A Gathering in the Land of the Rubber Faces

The event, organized by the Geneva Model Aircraft Group (a member of the Geneva chapter of the AECS) and held at the Laconnex-Athénaz field in the heart of the Geneva countryside, was a resounding success, exceeding the club’s expectations. And, to top it all off, the sun was the first to accept the invitation to this gathering. The delighted organizer, Mr. Samir Fokheladeh (affectionately nicknamed “the Great Kalif”), is thrilled to announce that he had to restock the various food and beverage stands several times due to the large number of visitors.

More than 40 pilots accepted the invitation from GAM Geneva, much to the delight of over 3,000 spectators. Coming from clubs in Geneva, Sierre, Aigle, Bulle, the Jura, Divonne, Alsace, Lorraine, and many others, these drivers sometimes traveled considerable distances to do us the honor of showcasing their magnificent machines (some even arrived on Friday evening and camped out on site).

Turbine-powered helicopters with a 3-meter rotor diameter, jets—including a massive 3.5-meter Venom—8-meter gliders, 3.5-meter aerobatic planes, and 2.8-meter warbirds equipped with Moki radial engines, a 3-meter JU glider, and even a “flying fortress” with a 3.5-meter wingspan and four engines all performed safely on this long, completely unobstructed runway. Touch-and-goes, low passes, English-style passes, torque rolls, tows, and 3D maneuvers followed one after another from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both days of the event. The event was such a success that, given the incredible number of pilots, the organizers had to limit the demonstrations to one or two per day per model.

Unfortunately, there were a few crashes, including an ultra-fast Fun-Jet following a control failure, a Beaver tow plane over 2 meters long following an engine stall, and two electric-turbine Venoms following a somewhat reckless low-altitude encounter over the runway.

The club staff did a tremendous job entertaining both adults and children with a raffle featuring over 2,000 prizes—all of which were sold by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday— a clown and magician for the children, and a 600-number raffle for a Hamilton watch worth over 3,000 CHF (which was won by a local resident), with the drawing taking place on Sunday at noon. In addition, the fantastic kitchen team worked tirelessly, starting at dawn, to prepare thousands of roasts (35 kg), sausages (500), sliced chicken (35 kg), and French fries (tons and tons) to satisfy the thousands of spectators and pilots. On Saturday evening, the traditional charbonnade delighted even the most discerning palates. Officials from the Geneva region and the aeronautics section also honored us with their presence.

In short, it was a huge success that has inspired the entire team to roll up their sleeves and organize the event again. The team would like to once again extend its warmest thanks to all the pilots who accepted its invitation. So mark your calendars for September 2014, since on June 21, 22, and 23, 2013, the GAM is organizing the Geneva Cup, a round of the European Acrobatic Cup (F3M large-scale model aircraft).

For more information, visit our website at www.gam-geneve.ch.

On behalf of the GAM in Geneva,
François Ballis