Aviation enthusiast and one of the tour guides through the diverse history of Adlershof
In conversation with Hans-Dieter Tack
Tack is an aviation enthusiast. He is fascinated by the technology of flying, although he has never taken off himself. People who have visited one of his fascinating forays into the diverse history of Adlershof have been able to witness his passion for flying first-hand. The young-at-heart 78-year-old lets visitors in on how the first airfield for motorised aviation in Johannisthal/Adlershof became a mecca for European aviationists, takes them past impressive landmarks, including the Great Wind Tunnel and the Trudelturm, a tailspin wind tunnel, and usually closes this historical circle with a tour of today’s Technology Park Adlershof. Tack is an active member of the Adlershof-based GBSL Society for the Preservation of Historic Sites of German Aviation History – which he has co-chaired for twenty years. He certainly is an active senior if there ever was one.
Where does your fascination with flying come from?
My grandparents had a craft business. I learned how to file before I learned how to read or write. Maybe that’s why I became an aircraft mechanic. In the mid-1950s, I worked on the rudder for the “152”, Germany’s first commercial jet plane, at the MAB factory in Schkeuditz. My wish was to study to become an aviation engineer, but the GDR authorities made me process technician instead. However, this didn’t put an end to my fascination with aviation. When I visited Tempelhof Airport in Berlin in 1994, I got to know the GBSL and I’ve been an active member of the Society ever since.
Do you have a pilot’s license?
No, I don’t. Actually, I’m not that that interested in flying myself.
What has the GBSL achieved since its founding in 1991?
We have identified 3,200 historical sites of German aerospace history. They include airports, airfields, production and testing sites, monuments as well as gravesites of major aviation pioneers. The feeling you get when you find and document another piece of the puzzle is just brilliant. We have our own publication series, take part in conventions and exhibitions, host lecture events…
…and you give tours on the history of Adlershof?
Indeed. We have organised 255 guided tours since the GBSL moved its headquarters from Schönefeld to the Technology Park Adlershof in 2012. And the Wind Canal tours we give for the Long Night of the Sciences are also very popular. I think it is safe to say we have brought over 10,000 people closer to our aviation monuments and the history of Adlershof. I believe you have to be passionate about something if you want to inspire others. This applies to all our guides. The wide-eyed looks and positive feedback from our guests are a great reward for the voluntary work we do.
What are the future highlights?
We will mark the 100th anniversary of commercial flight in Adlershof/Johannisthal on 6 February. We want to highlight this appropriately and are currently developing a concept for the occasion. There is another 100th anniversary: the first ever non-routine flight to a trade show took off from Adlershof in autumn 1919. We are also going forward with our idea of having the Adlershof wind channels listed as world cultural heritage sites in cooperation with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (IKOMOS)
How did you first hear about Adlershof?
I was the technical director of a chemical combine for a long time – first in Leipzig, then in Berlin. We had contacts to the GDR’s Academy of the Sciences in Adlershof. But I really got to know Adlershof when I was involved in organising the last aviation show on the Johannisthal airfield in 1995.
What is your favourite aviation monument in Adlershof?
That’s a no-brainer: the Great Wind Canal. Fluid mechanics have been my specialty since university.
Apart from aviation, what do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy many things: I’m interested in architecture, love to go to classical concerts – particularly the Gewandhaus in Leipzig -, I enjoy hiking, collect town chronicles and I write books. I’m also very proud of my three granddaughters.
Is there anything you wish for?
As an admirer of architecture, I would love to one day see Sydney Opera House.
Interview by Sylvia Nitschke for Adlershof Journal