German F3P Indoor Aerobatics Championship – A Firsthand Account

Friday morning, November 9, 10:00 a.m.: final training session (second training session of the 2018–2019 season) at Burkertsmatt in Widen.

Ruedi and Philipp do a few practice flights and go over the final details of the trip. We’ll call Hermann to confirm the pickup time. Hermann is also going to do a quick training session in Birsfelden. At 11:45 a.m., we pack up at Burkertsmatt, stop to fill up on gas, and head over to Hermann’s. We arrive at Hermann’s right on time at 1:15 p.m.; he’s ready and waiting.

We set off for Nordhorn, Germany. The GPS shows we’ll arrive around 7:15 p.m. Travel time is about 6 hours. Starting at 4:00 p.m., we keep running into traffic jams. Driving like this isn’t any fun; at 5:30 p.m., we stop at a rest stop and eat rösti with fried eggs. Then we continue on—no more traffic jams; we’re finally making progress. New estimated arrival time: 9:15 p.m.

Upon arriving in Nordhorn, we check into our rooms at a sports hotel and then head to the sports bar. Saturday: After breakfast, we drive to the indoor arena. It’s time to unload. Ruedi is first up with the only practice flight in the arena. An hour later, it’s Hermann’s turn. Philipp gets to wrap up training at 10:40 a.m. with the last start number. The competition begins with the beginners and the sport class. Philipp gets to perform the demonstration flight for the judges.

Ruedi puts in a solid flight during his training session. Hermann shows improvement over last season, though he struggles with the low ceiling in the indoor arena. Philipp performs a very smooth flight, which ultimately earns him 2nd place in the interim standings.

The second round follows toward evening. Hermann is the first of the three Swiss pilots to take the air. While attempting to fly between

As the wings fly higher, the propeller unfortunately hits the hall ceiling on the second turn, causing the motor to seize up so that Hermann can’t continue flying. The hall becomes restless; many are having trouble applying torque. Given the circumstances, Philipp puts in a superb flight. However, he is not satisfied with his performance. Right after that, it’s Ruedi’s turn—a good flight up to the first turn; unfortunately, he hits the ground on the descent, but he manages to save the model just in time. A good flight.

When the rankings are posted, Philipp is in 1st place with 1,000 points, followed by Derk van der Vecht, and Donatas Pauzuolis in 3rd; both have the worse discard result.

Afterward, everyone heads out for a well-deserved dinner together.

After breakfast, Philipp is the first Swiss pilot up. A smooth, solid flight. Next up is Ruedi—another improvement over his flight the night before. Afterward, Philipp tackles memorizing the unknown section. Philipp almost misses Hermann’s announcement. Hermann has a beautiful flight until the middle of the program, then it happens: as he’s climbing, the engine cuts out. An investigation reveals that the regulator broke the night before.

The starting order for the final is determined. Philipp gets—just like last year—start number 1. Then the standings: 1st, Donatas with 2,000 points; 2nd, Derk with 1,998 points; and 3rd, Philipp with 1,995 points. It looks like it’s going to be exciting. Philipp kicks off the competition. Unfortunately, it’s not quite perfect. It’s still enough for third place. In the second round, Philipp improves his performance, but unfortunately, the top two also step up their game.

Wow—another weekend filled with amazing performances by the Swiss pilots!

Philipp takes 3rd place on the podium; Ruedi finishes 17th; Hermann finishes 20th

Donatas Pauzuolis wins the German Championship with 2,998.73 points, ahead of Derk van der Vecht with 2,988 points. Third place goes to Philipp with 2,948.94 points. At 6:00 p.m., we were finally able to head home.