SMV Model Aircraft Schools at the 2010 Air Display in Grenchen

As part of the 2010 Air Display in Grenchen, the SMV offered interested individuals the opportunity to gain their first experiences with our wonderful hobby for free at a model aircraft school over the course of four days. Participants could choose whether they wanted to fly a tethered model, an RC powered airplane, or an RC helicopter. This was made possible by a group of tethered-flight enthusiasts led by Peter Germann and Andy Sweetland, as well as the Bern Model Flying School with “chief pilot” Marc Kneubühler. The SMV promoted this event with 5,000 flyers—each featuring a voucher printed on the back—and through extensive advertising on Radio 32 to reach as many people as possible. The success took everyone by surprise. Although flying wasn’t possible on the first day due to strong winds, the following days featured model flying at its finest from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the approximately 100 interested participants waited patiently until they received an open “slot” to try their hand at flying the models. “No one is too young or too old to be a tethered pilot”: under this motto, the team led by Peter Germann and Andy Sweetland was delighted by the very high demand. Everyone in attendance was speechless when Hugo ... performed his acrobatic routine. Even though the participants didn’t quite reach that level during their own attempts, they were all amazed at how delicately the models could be flown and how much concentration was required just to keep the model flying at least somewhat level.

Even the author, a die-hard RC pilot, couldn’t resist the allure of tethered flight and, of course, had to give it a try. The result of the 10-minute flight was a deep respect for the skill and ability of the tethered flight pilots. Starting on the second day, the models were then, for safety reasons,

It was kicked off with a battery-powered starter, which was kindly provided by the Bern Model Flying School. Marc Kneubühler, who set up a beautiful booth and displayed many of his models, was also pleased to see such high demand. Even though many participants came to realize that a helicopter isn’t as easy to fly as it sometimes looks, the enthusiasm for the experience was clearly evident on their beaming faces.

Interestingly, some model airplane enthusiasts also took advantage of this opportunity to try their hand at a different discipline and gain expert information straight from the source. Visitors even came from neighboring countries who didn’t want to miss the chance to fly a model airplane.

The event can be described as a great success and is well worth replicating on a smaller scale at the club level during local events; after all, a teacher-student flight offers non-model aviators an interesting glimpse into our hobby and fosters an understanding of it. After all, the first flight is always something special.

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