[meredydd]

One of the great things about the Berlin airlift is the way that they invented a huge amount of what is now standard high-capacity aircraft handling, on incredibly short notice (and in order to accomplish something fairly heroic). This includes things like standard routes and approaches, diversion procedures, pure-IFR (instrument) operations, and more. The family resemblance between arrivals to Newark Airport and Tempelhof is not accidental.

(Which reminds me, cycling down the runway at Tempelhof is still on my bucket list. I should go to Berlin this summer...)

[tnolet]

You should. It’s very nice there during summer and there are a ton of pretty cool and informative info panels on the history of Tempelhof and the airlift. Bring a grill and a kite!