Tethered Flight: The Art of Circling the Track

This year, tethered-flight model aircraft enthusiasts from ten European countries gathered at the Schwalbennest in Breitenbach to test their skills in tethered flight. This competition is held every two years by the Breitenbach Model Flying Club, having first taken place in 1971. During this time, tethered flight has managed to maintain its place as a model flying discipline in Switzerland and continue to develop.

Tethered-flight enthusiasts are a small minority in Swiss model aviation, and they will likely remain so. Yet it is precisely this unique way of flying model airplanes that draws model aviators to this discipline. In early summer weather, Giancarlo Martini/Marco Menozzi (ITA) won the Team Racing F2C ahead of Thierry Ougen/Roland Surugue (FRA)

and Pascal Surugue/Georges Surugue (FRA) in the Team Racing F2C event. In the aerobatics discipline, Serge Delabarde (FRA) took first place, Richard Kornmeier (GER) second, and Philippe Gauthier (FRA) third. Further information and the complete results can be found on the website: www.mgbreitenbach.ch

This method originated at a time when the first reliable model engines were available, but remote controls had not yet been invented. The models were therefore flown on lines in a circular path around the pilot, who rotated the model around its own axis. The lines are attached to a control handle on the pilot’s side. From the pilot’s control handle, two parallel lines lead to a control lever in the model, which in turn moves the elevator and, occasionally, additional flaps on the wing via a linkage. Tilting the control handle adjusts the deflection lever in the model and, through it, the connected control surfaces. For normal flight, simply raising and lowering the

extended arm; for tighter maneuvers, control is exerted using the wrist.

Complex maneuvers are performed over and around the pilot. The models' maneuverability makes it possible to fly Loo-

pings, figure-eights, triangle and square loops, as well as other compound maneuvers.

Team Racing (F2C)
This category uses fast and relatively small models. In the competition, up to three pilots fly simultaneously, and a certain number of laps must be completed. Since the

amount of fuel the models carry is not enough to last for the entire number of laps, refueling must be done several times. This is done in coordination with an assistant, who catches the model as it comes to a stop, refuels it as quickly as possible, and restarts the engine.

Tobias Käppeli