Ridali Airfield is an airfield in Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

, about 10 kilometers north from Võru

Võru

Võru is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish.-History:Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, according to the wish of the Empress Catherine II of Russia, by the order of Riga Governor general count George Browne, on the...

 in the vicinity of Ridali - a place known for its beautiful scenery, abundance of lakes, fields and forests, giving 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 many visual reference points to navigate by. The airfield was used during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, in the early 1960s it started serving glider pilots. The first gliders to fly in Ridali were Soviet KAI-12's (Improved design from the Czech LF-109). The only way to launch gliders was by using the Czech winch "Herkules". By 1968, the club already had two KAI-12's, three Blaníks, two towing winches and a Yak-12

Yakovlev Yak-12

The Yakovlev Yak-12 is a light multirole STOL aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force, Soviet civilian aviation and other countries from 1947 onwards.-Design and development:...

 for aerotows.

Ridali Airfield is currently the home of Ridali gliding club.

Aircraft in service

! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
|-
| PZL-104 Wilga

PZL-104 Wilga

PZL-104 Wilga is a Polish designed and built short-takeoff-and-landing Civil Aviation utility aircraft manufactured by PZL "Warszawa-Okęcie";...

|
| Utility/Aerotow
| PZL-104 Wilga
| 2
|-
| Morane-Saulnier MS-894A
|
| Light aircraft
| MS-894A
| 1
|-
| LET L-13 Blaník
|
| Glider
| L-13
| 4
|-
| LAK-12 Lietuva

LAK-12

|-See also:-External links:*...

|
| Glider
| LAK-12
| 1
|-
| SZD-41 Jantar Standard

PZL Bielsko SZD-41

|-References:*Simons, Martin. Sailplanes 1965-2000 2nd revised edition. EQIP Werbung und Verlag G.m.b.H.. Königswinter. 2005. ISBN 3-9808838-1-7*Coates, Andrew. “Jane's World Sailplanes & Motor Gliders new edition”. London, Jane's. 1980. ISBN 0 7106 0017 8....

|
| Glider
| SZD-41
| 3
|-
| SZD-30 Pirat
|
| Glider
| SZD-30
| 1