ATLAS F3A World Championship Model by Wolfgang Matt

But it should be noted here that all the visible aspects of a sports career—success, failure, stagnation, streaks of bad luck, and so on—are “merely” the surface. They are, so to speak, the tip of the iceberg that rises visibly from the waves. The entire underlying structure, however—the human context, the mental and physical effort—is disproportionately greater and yet remains hidden from most people. Once an athlete achieves success, there is a high risk that all the hype and commercial activity surrounding the athlete will become so overwhelming that it becomes nearly impossible for him to perform at a high level. Many have faltered because of this and lost their inner balance. In my opinion, the reigning world and European champion Wolfgang Matt has remained calm and modest; for he alone knows what really matters. Wolfgang Matt is neither a “fluke” nor a “flash in the pan.” Nothing was made easy for him, nor was anything simply handed to him. His struggle was arduous and hard. It was remarkable how he was able to bounce back from setbacks time and again. He was always able to quickly overcome discouragement, resignation, and the urge to “hang it all up.” These are all qualities that are just as much a part of being a world-class pilot as pure flying skill and an almost immeasurable wealth of experience in building and designing aerobatic models.

Wolfgang Matt is not spared the darker sides or side effects of success either. He must hold his own against unsportsmanlike attacks, envy, and resentment—as well as what is often a complex psychological battle—just as he does on the airfield. This isn’t always easy and requires a deep passion for the sport and self-confidence. His quest to defend his title next year in Klagenfurt, Austria, will likely be a test of endurance, but it is also a sporting challenge—and not an insurmountable one. I wish him the best of luck. Emil Giezendanner

Even before the 1973 World Championship in Gorizia, Italy, my brother and I intended to design a new model, one that would not, however, deviate too much from the excellent flight characteristics and flying style of my successful “Super Star.” We wanted to implement some fundamental improvements in line with the new FAI program, with particular attention paid to the many roll maneuvers. The fuselage was given a rounded, aerodynamic shape to reduce sensitivity to crosswinds. The control arms were significantly modified. Furthermore, various changes (increased wingspan, airfoil, etc.) resulted in improved low-speed flight characteristics, which proved to be a major advantage during spins and landings.

After thoroughly testing three different prototypes, I was very satisfied with the flight characteristics of my new model. I flew this model at the 1975 World Championship in Bern. Wolfgang Matt

The ATLAS model is available in the following kit variations from KATO (Japan):

ATLAS 60 / 165 cm wingspan
—conventional wooden construction (fuselage and wings)

ATLAS 60 / 165 cm wingspan
— Styrofoam wings/elevator;


wooden fuselage ATLAS 40 / 140 cm wingspan
— conventional wooden construction

ATLAS 20 / 120 cm wingspan
— conventional wooden construction

Inquiries to:

Modellbau Günther Matt, Schaanerstr. 112,
9494 Schaan, Tel. 075 2 55 31