A team of enthusiasts

The Seyon Model Aircraft Club (CAS)—named after the river that flows through the Val-de-Ruz—was founded in 1994 and set up its base near Savagnier, on a plot of land that a local farmer had kindly made available.

As is often the case, it was a team of enthusiasts who worked tirelessly to set up the necessary infrastructure and thus brought this wonderful adventure to life! Our club celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019. Today, it has just joined the FSAM and has about thirty active members, including a promising new generation of young pilots.

Since its inception, the CAS has maintained a constant momentum, drawing on people from diverse backgrounds—including industry professionals who continue to provide extensive technical and instructional support, enabling members to stay at the cutting edge of model aircraft technology.

Flight training is no exception, as we welcome schoolchildren from the canton every summer as part of the Passeport Vacances program. This allows them to discover our hobby, not only through dual-control flight sessions, but also through simulator training, a theory session on aviation kinematics, and an introductory presentation on aerology.

In 2011, after 17 years in operation, the club moved from Savagnier to Chézard St-Martin, where a new field was made available to us. The 150-meter-long track was given special attention to ensure it could be used quickly. The other facilities took a little longer to become fully operational.

Today, we have a functional clubhouse, expertly managed by our track manager. Several times a year, we gather there in the evening to enjoy a barbecue, a fondue, or sometimes even much more elaborate meals, under the leadership of our current, very active president, Jérôme Richard.

With a firm focus on the future—even though internal combustion engines are still permitted (except on Sundays and holidays when flying is allowed)—the club prioritizes electric propulsion, which now powers the majority of its models. Telemetry is also becoming increasingly common, and,

combined with modern technologies (brushless motors, 2 GHz and 4 GHz radio systems, etc.), it provides a significant safety benefit at a time when our activity is often the subject of close scrutiny by a small segment of the population, some of whom are highly sensitive to the issue.

In addition to GPR gliders and 3D aerobatic models, there are also other airplanes and helicopters, some of which are made from kits

models. Several members still spend time cutting and sanding balsa wood to build their models from scratch, sometimes using a blueprint. Every year, several days are dedicated to silent flight at the field, where our tow plane is in action all day long! And as the highlight of the season, the club organizes an annual weekend outing in the enchanting setting of Hahnenmoos to enjoy slope flying.

The cold season doesn't mean we have to stop flying—when there's snow, we equip our models with skis or floats. We also have the opportunity, once a week, to fly indoors in a large hall in our canton. And finally, two or three times a year, seaplane enthusiasts get together to fly to various bodies of water in France or Switzerland to enjoy this really fun activity.

The Seyon Model Aircraft Club looks to the future with confidence and is happy to share its runway with other clubs from time to time. That’s why we had the opportunity to welcome, during our glider days, a few members of the Corserey AMC in August 2020, and our neighbor, the Val-de-Ruz Air Model (VRAM) Club, on July 10 of this year.

A 3D airplane hovering in the air is "towing" a glider.