Model airplane enthusiast Hansruedi Zeller has passed away

The Altenrhein airfield was a very interesting and vast playground for Hansruedi Zeller and his younger brother Sämi. Their father was the airfield manager and also a passionate model airplane builder and pilot.

It was clear, then, that Hansruedi would follow in his father’s footsteps in this regard, as would his brother Sämi. Hansruedi also had a sister, but I don’t know anything about her model-airplane activities.

After high school, Hansruedi completed an apprenticeship as a mechanical draftsman at FFA (Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein), which coincided with the development and testing of the AS Bravo. Hansruedi was tasked with building a scale model of the Bravo, which he then had to use to test its spin behavior and flight characteristics under extremely high wing loading. This was done to save time in the wind tunnel. After completing his apprenticeship, he attended the technical college in Buchs and earned a degree as an HTL engineer. After graduating, he returned to FFA as an aircraft designer.

When Schindler acquired FFA, aircraft manufacturing was discontinued, and from then on, Hansruedi focused exclusively on rail vehicles. His most important business partners were private railroads and the RhB. Following another acquisition by Peter Spuhler, Hansruedi served as sales manager at Stadler Altenrhein AG at the executive level. In 2010, he founded his own consulting firm under the name Zeller Bahntechnik. His clients included the SBB and private railroads, with whom he had a strong network.

I don't remember when I first met Hansruedi, my godfather's son-in-law. In any case, as model airplane enthusiasts, we always had plenty to talk about; and since we didn’t live next door to each other—he in Thal and I in Dielsdorf—it usually took an occasion for us to meet, such as air shows, NOS symposia, the Friedrichshafen trade fair, etc., and of course in private settings as well. With his wide-ranging activities in the MFV Thal—of which he was a founding member in 1963—his victories in competitions as a glider, powered, and seaplane pilot, and, as a highlight, his second-place finish at the Scale World Championships in Oslo in 1976 with his twin-engine de Havilland DH.88 Comet, Hansruedi was very successful.

Through his model airplane courses for juniors and seniors—as well as his roles as a test pilot and flight instructor for the overly cautious—he passed on his knowledge and experience and inspired countless people to catch the model flying bug. Among these people were Albert Zeller, who later built and operated the Bucker Museum in Trogen; Werner Schmitter, who runs a museum in Widnau featuring parts from World War II aircraft that crashed or made emergency landings; and the well-known aviation law expert Roland Müller. For a long time, the Albatros group in Trogen also benefited from Hansruedi’s expertise.

Hansruedi was always willing to help. After we had built three identical large-scale models together—it’s been a long time now—we wanted to test-fly the 260-cm “Skyladies” in peace and quiet, without an audience, in San Vittore. I asked Hansruedi if he’d assist us. Of course he said yes—and we drove to San Vittore one Saturday. I drove via Thal with Hansruedi and my two accomplices straight from the Wehntal. But there was no such thing as “in peace and without an audience,” because the Molinazzo-Bellinzona Model Flying Club was there holding its air show at the San Vittore airfield. We were greeted warmly, and everyone was curious to see what we had to offer. After I assembled my model and ran the usual tests, Hansruedi took off, and after a few meters, the first Skylady was in the air. On this maiden flight, Hansruedi performed an absolutely perfect aerobatic routine featuring every possible maneuver and trick. Thanks to Hansruedi, the day was a great success for me as the designer. We later installed the necessary landing flaps on the Skylady as well.

It seems every model airplane enthusiast had an anecdote or a pleasant experience involving Hansruedi Zeller. In his house in Thal, where he lived with his wife Helen and where his three daughters grew up, he had set up a very large workshop in the basement. Since he had accumulated well over 100 model airplanes over the years, the room above the garage also served as storage space.

But like all model airplane enthusiasts, he certainly didn’t have much space, since he always had several projects underway at the same time. He also had an enormous collection of historical documents on airplanes, especially those from Dornier and FFA. If anyone needed construction plans for a P 16 or a Bücker, they’d find them at Hansruedi’s. As a dedicated and enthusiastic grandfather, Hansruedi spent a lot of time with his nine grandchildren and built a large model train layout with them in the attic of his house.

Two years ago, he was diagnosed with cancer. As an optimist, he was certain he would defeat the disease with the available treatments. During a visit, he told me that he still had too many projects in the works to be ready to say goodbye. I met Hansruedi one last time in November during a tour of the Altenrhein Aviation Museum with members of the NOS Model Flying Club. In mid-January, he celebrated his 74th birthday surrounded by his family.

In mid-February, Hansruedi Zeller was given a dignified send-off by his family, friends, and a very large congregation of mourners in the packed church in Staad. Anyone who knew Hansruedi will never forget him.