Close-hauled at the Büttenhardt Model Airfield of the MG-Schaffhausen

Everything began on schedule at 8 a.m. The students arrived right on time for the model airplane-building workshop. Every year, the Schaffhausen Model Aircraft Club offers this one-day workshop free of charge as part of the SNÄCK program in the Ferienpass. In the morning, each participant built a SAL Slipper. Under guidance, the students learned how to read a blueprint and how to properly use tools and glue. They also discovered how important a well-organized workspace is for the quality of the final product. While the glue joints were drying, the children learned why an airplane flies through a PowerPoint presentation with simple illustrations. Around lunchtime, everyone drove to the “Dicki” model airfield in Büttenhardt for a picnic.

The following activities were planned for the afternoon program: testing the model airplanes built that morning; a competition in which prizes would be awarded for the models that flew the farthest; and, as the highlight, flying a larger remote-controlled model themselves in a teacher-student partnership. Unfortunately, however, these flying activities were not possible that Saturday due to the weather.

As in recent years, the same program was offered on September 15 to students from the communities surrounding the airfield. The weather wasn’t great for this event either, but all the flying activities were able to take place nonetheless. It was particularly gratifying to see six girls among the thirteen participants.

These events are very important to the members of the Schaffhausen Model Aircraft Club. They provide an opportunity to introduce young people to a versatile recreational activity that fosters various manual skills and also helps them better understand basic physical principles. That’s why it’s never a problem to mobilize the twelve members needed to help run the events.

Schaffhausen Model Aircraft Club Walter Baumann and Peter M. Lehmann