Tucson Aerobatic Shootout 2007

Both the commonly used 3-meter-wingspan aircraft and the Su-21s, Extras, MX-2s, Staudachers, Giles, etc.—all featuring exceptional aerodynamic properties—were demonstrated performing flight maneuvers that seemed impossible.

From a Swiss perspective, this shootout was special. After all, the three pilots—Patrick Drack, Jean-Claude Spillmann, and Noldi Peyer—had traveled to the event to participate, despite the logistical challenges of transporting their models. A sizeable number of Swiss supporters traveled to Tucson with them, giving the “locals” the chance to hear some “Schwyzerdütsch” here and there.

The Swiss pilots' goal was to demonstrate, together with the three other European pilots—Bernd Beschorner (D), Gernot Bruckmann (A), Daniel Hrachovec (CZ), and Steve Mallinder (UK)—that this large-scale model class is flown with mastery even overseas.

While most pilots used 150-ccm3 two-stroke engines (the vast majority from DA), the only electrically powered aircraft was Bernd Beschorner’s (Raven XXL-E). Bernd has become a top executive at Airbus and has been a model airplane enthusiast alongside his father since he was a young boy.

The freestyle champion, Gernot Bruckmann from Villach (A), put on a truly impressive performance. He won Sunday’s freestyle competition with a breathtaking show, performed to perfectly synchronized music. At times flying just centimeters above the desert floor, he thrilled the large crowd as well as his fellow competitors with his “Flight on the Limits.”

Our three Swiss athletes, who had arrived a good week before the competition, steadily improved during training and ultimately achieved very respectable rankings in the competition. They impressed me in both the familiar and the unfamiliar routines. But Jean-Claude and Patrick also put on spectacular flights in the freestyle segment that followed. Patrick Drack (16th place in the Invitational / 13th place in Freestyle) performed an Extra 260. The smoke cartridges on Patrick Drack’s model looked absolutely fantastic. It’s just a shame that only one cartridge fired during one of his freestyle flights. Jean-Claude Spillmann (7th place in Advanced / 9th place in Freestyle) wasn’t quite able to match last year’s sensational result (4th place) with his MX-2. With new music and a new model, he performed in the first freestyle round despite an outstanding

His flight scored significantly lower than last year. This forced him to switch to the music he had used the previous year during the competition, which in turn allowed his harmoniously executed display to stand out much more clearly.

Noldi Peyer (9th place in the Advanced class) was the only pilot flying a Staudacher, and his flights were a joy to watch. As a pilot unknown in the U.S. and to the judges, he didn’t benefit from the “wow factor” as a “point booster.” In my opinion, his flights—compared to those of his competitors—deserved a few more points. I’m convinced that our Swiss pilots gave it their all and certainly took home some great memories. I was delighted to meet the Swiss supporters who traveled to Tucson, and

I hope you, too, were able to experience some wonderful moments in the Arizona Desert.

*Rene Berger*