4. Old Friends Fly in Marbach

We gathered in beautiful but windy weather for the 4th annual helicopter flying event among like-minded enthusiasts. First, I’d like to thank all the volunteers for their great support!

Next, I’d like to thank Roli Kaufmann for the great idea of an outdoor fondue and for bringing the equipment. Of course, a big thank you also goes to the MFV Marbach for making the model airfield available. Last but not least, a huge thank you to all the participants—15 in total—for coming, for the great atmosphere you brought, and, of course, for your discipline on the field!

Fifteen pilots from all over Switzerland and neighboring countries actually made their way to Marbach. They all brought along some truly amazing and beautiful models, ranging from small ones to those with a rotor diameter of 2.3 meters. This variety of helicopters and pilots was truly one-of-a-kind.

We kicked things off in beautiful spring weather with coffee and delicious croissants for all the early risers. Then everyone could fly to their heart’s content. In between flights, there was time for technical discussions and old anecdotes from the past. At noon, the fire under the cheese pot was stoked; Roli chopped up plenty of garlic and seasoned it well. It was outstanding! We polished off about 4 kg of the melted cheese. Over the course of the afternoon

Katja brought over her legendary crumb cake, along with a nice cup of coffee, and the world is just fine!

Unfortunately, the Bise picked up significantly in the afternoon, so flying wasn’t really fun anymore. Walter Loböck from Alaltach stopped by with his experimental Bell 47 III, equipped with a homemade 6-cylinder engine, and even took the impressive model up into the air. Hats off to you, Walter! That was truly impressive!

It was a fantastic event, and I had a blast spending such a wonderful day among like-minded people!

Last but not least, I’d like to thank everyone for the pleasant atmosphere and for flying all the models safely. I’m already looking forward to March 18—rescheduled for March 25, 2023. ■

Warm regards
, Dani Hofmann

Pleasant encounters and social interactions greatly enrich our wonderful hobby. In any case, I was very pleased by the interest shown by these particular spectators and patiently explained to them: “That’s a model airplane.” Yes, I built it myself. It can glide, do loops, and roll—no, it’s not edible...

Hans Roser