Antonov An-2 – more than just an airplane, a piece of memory.
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2025 3:58 pmMy latest simulator flight took me with the Antonov An-2 from Kyritz to Eisenach. Kyritz is located in Brandenburg, southwest of Berlin, and during GDR times it was an airfield of the Society for Sport and Technology (GST). The GST was a mass organization where young people were introduced to technology, motorsports, gliding and parachuting – and, not least, prepared for future military service.
The Antonov An-2 was a familiar sight in the GDR: as an agricultural aircraft, in parachute training, or for sightseeing flights. After the reunification, many of these aircraft disappeared, but some survived as private collector’s items and are still popular flying classics in Germany today.
The flight to Eisenach carries its own symbolism. Eisenach lies in the south of the former GDR and was best known for its automobile plant, where the Wartburg was built. My father also drove one of these cars. Today the factory belongs to Opel, but the name “Wartburg” will forever be linked with the city.
Thus, this virtual flight connects two places with typical GDR history: Kyritz with its GST tradition and Eisenach with the Wartburg plant. For me, it felt like bringing a piece of history back to life – carried by the deep rumble of the An-2’s radial engine.
The Antonov An-2 was a familiar sight in the GDR: as an agricultural aircraft, in parachute training, or for sightseeing flights. After the reunification, many of these aircraft disappeared, but some survived as private collector’s items and are still popular flying classics in Germany today.
The flight to Eisenach carries its own symbolism. Eisenach lies in the south of the former GDR and was best known for its automobile plant, where the Wartburg was built. My father also drove one of these cars. Today the factory belongs to Opel, but the name “Wartburg” will forever be linked with the city.
Thus, this virtual flight connects two places with typical GDR history: Kyritz with its GST tradition and Eisenach with the Wartburg plant. For me, it felt like bringing a piece of history back to life – carried by the deep rumble of the An-2’s radial engine.