JURA-CUP Tethered Flight—a household name for over 40 years!

Gorgeous weather on Saturday, wet and cold on Sunday. Those were the weather forecasts for the JURA CUP weekend of September 18–19. Given these prospects, it was obvious that the competition schedule needed to be reconsidered at the last minute. Would it be possible, with a tight schedule, to concentrate the competition on Saturday? Yes, it was. And this change to the schedule was a fortunate decision by the organizers.

The 2021 International JURA CUP was entirely dedicated to the Tethered Flight Acrobatics category. Thirteen competitors from four countries—some of whom arrived as early as Friday—traveled to the Schwalbennest near Büsserach, SO, and found ideal conditions for holding the competition: sunny, pleasantly warm, and almost no wind. Now that’s how you fly! Or is it? For one competitor from Germany, the complete lack of wind proved to be his undoing. During a practice flight, his model got caught in its own turbulence and crashed—truly a rare and unusual incident that wouldn’t have happened with even a light breeze. Otherwise, however, the competition went perfectly despite the tight schedule. High-level performances were on display, and the participants were able to complete all three flights—featuring the 15 integrated aerobatic maneuvers—without any problems on Saturday. In the end, two German tethered pilots stood on the winner’s podium: Christoph Holtermann in first place and Frank Wadle in second. Third place went to Swiss champion Lauri Malila.

The 2021 JURA CUP was—even in its condensed form—a wonderful, joyful event in every respect. And that’s not all: the program also featured an attractive new addition—the first-ever Concours d’Élégance.

This new aspect, introduced at the international level, involves subjecting the acrobatic models flown in a competition to a construction evaluation as well. To this end, all models were presented to a jury specially assembled for this purpose at the JURA-CUP. The jury evaluated the models based on the elegance of their contours and shapes, the quality of their construction and finish, and their color scheme. With so many magnificent designs on display, however, the jury did not have an easy task. In the end, they selected the “Shark” model by Thierry Saunier of France as the winner. His model is truly a feast for the eyes!

Although the competition schedule was packed, there was still plenty of time for interesting conversations, exchanging ideas, and socializing. German, English, French, and Italian could all be heard intermingling. Yet even though not everyone spoke every language, everyone understood one another perfectly.

Of course, the excellent food and drink service also contributed to the lively, cheerful atmosphere. The specially created “Fesselflug” burger was a particular hit. Another hit was the generous “apéro riche,” which was offered to everyone in attendance during the awards ceremony that evening. →

After being canceled last year due to the coronavirus, the traditional JURA-CUP—which has been held for over 40 years—returned this year. And at the end, all competitors and guests said their goodbyes, promising to be back for the next event without fail.

A heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers from the Breitenbach Model Aircraft Club! Congratulations also to all the competitors!

Ursi Borer,
Breitenbach Model Aircraft Club

The 2021 JURA CUP Aerobatics
Winners’ Podium (from left to right):
Malila, Holtermann, and Wadle.