Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg

Historie

Tønsberg Airport, Jarlsberg is a general aviation airport located at Sem in Tønsberg, Norway. It consists of a 799by asphalted runway and a 900m taxiway. Jarlsberg is used for a variety of activities, including glider pilots, light and microlight aircraft, radio-controlled aircraft, parachuting and the annual air show Wings & Wheels. The airport is owned by Thor Solberg Aviation and operated by Jarlsberg Luftsportssenter.The airport opened in 1937 and was taken over by the Luftwaffe in 1940. It was at first used as a dummy airfield, but from 1944 the Luftwaffe carried out upgrades. These were not finished by the end of Second World War. Jarlsberg was from 1947 to 1959 used by the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF), although the functions were eventually taken over by the nearby Sandefjord Airport, Torp. Braathens SAFE operated scheduled services from 1952 to 1959, and later also Thor Solberg and Fred. Olsen Airtransport also operated scheduled services. Activity has been limited to various general aviation activities since the late 1960s.HistoryEstablishment and the Second World WarTønsberg Modellflyklubb was established in 1936 and Tønsberg Flyveklubb was established on 18 May 1937 and incorporated on 29 May. The latter immediately purchased a section of land, on which they established a primitive air strip for both clubs. They organized Vestfold's first air show on 4 June, where a parachuter lost his life after his parachute failed to deploy. The aviation club bought its first aircraft, a Taylor Cub in 1938. Tønsberg Seilflyklubb was established the following year, and the municipality started looking into the possibilities of building a commercial airport at the site.