Ridali Airfield Ridali lennuväli | |||||||||||
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 Wilga tow plane at Ridali airfield in the evening | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Ridali Gliding Club | ||||||||||
| Location | Suurküla, Põlva Parish | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 88 m / 289 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 57°56′34″N 026°58′40″E / 57.94278°N 26.97778°E | ||||||||||
| Website | http://www.purilend.ee | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  EERI Location in Estonia | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Sources: Ridali Lennuklubi[1] | |||||||||||
Ridali Airfield ((ICAO: EERI); Estonian: Ridali lennuväli) is an airfield in Estonia, about 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Võru in the vicinity of Ridali - a place known for its scenery, lakes, fields and forests, giving glider pilots many visual reference points to navigate by.[citation needed] The airfield was used during World War II, and in the early 1960s it started serving glider pilots. The first gliders to fly in Ridali were Soviet KAI-12s (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-12s, three Blaníks, two towing winches and a Yak-12 for aerotows.
Ridali Airfield is currently the home of Ridali Gliding Club (Estonian: Ridali Lennuklubi).