F3B Season Opener in Binningen

Last year, after nine successful events, we had to cancel for the first time in August due to wet ground. This time, not least because of declining participant numbers, we wanted to set the date for the two-day competition early, on April 12–13. The airfield was built on a drained, marshy reed bed and subsides by up to 10 cm per year during dry spells, and the groundwater level frequently rises closer to the surface.

The issue with participant numbers is partly due to competition from F3G (electric-powered, no winch-assisted launches).

Since the competition originally scheduled for 14 days later in Hülben (Germany) was canceled by the Kirchheim team, we benefited greatly from this, with a record-high 44 pilots participating.

The dry spell that lasted over two weeks—and ended just on Sunday—really helped us enjoy a wonderful weekend. Sunshine and pleasant temperatures on Saturday, and partly cloudy skies with a brief rain shower on Sunday, allowed us—thanks to the excellent leadership of competition director Kurt Strasser—to complete three full rounds and two disciplines. This resulted in eleven flights for each pilot, something we had never achieved in all these years.

We were delighted to welcome three junior pilots for the first time: Teo and Hannes Weberschock (D) and the 13-year-old Ondra Behensky (CZ)—all sons of active F3B pilots. As with other categories, we are facing an aging participant base.

As for the models, it seems their evolution has reached a plateau for some time now.

Externally, all models look the same, but they differ very slightly in their aerodynamic design, especially in the choice of airfoil.

The Freestyler 6 dominates the market, followed by the Precision 2 and the Device, although the latter can no longer be manufactured by Vladimir due to the hostilities in Ukraine. However, the spare parts service is provided by the model’s developer, Martin Weberschock.

Fortunately, two Munich-based pilots developed their own model called “Gadget” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The airfoil was designed using Xfoil and Xopfoil; the wing positive molds were CAD-milled, and the fuselage positive was produced using an FDM 3D printer. The model is fully competitive but is not available for purchase. However, the airfoil profiles and CAD data are made available to interested parties.

The competition was won by Andreas Herrig (D), who has been on the podium practically every year for nearly 20 years; he also clocked the fastest speed at 14.07 seconds. He flies the Freestyler 6, which he helped develop.

Stefan Besmer (Germany) took second place. He flies a somewhat unconventional combination: a Freestyler 5 fuselage and a Freestyler 3 wing.

In third place is our own Andreas Böhlen, who has been among the leaders for 25 years now.

Hans Rossmann (Austria) achieved the most lengths with 29. Only seven pilots competed in the Swiss Championship. This small number also shows that a Swiss Championship without international participants is completely unrealistic.

The championship was won by Andreas Böhlen (F3F Swiss Pilots) ahead of Thomas Kübler (MG Diesenhofen) and Roland Hofmann (MG Mörsburg).