The 6th Towing Day of the MFG St. Burkhard

It’s simply a relaxed and enjoyable day of gliding and towing, and the lunchtime meal is always a big highlight. There’s always the finest food straight off the grill, served with a variety of salads.

Of course, coffee and cake are a must. Looking at the pictures, you might not always get the impression that we’re here in the

Mittelland. Such beautiful views of the mountains and the Reuss Valley are just two of the privileges we’re lucky enough to enjoy here.

The towing day has increasingly become a fixture on our club calendar and was once again one of the major highlights of 2010 at our club grounds. However, the forecast of bad weather led us to postpone the event by a week. That turned out to be a very fortunate decision, though, because on the day of the event, after a brief morning drizzle, we enjoyed nothing but glorious weather.

... a tow day would, of course, be difficult to organize. While people usually have to search frantically for tow pilots at other events, here they were lining up. So many had come that we were actually a little concerned that not everyone would get a chance to fly. Wilga, Piper, Zlin 242, Sportsman, and several Belancas were on site, tirelessly lifting the waiting glider pilots into the blue sky. All of these models were powered by gasoline engines, typically equipped with three- or four-bladed propellers. We’ve been mindful of keeping noise emissions as low as possible for years and have a very good relationship with our residents and neighbors. However, the simplest—and probably also the most cost-effective—measure is and always will be keeping a light touch on the throttle. Careful throttle control can significantly reduce noise levels.

I’d like to briefly discuss two types of gliders present here. First is the Inteco L213, often mistakenly referred to as a “Blanik.” You don’t see this glider very often—in fact, it’s quite a rarity. Unfortunately, the only original prototype has (so far) gone missing and cannot be found. Its striking appearance—almost a high-wing design with the center-mounted horizontal stabilizer integrated into the rudder fin—makes it unmistakably identifiable as this model. The

Czech model manufacturer Valenta offers the L213 in 1:5 and 1:3 scales. The models are constructed using full-FRP technology and are highly pre-assembled. The HQ1.5/8/12 airframe profile used is extremely versatile, and the models’ structural integrity leaves nothing to be desired. They’re already so popular in our club that we now have four of them in our ranks. The other noteworthy glider is the large Salto H-101 on a 1:2 scale, piloted by Peter Hochstrasser. The model is manufactured by Fliegerland. With a wingspan of 6.8 m in the aerobatic version—and an impressive 7.8 m in the thermal version, which features clip-on ears—and a takeoff weight of 24 kg, it’s quite a hefty model airplane. An HN-Special airfoil is used here. Peter spent about 100 hours building it and, among other things, added scale-accurate spin-braking flaps; these are a distinctive feature of the Salto.

... It’s worth mentioning that even the local press was on site that day and published a very informative report on the flying activities; this was part of a summer feature story. The success of such a wonderful day was made possible by the support of many volunteers and the goodwill of our neighbors. On behalf of our MFG, I would also like to take this opportunity to once again express our gratitude to all visitors and guests. We look forward to the next event! More interesting photos and reports can be viewed and read on our website at www.mfg-stburkhard.ch.

With aviation greetings from
the MFG St. Burkhard
Elmer Gossel (text/photos)
Michael Staudt (photos)