Newcomers to the airfield in Langkampfen are often amazed by what has become an everyday occurrence for the citizens of Langkampfen and regular visitors. A host of green walk-behind and ride-on mowers of all shapes and sizes mow their way almost daily between the aircraft during the summer months. Langkampfen-based gardening power tool manufacturer VIKING discovered the airfield was an ideal testing ground for its mowers, on its doorstep many years ago.
This partnership is highly appreciated and encouraged by the Langkampfen flying club: "Most airfields are built from concrete or tarmac, we're certainly an exception with our perfectly mown natural landing strip," says a delighted Harald Larcher, chairman of the flying club. The VIKING testing department also places great value on this "luxury": because the company premises are in sight of the airfield, no complicated transport operations are necessary. "Of course we can simulate many of the tests in-house, particularly for exhaust gas and noise testing, specially equipped measurement facilities are indispensible. For usability testing the only option is the outdoor operation of lawn mowers under real-life conditions," says one of the VIKING testers.