Rudi Kappel Airstrip

Rudi Kappel Airstrip Tafelberg Airstrip
IATA: none ICAO: SMTB
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Luchtvaartdienst Suriname
Location	Tafelberg, Suriname
Elevation AMSL	1,112 ft / 339 m
Coordinates	3°47′15″N 56°09′00″W
Map
SMTB Location in Suriname
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 11/29 1,200 3,937 Grass
Sources: GCM[1] Google Maps[2] HERE/Nokia Maps[3]

Rudi Kappel Airstrip (ICAO: SMTB) is located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) south of the Tafelberg tepui in Suriname. It was constructed as part of Operation Grasshopper. It used to be named Tafelberg Airstrip, but was renamed Rudi Kappel Airstrip, after the co-pilot of a flight that crashed near Vincent Fayks Airport on 6 October 1959.[4][5]

History

The airstrip was the first airstrip to be constructed in the interior of Suriname. On 3 March 1958, the Geijskes [nl] expedition to the Tafelberg began. One of the goals of the expedition was to examine whether an airstrip could be built on the savanna.[6] On 16 March, Rudi Kappel, H. Massink, and 18 Amerindians started clearing the area, and on 24 March, the first plane landed on the airstrip.[7][8] In February 1959, Operation Grasshopper was announced which intended to map the natural resources in the interior of Suriname. As part of the operation, six more airstrips were to be constructed.[9]

Charters and destinations

Charter airlines serving this airport are:

Airlines	Destinations
Blue Wing Airlines	Charter: Paramaribo–Zorg en Hoop[10]
Gum Air	Charter: Paramaribo–Zorg en Hoop[11]
Hi-Jet Helicopter Services	Charter: Paramaribo–Zorg en Hoop

Accidents and incidents

• On 25 October 1968 a Douglas C-47A PH-DAA of KLM Aerocarto flew into Tafelberg following an engine failure whilst on a survey flight. The aircraft collided with the mountain in cloud, killing three of the five people on board.[12]

See also

• Suriname portal
• Aviation portal
• List of airports in Suriname
• Transport in Suriname

References

1. Airport information for SMTB at Great Circle Mapper.
2. Google Maps - Tafelberg
3. HERE/Nokia - Tafelberg
4. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 163559". Aviation Safety. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
5. "Rudi Kappel verongelukt". Amigoe di Curacao (in Dutch). 8 October 1959. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
6. "Expeditie naar de Tafelberg". Het nieuws (in Dutch). 4 March 1958. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
7. Arno Landewers. "Wetenschappelijke verkenningsvluchten boven Suriname 1938-1958" (PDF) (in Dutch). pp. 2–3. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
8. "Vijf Gure dagen op Tafelberg". Het nieuws : algemeen dagblad (in Dutch). 11 April 1958. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
9. Arno Landewers. "Operatie sprinkhaan" (PDF). Landewers (in Dutch). pp. 2–3. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
10. Blue Wing schedule Archived 2013-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
11. Gum Air destinations
12. "PH-DAA Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

External links

• Aerial photo Tafelberg runway
• Rudi Kappel Airport
• OurAirports - Rudi Kappel