TEAM MANAGER "THIS" BOSSHARD

There are people who volunteer for special tasks and devote a great deal of time and energy to this role.

Matthias “This” Bosshard is taking on the role of team manager for the national team at the F3A Aerobatics European Championship in France. That may sound simple, but what This has already accomplished in the run-up to the event is truly noteworthy. He organized group training sessions and also offered individual training. He helped the entire team fill out the paperwork for the European Championships—a particularly valuable assistance for newcomers. This canceled his flight to Nantes so he could drive a team member’s replacement model to France in his car. To do this, he was the first to leave and scouted out three suitable training sites for our team. That way, we knew even before we left where we could get some more practice in. This left nothing to chance.

Our team traveled to Saint Macaire en Mauges individually by car. After more than 10 hours on the road, we arrived there, and word had already gotten around: The Swiss have the best team manager. Why is that?, we wondered. There were teams that didn’t even have training facilities yet and had to go out and find them themselves, since their team managers weren’t even there yet.

During the aircraft inspection, This supported us participants with advice and practical help, and when necessary, by translating from French to German. He was then on the competition grounds the entire time, whenever a Swiss pilot was in action. That kind of support is priceless. This once remarked, “It’s really tough to watch over 300 flights and not be able to fly a single one yourself.” On top of that, there was the extreme heat currently sweeping across Europe.

As another example, we were once tasked with programming a specific flight maneuver more effectively and practicing it the next day, which we managed to do just before 8:00 p.m. It paid off for the pilot in question, who received scores of 8 and 9 in the vrilles. Almost after every flight, the models were weighed and checked for an unauthorized gyro system; here, too, This was always there to help us. The results from the entire team can be considered good and solid, but This repeatedly reminded us: “We can do even better—there are still mistakes in there.” This kept our concentration high, and all of the Swiss team’s flights remained at a consistently high level. The atmosphere

And the team spirit within our group remained excellent right up to the end.

In the end, the entire Swiss team was able to return home with positive results and unforgettable experiences. Mission accomplished!

My personal success in France is also due to This’s generous support. Ever since I discovered the joy of aerobatics with the Sportflyers—an organization run by the NOS—I’ve known This to be one of the great supporters in the aerobatics scene.

I benefit from training sessions with This, where I receive targeted guidance, as well as from his offer to purchase used F3A models in like-new condition at a reasonable price—since such models are very expensive for a “beginner.” I see all of this as the foundation for my success in aerobatics.

Rodito Nussbaumer