Swiss Free Flight Championships (F1A, F1A-SK, F1B) in Plamboz, Neuchâtel Jura

Swiss Free Flight Championships (F1A, F1A-SK,
F1B) in Plamboz, Neuchâtel Jura

For the fourth time, the Swiss Championship was held in Plamboz, in the beautiful Neuchâtel Jura. On Saturday, October 13, 2018, flights took place in the F1A-SK category and the F1B rubber-powered class. Ten pilots—five flying F1B and five flying F1A-SK custom-built models—battled the wind, which came from various directions, to compete for medals. Despite the beautiful weather, conditions were
not easy. In the first round, a flight time of 240 seconds was announced for the initial selection. One pilot achieved the maximum flight time. The maximum flight time was then set at 180 seconds and remained that way for the four remaining rounds. Some of the F1B models—which are rubber-powered models—had to be retrieved from far to the east.

Christian Andrist won the Swiss Championship, ahead of Dieter Siebenmann and Daniel Trumpf. The SK special-design models also flew their own course. The competition was conducted using the same format as F1B. On Saturday, Christoph Bachmann logged a flight of one hour and four minutes with his flying-wing model. These models usually do not have a thermal brake. It was gratifying that, after this flight, the model landed in a tree just under one kilometer from the launch site. Michael Bleuer was crowned Swiss champion, ahead of Heinz Bleuer and Christoph Bachmann.

Sunday also turned out to be a great day, and the competition began at 9:15 a.m. Nineteen pilots battled for every minute and second to secure a place in the rankings. As on Saturday, five rounds were flown. Five pilots achieved the 240-second flight time in the first round. The moderate to strong southwesterly wind carried the models eastward. Due to strong winds, we had to take a short break in the afternoon. The more skilled pilots reached a launch altitude using the 50-meter-long lines

a whopping 110 meters. The highlight was the F1A tiebreaker between Michi Bleuer and Christian Andrist, who battled it out at a very high level. The flight time requirement was six minutes, and both pilots managed to fly for the full six minutes. Michi Bleuer then won the second tiebreaker
, which was again six minutes long. Michi Bleuer was crowned Swiss champion, ahead of Christian Andrist and Daniel Trumpf. The three junior pilots also achieved good results. Glen Maurer was named Swiss champion, ahead of Benjamin Trumpf and Simeon

Trumpf. A weekend of magnificent flights—but also some that left the pilots shaking their heads—has come to an end. The level of competition is very high in all classes, and it takes not only luck but also a great deal of knowledge and training to succeed in these classes.

Many thanks to all the volunteers, timekeepers, and, of course, the Grezet family, who made the field available to us.

All results can also be viewed on the SMV website.

Jörg Strub, Competition Director
, MG Breitenbach