Swiss Acro Gliding Championship

St. Peter must be a model aircraft enthusiast! Thanks to perfect weather conditions, the Swiss Acrobatic Gliding Championship was held on Saturday, September 21, at our fully equipped model airfield. The 22 pilots arrived early in the morning and were able to park their vehicles and set up their beautiful model gliders on the surrounding farmland—which was kindly made available by the landowner, Gabriel Emmenegger.

Acrobatic gliding involves flying a predetermined sequence of maneuvers with the greatest possible harmony and precision, and earning bonus points with a clean landing. Three members from our club also participated: Adrian Amrein from Willisau, Elias Hälller from Buttisholz, and the youngest member of the association, Gabriel Brun (14 years old) from Triengen. The competition was divided into several rounds, with the points awarded varying slightly in each round. The top pilot in each round received 1,000 points, while the pilots behind were ranked on a percentage basis according to their error rate.

In each competition flight, the models were towed to a starting altitude of 550 meters by high-displacement motorized aircraft. After being released, the aerobatic glider turns into the wind and begins its routine. The challenge lies in flying all the maneuvers without engine power, which naturally results in a loss of altitude. The routine ends with a clean landing, and all required maneuvers must be executed as perfectly and harmoniously as possible within the allotted 500 meters, under the watchful eyes of a six-member jury.

The models that were flown at the Swiss Championships in Geiss require a considerable investment of materials, expertise, and financial resources. An aerobatic glider is defined by its size on a scale of 1:3 to 1:2, which corresponds to a wingspan of up to 6.5 m. The models correspond as closely as possible to their real-life counterparts in terms of design and dimensional accuracy. Many pilots put in additional effort into the cockpit’s design, which gives the glider an extremely true-to-scale appearance.

The Nimbus Model Aircraft Club was primarily responsible for catering to the guests, which was greatly appreciated by everyone. Using a field kitchen and their grill, the members whipped up a well-balanced meal, complete with coffee and cake.

The freestyle routine was then flown during the final round of the competition. Each pilot is allowed to fly a sequence of maneuvers of their own choosing, based on their skill level. Many cap off their freestyle routine with two smoke flares attached to the wingtips, which trace the beauty of the flight across the sky. The judges evaluate the difficulty and harmony of the performance. See the rankings at www.modellflug.ch

*Thomas Portmann*