Anyone can fly without crosswinds

Following the regional competition in April, members of the Friends of Sailplane Aerobatics once again had the opportunity to meet and compete in their flying skills at the Swiss Acro Cup in Frauenfeld from May 27 to 29. Twenty-three pilots from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland were registered to participate.

Fortunately, the MFV Frauenfeld had made its airfield and all its facilities available for this international event and treated all participants to excellent food and drinks throughout the event.

A huge thank you from the Swiss Akro Connection and all participants goes out to MFV Frauenfeld and its many volunteers. On Friday morning, a few training and familiarization flights were completed before the actual competition began.

The pilots had registered in two categories—the Advance or Unlimited class. Just as the competition was set to begin, a strong and gusty crosswind set in, which posed a serious challenge for many pilots. After each round featuring the familiar compulsory routine, an unknown

The flight program, which was handed out to the pilots shortly before their flights by the two chief judges, Paul Rudolf and Peter Streit. This was where it became clear who knew their aircraft well and had a great deal of flying experience. On Saturday morning, the weather conditions had calmed down somewhat, and the competition resumed with an “unknown” maneuver. After a total of five scoring flights, the jury decided to move the freestyle flight—complete with smoke and music—from Sunday to Saturday afternoon. There were many impressive flights on display, which were frequently rewarded with loud applause from the large crowd of spectators.

In the evening, a reception was held in honor of the wedding of our organizer, René Koblet. In a brief speech, SMV President Adi Eggenberger praised René’s tremendous dedication to the SAC and wished him and his wife all the best. Afterward, the guests were treated to some spectacular flight demonstrations. There were several tow flights and aerobatic displays featuring the XXL Swifts piloted by Gernot Bruckmann and Andreas Schaerer, as well as flights by Thomas Hoffmann’s massive Piper and Christoph Jaberg’s large Bucker biplane. The second day of the competition then came to a close with the traditional pilots’ dinner.

On Sunday morning, all pilots flew their seventh and final run. Shortly afterward, Andy Affentranger presented the two leaderboards. The three-day Swiss Acro Cup concluded with the awards ceremony, which our trusted emcee, Werni Erismann, conducted as always with confidence and plenty of humor. All participants received a certificate, and the top three finishers were also presented with a commemorative plaque.

Then it was time for everyone to head out; the models and all the equipment were taken down and packed away. After everyone had said their goodbyes and set off for home, heavy rain began to fall. Perfect timing! *HG*

Christian Joos from MFV Frauenfeld and Jürg Grossenbacher captured the event in many beautiful and impressive photos.

2022 Open RCS Acrobatic Swiss Championship with Freestyle Cup on September 24 at MFV Flaachthal
https://www.swissakro.ch/naechste_termine
https://www.modellflug.ch/events.aspx?Event=6035&lang=DE