F3B World Cup, National Championships, and Eurotour

This year, too, we experienced the challenges of the Riet field. The parachute retrievers had to wade through a 30-meter-wide stretch of ankle-deep water in the eastern direction, which was where we usually took off. Landing there during a cross-country flight was not advisable. The competition was organized by Swiss F3B pilots, of whom, unfortunately, only eight remain.

A big thank you is in order for the many volunteers from various model flying clubs—such as Diessenhofen, Mörsburg, Altstätten, and Weinfelden—who made this possible.

Some of them have been involved for several years now, and without their help, we wouldn’t be able to hold the event.

Unfortunately, the number of F3B pilots in Europe has been steadily declining over the past few years. As a result, participants from Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Norway have been missing from competitions in recent years. Denmark, on the other hand, has rejoined the ranks. Germany continues to make up the largest contingent, with approximately 80 active pilots. By moving the event to early April—thereby making it the F3B season opener—we were able to increase the number of participants again and welcomed 42 pilots from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.

The weather that weekend was mixed; on Saturday, we had sunshine and nearly summer-like temperatures, which allowed us to fly two full rounds and one discipline.

Sunday morning greeted us with rain and cooler temperatures of 10 °C. During the rain-free periods, we managed to complete three more disciplines, and with a total of 10 flights, most participants were satisfied.

– Freestyler 5, 6, and the new 7, designed by Andreas Herrig, manufactured by Petr Fusek, and distributed by TUD-Modelltechnik
.– Precision 2, manufactured by Samba Model.

• Device by Weberschock Development.
• Gonzo, manufactured and sold by Aero Sport Becker.

As an exception, it’s worth mentioning the Gadget model, developed by Munich pilots but not available for purchase.

The Freestyler is the only model for which the manufacturer is still conducting optimization tests. To me, however, it seems that its development has been pretty much exhausted. F3B models are also used for F3G (F3B with an electric motor) and for F3F (slope racing). In F3F, however, new specialized models are entering the market, though the Freestyler is still used very frequently there as well.

1. Andreas Böhlen, SUI, Freestyler 6 and 7
2. Thomas Kübler, SUI, Freestyler 7

This remarkable one-two finish by two Swiss pilots is unprecedented in the history of the F3B World Cup.

3. Jürgen Pölzl, Austria, Precision 2
4. Gerhard Fliexer, Austria, Precision 2
5. Björn Schlothmann, Germany, Gonzo
6. Karl Hinsch, Germany, Device
7. Roland Hofmann, SUI, Precision 2

16. Olav Geesing, Switzerland, Freestyler 6
28. Hansruedi Zwingli, Switzerland, Freestyler 6

Due to an unfortunate accident on Friday evening, serial winner and world champion Andreas Herrig was unable to participate. He attempted to catch the model in midair and fell in the process. We wish him a speedy recovery from his broken upper arm.