Results – 3rd Flims Model Aircraft Ski Cup

The Flims Model Aircraft Ski Cup was held for the third time on February 28. Nearly one hundred participants from 20 model aircraft clubs—ranging from Ticino to Aargau—had registered to compete. Once again, a wide variety of prizes motivated the pilots to get the “most” out of their models and to put their flying and skiing skills to the test as they guided their aircraft from Naraus to Foppa.

Word had spread about the success of the first two competitions. This combination of model flying and skiing—which is no longer entirely new—seems to be a welcome change of pace for many model flyers, as it allows them to combine their hobby with a ski trip. It is primarily thanks to word-of-mouth among model airplane enthusiasts in Regions 5 and 6 that, ten days before the

registration deadline; unfortunately, over 50 registrations and inquiries had to be rejected for technical reasons.

For the first time, pilots from abroad also took part in the Model Ski Cup: three model pilots from Bavaria had traveled to Flims specifically for this event.

The weather was on the organizers’ side this time; plenty of sunshine and pleasant warmth provided the pilots with nearly ideal conditions for holding the competition.

As planned, the first round began at 10 a.m. in Naraus following a brief briefing. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, this year’s event did not include a test flight of the course to give participants a clearer idea of how this unique discipline works. A new feature of the course was a gate 10 meters wide and 4 meters high that had to be flown under before the model could be landed within a marked rectangle. The remaining checkpoints remained unchanged. The horizontal figure-eight, the slalom, and the loop presented no major problems for the participants. Only the task of flying under the gate was underestimated by many participants and thus proved to be the downfall of some models. Nevertheless, a considerable number of pilots managed to clear the obstacle more or less safely.

The scoring of the landings also gave rise to discussions on several occasions. According to the organizers, the flight should not conclude with a controlled crash, but rather with a landing befitting a glider model. These differences of opinion will be addressed in the future with a more precise description of the permissible landing methods.

As for the ski run, the unchanged course presented no significant difficulties for the participants; this is to remain the case in the future to ensure the conditions for a safe and accident-free “descent” for both the pilot and the model.

However, there will be another significant change to the program for upcoming competitions: Upon reviewing the rankings, it becomes apparent that the middle tier of participants is separated only by small point differences; this is because only exceeding or falling short of the ideal time now affects the ranking: Therefore, a timed cross-country flight will now be introduced in place of the horizontal figure-eight; this discipline, unique to F3B, is intended to facilitate a qualification process that better reflects the participants’ flying skills.

qualification for participants. We hope this will yield clear results in the competitive race for the MG Flims Challenge Cup.

The large number of registrations and the corresponding interest in our competition is, in itself, very gratifying. For technical reasons, however, we are unfortunately unable to allow more than 90 participants to take off. Therefore, we must introduce a participant limit. It is important to us that the participants be as evenly distributed as possible among the various model flying groups. For this reason, in the future, only a maximum of 6 pilots per group will be allowed to compete.

After the second round, which began as scheduled at 1:00 p.m., the awards ceremony took place at 5:00 p.m. Jann Harry of the Mittelrheintal Model Flying Club received the MG Flims Challenge Cup. The winner fell just 5 points short of the maximum score. In second place was Martino Viglino of the Davos Model Flying Club, and in third place was Guido Herzog of the Thal Model Flying Club.

M. Accola