, Ljubljana and Novo Mesto, and is part of the Pan-European corridor X.The motorway was completed...

.

The operator of the airport is the Public Commercial Institution ALC Lesce-Bled, established by the nearby municipality of Radovljica

Radovljica

Radovljica is a town and a municipality in in the Upper Carniola region of northern Slovenia. The municipality has around 18,000 inhabitants and an area of 118 km²...

. Permanent users of the airport include Aero Club ALC Lesce-Bled, Flycom, and others.

The Bled

Bled

Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...

 area is a popular tourist location, in large part due to scenic lake Bled

Lake Bled

Lake Bled is a glacial lake in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia, where it adjoins the town of Bled. The area is a popular tourist destination.-Geography and history:...

.

Flying

Just north of the airport lies the Karavanke Alps mountain chain, which eases difficult flightpaths during bad weather. To the west of lake Bled, one can see the highest Slovenian mountain range, the Julian Alps

Julian Alps

The Julian Alps are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipium of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains...

, which include Slovenia's highest peak, Triglav

Triglav

Triglav is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. While its name, meaning "three-headed", can describe its shape as seen from the Bohinj area, the mountain was most probably named after the Slavic god Triglav. The mountain is the preeminent symbol of the Slovene...

 (altitude 2864 m).

For experienced and ambitious glider

Glider (sailplane)

A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...

 pilots, Lesce-Bled can be an ideal start point for long distance flights in the direction of Italy, Austria and even further to Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. Ridges and mountains close to Lesce allow early take-off. Pilots can then follow the Alps

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

 in a north-westerly direction. High speeds are attainable due to the ridges.

World Records Attained at Lesce-Bled Airport

The Aero Club ALC Lesce-Bled has more than 300 member pilots. It is the only European airport with two world records to its name, flown by Mihael Thaler and Boštjan Pristavec.

Mihael Thaler broke the world speed record in the FAI 15 m class when he, on 6 July 1999, flew the 100 km triangle with an average speed of 181.4 km/h.

In 2004, Boštjan Pristavec broke the world record in the ultra-light sailplane class. His average speed flown with the Slovenian sailplane Apis was 118.44 km/h. The record still holds to this day.

Many club pilots fly cross-country flights. They are very active on the OLC Online contest, where the best results from the club can be found. One of the best flights were the 750 km FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...

) triangle from Miha Thaler, 1000 km flight by Miha Thaler and a 1000 km flight flown by Boštjan Pristavec.

Recreational Facilities

The airfield has a separate area with sanitary facilities and all necessary conditions for camping. There is also restaurant with terrace offering a view on the airfield.

History

In July 1957 JAT Yugoslav Airlines opened http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/ju57/ju57-4.jpghttp://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/ju57/ju57-7.jpg line Belgrade

Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

-Bled

Bled

Bled is a municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.-History:...

 with an Douglas DC-3

Douglas DC-3

The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...

 airliner.

Lesce Airbase

The airfield also serves as a minor base of the air component of the Slovene Armed Forces; two Bell 412

Bell 412

The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212 model, the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.-Design and development:...

helicopters are stationed there for mountain rescue.

External links

• Lesce-Bled Airport (official site)
• Map from MultiMap
• Satellite image from TerraServer