In Pit Rhein’s living room in Grevenmacher, Luxembourg’s main airport has been brought to life in miniature. At 6m in length and built to a scale of 1:500, his model of Luxembourg Airport is both a painstaking hobby and a striking piece of art, rich in intricate detail.
Rhein’s love for planes traces its origins back to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that period, Rhein began visiting the airport with his cousin to photograph aircraft. On one occasion, they were particularly eager to catch sight of a Cargolux plane that was wearing a mask.
What began as a simple way to pass the time soon developed into a real passion. Rhein started making regular trips to Findel, building up a collection of photographs and becoming acquainted with fellow aviation enthusiasts.
Today, Rhein is part of a small but dedicated community of plane spotters in Luxembourg. When he is not studying in Dresden, he can often be found at the airport four or five times a week.
Photography forms only a part of his wider interest in planes. He is in regular contact with other spotters and has also built connections with representatives of Lux-Airport.
Rhein began work on his large-scale model in 2023, using tools such as Google Earth and geoportail.lu to get every detail right. He recreates everything from runway markings to road layouts and building positions. He purchases most of the aircraft ready-made, despite the fact that sourcing models from Luxair or Cargolux is challenging. Such items are rare making them a costly addition to the collection.
In the early stages, Rhein relied heavily on cardboard. Today, his approach has evolved to include 3D printing. Using simple design software, he creates digital models of buildings before printing, assembling and painting them. He has also begun producing aircraft in this way, constructing them from multiple printed segments.
Because Luxembourg Airport itself is constantly changing, Rhein’s model is never truly finished. He regularly updates it to reflect new developments and is currently working on recreating the Air Rescue hangar.
Despite his huge enthusiasm, Rhein does not intend to pursue a career in aviation. He regards it as a passion best kept separate from his professional life. Among the highlights of his collection is a photograph of Air Force One taken during the NATO summit in The Hague.
