Greater diversity would be desirable

Year after year—as they say—and it’s always a pleasure. For over 25 years now, the IGG (Interessengemeinschaft Grosssegler) has been organizing these gatherings throughout Switzerland with various model aircraft clubs that focus on large gliders.

We’d like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the model aviation enthusiasts who are always willing to provide us with the necessary facilities for a weekend once a year, to forgo flying at their own fields, and to serve the IGG—whether as parking attendants, cooks,

, grilled sausage vendors, etc. Even a festival tent has to be set up first. Our thanks go out to all these volunteers. We hope that model flying clubs will continue to make themselves available for such gatherings.

In mid-May 2009, it was the Signau Model Aircraft Club that

and made their beautifully situated airfield in the Emmental available to us. Thanks to good cooperation with the model aircraft pilots, the weather was absolutely perfect, allowing for uninterrupted flying on both days. There were also plenty of tow planes of all sizes, which easily towed the sometimes quite heavy scale gliders into the thermals. A few self-launching gliders with retractable engines were also demonstrated—a discipline that requires quite a bit of effort. Like their larger counterparts, these aircraft aren’t particularly quiet, despite their electric motors. The sound of electric

tow planes are impossible to miss. For this reason, a general flight ban was in effect around noon, a measure that was well-received by everyone. The 2009 IGG gathering will go down in the history of this community as “small but mighty.” Flying as often as one wanted, without long waits or interruptions, under ideal conditions and with varied thermals.

The only thing one could have wished for at such a gathering would have been a greater variety of models. All-fiberglass models are great, but with a few exceptions, they do tend to be somewhat standardized. But perhaps that will change again in favor of a slightly more colorful fleet of aircraft. With that in mind, we’re already looking forward to the next IGG tow-in meetings. *Jack Kägi*