RC Helicopter (F3C-FAI) Competition on August 29, 1981, in Burgdorf

Organizer: MG Burgdorf

Two years ago, we held an EHA championship at the Schützenmatte in Burgdorf with pilots such as Heim, Bosch, Brennsteiner, and others. The two active F3C pilots in our group encouraged us to hold the F3C-FAI program in the form of a competition prior to our annual model flying day. Since one of the pilots in our group holds the Swiss championship title, we were more than willing to do so. Paul Ingold immediately set the process of issuing the invitations in motion. The fact that the event ultimately did not attract a large international field can likely be attributed to the lack of announcements in the event calendars of magazines and trade journals. With nice weather on Saturday, we were able to welcome seven pilots from Switzerland to the starting line. The only pilot from Germany was unable to arrive until the afternoon. The judges quickly got into the swing of things.

They had some difficulty with the competition program, in which the figure was announced over a megaphone immediately before the flight. This required constant reference to the program directory and the judges’ full concentration. Time was measured from the moment the helicopter first lifted off from the landing field until it touched down upon landing. The judges were called into action when Ueli Müller from Riggisberg rose again after landing and demonstrated a skillful autorotation—unfortunately, with a touch-down outside the landing field. With the exception of one participant, all flights were performed at a constant engine RPM. After the second round, the winner was already clear. Ruedi Linder from Burgdorf, flying his Star Ranger, flew calmly and with determination. We had one withdrawal when a competitor’s tail rotor shaft broke shortly after takeoff. Fortunately, this crash resulted in no injuries.

As an observer of the event from the command vehicle, I would say that the FAI program is very challenging. Only those who can devote themselves to helicopter flying with complete dedication have a chance to compete among the small group of top pilots. H. Beer

| | |
|---------------------------------------|------|
| 1. Rudolf Linder, Burgdorf | 2686 |
| 2. Paul Ingold, Burgdorf | 2399 |
| 3. Marco Ginoble, Gäu | 2205 |
| 4. Ueli v. Niederhäusern, Riggisberg | 1994 |
| 5. Ueli Müller, Riggisberg | 1852 |
| 6. Hanspeter Brechbühler, Grindelwald | 1436 |
| 7. Andreas Kessler, Germany | 292 |
| 8. Daniel Ingold, Rohrbach | 184 |

The winning trio from the helicopter competition in Burgdorf. From left to right: Rudolf Linder, Burgdorf; Paul Ingold, Burgdorf; and Marco Ginoble, Gäu.