Martin Binkert is in his Element. He puts the machine in a tight curve to the left, to the Bianco ridge. To the right, passing the Piz Bernina, the highest summit in the Eastern Alps, behind the Piz Palü, and below, close enough to touch, glistens a glacier in the midday sun.
On the horizon the scenery of the Valtellina appears, in the Bergell valley opens in front of the Maloja and the plateau of the upper Engadin lake landscape further to the front of the Muottas-Muragl – and then the engine dies off, the hum stops. Motionless, like a kinked windshield wipers, protrudes a propeller blade into the field of view. Only the gentle sound of the wind is still hear.
Binkert grins happily, in the headphones of his voice: “Now we are sailing crack!”
Can spaces, such as all employees of the Engadin Airport, also refueling and snow: Martin Binkert, Chief Ground Services. Photo: Nicola Pitaro
The maloja wind carries the delicate aircraft across the valley. Deep down, a small red train, a track that lays like a long, yellowed carpet between the Inn and its next to the river Flaz is approaching. Behind it the small one in the big river, and between the houses leads to find the strands seemed to be to each other.
Samedan is around 1700 meters above sea level the highest located airport in Europe and a train station that serves more destinations than any other Station of the Rhaetian railway (RhB), as the Alpine transport hub. So close to Airport and railway station are close to each other, as different as the clientele is Often more than two, three passengers from the Business and private jets barely rising. Behind the customs clearance Container sedans in the Engadine Nobel waiting hostels.
Betis great-grandfather built on the Bernina pass
From the trains of tourists, waiting with geschultertem backpack and laced Hiking boots on the connection tend to rise. Seen in this way, Samedan is more distribution station as the transport node. The planes fly in from all over Europe, not rarely also from Overseas. And the trains leave the station in all directions – up to St. Moritz or down to Scuol or via Vereina to Klosters and Landquart. Through the albula tunnel to Tiefencastel and Chur or via Pontresina and the Bernina pass and through the Val Poschiavo to Tirano in Italy.
This is the route of the 42-year-old train driver Moreno Beti most comfortable feel – on the one hand, because it leads him home to the family in Poschiavo, but mainly because the Ospizio Bernina, the with 2253 meters above sea level, the highest railway Station, it to his great-grandfather remembered. Was involved one hundred years ago on the construction of the Railway. Later, his son worked as a track worker on the Bernina line, whose son, Moreno’s father, was a RhB train driver.
“I am confident”, says a smiling Beti, who as the top driver of forty colleagues in the RhB section of the upper Engadine, “that at least one of our two boys to continue the family tradition.”
Knows every point on the RhB railway network and know where it is worthwhile to drive slowly Moreno Beti, head of engineer:. Photo: Nicola Pitaro
Martin Binkert, who grew up in St. Moritz and already as a Boy, of a career as a helicopter pilot, dreamed, heard as a Chief Ground Services to the leading trio in the Airport Management, which he puts into perspective, however, immediately: “In the high season, thirty employees will handle the end of every day, more than a hundred take-offs and landings. This is only possible, if the hierarchies are flat.” All are important, everyone has to get everything from Fueling up to the snow. Balloons, helicopter, glider and sport plane, Jets – everything can move in the air, take off and land in Samedan, one of the most expensive airports in the world.
“could be put on an Airbus 320 on the 1800-Meter-long runway,” says Binkert proud of. But since the end of the Air Engiadina in front of nearly twenty years, Samedan has no line of traffic. “The whole valley is behind us,” said Binkert. “Because the municipalities are co-owners, we have 80 percent approval among the population. What is the airport crew can say something like that already?”
Samedan from above: a bird’s eye view of the valley to the model railway landscape shrinks. Photo: Nicola Pitaro
in addition to the office job Binkert commander also experience as a Firefighter. And as a private pilot, And weather permits, waive the lunch break and shifts the motor glider out of the Hangar. He straps the parachute on the back, is clamped into the Cockpit and step on the Gas. Bird’s-eye view of the valley to the model railway landscape shrinks. And the red train looks like a child’s toy.
In the cab of the RhB stand-Lok Moreno Betis glance wanders ceaselessly back and forth – from the narrow-gauge railway tracks, lost behind a curve, or in the next Tunnel, to the red and green lights, the stop or free travel grant from the speedometer to the road map and back out again in “the most beautiful countryside that has to offer a route to”.
How he dodges, you must Binkert decide for yourself
he Already knows every bridge, every Tunnel on the RhB network. There are, among others, a place where the Beti is a special attention If in front of the Klosters train station the Signal is on Red, he stops a little earlier. “So I’ll lose maybe five to ten seconds,” he says. “The people living in the houses close to the tracks take the train less noisy.”
The motor glider a moves to the Anflugsvolte, Binkert announces his landing, hovering on the runway, as the Tower announces: “Look out for crossing traffic!” In fact, a second glider emerges below. “We have an officially certified from the duty of information,” says Binkert and sets to the halt loop. “But not binding instructions. Also this makes us unique in Switzerland!”
This post is part of a series, which was funded by the Engadin St. Moritz tourism. The editorial responsibility lies with the Sunday newspaper. Now all of the articles in the E-Paper of the Sunday newspaper, read: App for iOS App for Android – Web-App
Created: 11.10.2019, 11:19 PM