GAL – 62nd International Radio-Controlled Model Boat Competition

With beautiful late-summer weather, we were able to admire the models in the F3A and semi-scale categories both on the ground and in flight for two days. For the technical enthusiasts among you, I’d like to point out that some details are visible in the photos. Fortunately, friends from neighboring towns also gathered, bringing both familiar models and new ones.

The competition judges had their hands full evaluating the flight maneuvers performed by the exhausted pilots.

Therefore, it was fitting that delicious food from the kitchen was also available. All in all, it was a successful event that deserves a big thank you to the GAL group. See you soon, in 2022. Below is a brief history of how this GAL group competition came to be, written by them:

The history of GAL and model boat racing in Ticino are closely intertwined: in fact, the Ticino association was responsible for organizing numerous Swiss free-flight championships, which, beginning in the early 1930s, were held on Lake Ceresio opposite Lugano.

In 1936, the “model group”—the precursor to what we now call GAL—was formed as an offshoot of the Lugano section of the then-Aero Club. The hydro model flying community was already well-established, and Lugano modelers frequently ranked at the top of national and international standings.

The first competition for radio-controlled hydroplanes was then held in June 1959 at the Lido in Lugano. Since then, with the exception of 1966, GAL has hosted the European “hydro” elite annually, organizing one of the most beloved and widely followed competitions in Europe.