Aufwind GmbH is an aviation engineering consultancy based in Flensburg, Germany, with a hangar facility at Padborg Airfield (EKPB) in Denmark. The work centres on seaplane hydrodynamics, EASA regulatory compliance, and the setup and management of aviation organisations. Clients include OEMs, aviation startups, MROs, and operators across Europe and internationally.
The engineering Aufwind delivers is closely tied to operational practice, which is why the company is establishing its own Combined Airworthiness Organisation and maintains a Lake LA-4-200 amphibious aircraft for flight test support and charter operations.
The name "Aufwind" is the German word for updraft, the rising air that glider pilots use to gain altitude without an engine.
Team
Malte Höltken — Geschäftsführer
M.Sc. Aeronautical Engineering from RWTH Aachen University (Institute of Aerospace Systems), where his thesis work produced the analytical methods for seaplane hull design, water impact loads, and porpoising stability prediction that now underpin SILAS. EASA Part-66 licensed engineer (B1/B2) with a background in Part-145 engineering management for commercial aviation.
- Bestimmung und Optimierung der hydrodynamischen Eigenschaften und Lasten an Schwimmwerken leichter amphibischer Flugboote — M.Sc., RWTH Aachen, 2022.
- Preliminary Configuration of Amphibious Aircraft Using Quality Function Deployment — B.Sc., RWTH Aachen.
EASA Safety Advisory Body 
Andrea Höltken — Geschäftsführerin
Operations, administration, and organisational management.
Klemens Höltken — Technical Advisor
Technical advisory for aircraft maintenance engineering, propulsion systems, and operational matters.
Facility
Aufwind operates from Flensburg (office) and Padborg Airfield, EKPB (hangar and flight operations). The Padborg facility provides direct access to water operations in the Baltic region and serves as base for the Lake LA-4-200 D-EALG, which supports flight test programmes, charter operations, and engineering validation work.
Memberships & Approvals
Organisational
Regulatory Engagement
Aufwind contributes to European aviation regulation development through AOPA Germany, which represents general aviation interests in EASA rulemaking via IAOPA Europe. Current involvement covers airworthiness policy, maintenance regulations, and seaplane-specific regulatory development.