Model airplane enthusiasts in aviation professions

During summer vacation, I had the pleasure of indulging in model gliding with Martin Waser in Ticino on the local mountain of the MG Wehntal (not Monte Lema) amid a strong north foehn.

As it happened, we both had the same glider with a 3.3-meter wingspan and built-in electric thermal assistance, just in case. Anyone who’s flown on one of the Ticino slopes in a strong north foehn knows what it’s like. It was Martin’s first time on this ridge, and he was understandably thrilled. It goes without saying that the switch for the electric motor never had to be flipped, because when you let the full-carbon model shoot almost vertically down into the valley from a tremendous height, you were back up to the starting altitude after pulling up and a few rolls. Even the two distinguished gentlemen—who were no longer in their prime—standing alone at the edge of the slope couldn’t help but exclaim “awesome” several times. After both gliders had made it through all their landings unscathed and Martin’s wife, Jackie, had snapped plenty of photos, we set off contentedly on our way home to Grono in Misox.

I had met Martin a few years ago at a company move and knew from him that he is both a commercial and a model airplane pilot, lives in Dubai, and flies for Emirates. When he told me that he was the first Swiss pilot to fly the Airbus A380, it was clear to me that others might be interested in that, too. So after dinner, we sat together over a good glass of Merlot, and Martin told me about his life as a pilot. Martin caught the flying bug at the age of eight, when he built his first model airplane, the little Uhu. At age 10, he joined the MG Lucerne club, received his first remote-control aircraft—an MRC—from his father, who supported his hobby, and began flying remote-controlled model planes with his self-built “Charter.” From the age of 13, Martin could mostly be found at the Buttwil airfield on weekends, where he helped out and, as a reward, was allowed to fly along on the Spier 5A. At age 16, he made his first solo flight in a Röhnlerche, and a year later, he earned his glider pilot’s license.

His professional career began with an apprenticeship as an auto mechanic. After completing his apprenticeship, he moved to Bern to work as an aircraft mechanic at Air-Base and financed his PPL license with a weekend job at Gribair. His other ground-based roles included four years as workshop manager at Aeromechanica in Ticino, followed by four years at SR Technik starting in 1989, part of which he spent as a station mechanic in London. Starting in 1993, Martin completed his B IFR training at Horizon and earned his B IFR license in 1995, which enabled him to make his dream come true and fly as a commercial pilot on the Saab 2000 for Crossair.

Starting in 1997, he also worked as an IFR instructor at SLS; a year later, he applied to Swissair and passed the selection process. From 1999 until the grounding in 2001, he flew the A320 family for Swissair. After the grounding, he flew

Martin flew for Crossair, and later for swiss, on the Embraer 145, until the pilots with the fewest years of service were laid off again. As a captain on the Fokker 100, Martin then spent three years flying for Germania Express and Helvetic before moving to Dubai in 2006 to join Emirates as a first officer on the A330/A340. In September 2008, Martin was given the opportunity to become the first Swiss pilot to be retrained on the A380. Ever since this giant aircraft entered service with Emirates, he has been sitting in the right-hand seat as first officer, in front of the screens. When asked how this aircraft flies, Martin replies: “It’s pleasant—it couldn’t be easier. The only time you’re startled is when you step out and realize just how much of the plane was behind you.”

Anyone who thinks that an A380 is all a pilot could ever want is sorely mistaken, because Martin is still a die-hard model airplane enthusiast and pursues his hobby even in Dubai—and when he’s here, with

Like-minded people. Unfortunately, his wife, whom he married in 1992, wasn’t very fond of his hobby, which led to significant withdrawal symptoms for him and didn’t exactly contribute to his happiness. It wasn’t until late 2001 that he rejoined a model flying club—first the MG Unterland, and for gliding, the MV Müswangen. Martin is a weekend flyer who flies anything that’s fun. A glance into his workshop and model airplane hangar on the 58th floor—about 200 meters above ground level—in his apartment in Dubai, where you can find everything from gliders to jets, proves it. And his second wife, Jackie, has nothing against model flying either, which of course makes her even more likable to us model flyers.

By the way, there are two model airfields in Dubai with paved runways that are so wide that many local model aviators would be thrilled if their own paved runways were that long. Some of the pilots in white jellabias who fly there show up with a team of mechanics who prepare everything for the boss and, if necessary, even clear away the wreckage. Luckily, we can only afford one volunteer helper here and have to take care of everything ourselves. The downside of model flying in Dubai: It can get damn hot, and there are no ridges with a north foehn—though every now and then there’s a small sandstorm. The story Martin told me about a flying career that had to be fought for earned my deep respect. I’m already looking forward to the next time I get to fly a glider with Martin along that hillside ridge in Ticino—whether in a north foehn or southern thermals—circling around, or rather, really letting it rip.