Memories of Spilve helicopter base
During the Soviet era, there was a helicopter base in the southwestern part of Spilve Airport. It could be well seen from the nearby Kleistu forest dunes, as well as from the Riga-Bolderāja railway branch, which led to the Riga varnish and paint factory.
At that time, flying helicopters crossed Ilguciems and Pardaugava at least once a day, creating a stunning noise. Whether they were military or civilian, it seems both. For us, the children, of course, it made me happy: we ran with them around the yard, threw our hats in the air and shouted loudly "urrā, urrā". Then we play the most popular game of that time - "war", where "ours" usually defeated "Germans". The location of the helipad is still visible today. To the west of the Helicopter base was the Kleisti forest massif with a standing high dune, which in the 70s and 80s was popularly called Lokatoru kalni. During the Soviet era, there stood two (later - probably one) radars, which constantly revolved around their axis. The locators apparently provided airport communications. The hill was surrounded by a barbed wire fence, but there were no restrictions on movement in the nearby forest. At the locator hill was a huge farm complex where Soviet soldiers raised pigs. It could be well seen from the highest points of the dunes. The locator hill is still preserved (also the concrete foundations of the locators), but instead of the former pig farm there is now a real "pig barn". In terms of appearance - even worse than a quarter of a century ago! Needless to say, on the site of the current Spilve airfield - the legendary Battle of Spilve took place in Spilve meadows in 1701 - a rather significant military event at that time.
