A Look Back at the 2022 F5J Season: My Analysis and Conclusions

The Swiss F5J Championships were scheduled relatively early this year. On May 22, F5J experts from all over Switzerland gathered in Nods, FR, at the AirCChasseral airfield. With ideal conditions—both in terms of weather and the flying site—the six qualifying rounds and the three fly-offs were successfully held. A report on this was already published in MFS 4-2022. Detailed results, as well as statistics on launch altitudes and landing points, can be found on the SMV website under “Results.” After that, there were no more major breaks for the national team pilots and F5J enthusiasts.

The main event was, of course, the European Championships for juniors and seniors. See above for results.

What can we improve to give our pilots even better chances on the international stage? What can an ambitious pilot do to increase his or her chances of success?

• Individual training at your home airfield has its limits: You can practice landings and fly and test different trim settings, but that doesn’t automatically make you a successful pilot. On the other hand, one must acknowledge (without envy) that in practically every fly-off, the competitors almost without exception—

Go ahead and practice 50-landings... In other words: Train like crazy until you can consistently land 45s and 50s in any weather!

• The right equipment: In every fly-off, you see a wide range of different models, and none of them clearly stands out from the crowd. But the best glider is still the one you can fly blind—the one where you can anticipate the necessary corrections before the wing or the nose of the fuselage tilts. Get to know YOUR glider.
• Low starting altitude: That’s where the trick lies. How high

Should you tune out, be brave, or follow which little group? When everyone is flying in the same sector—which, unfortunately, has been the only option at typical Swiss model airfields in recent years—you don’t need a special feel for the different terrain conditions to guess where the next thermal will form. You fly in a pack, climb a little lower than the main group, and make the difference with clean flying. At international competitions abroad, things usually look quite different, and soon after takeoff, the pilots are in

Spread out in all directions. Where to go now? Who to follow? To develop that instinct, you need a point of comparison. Fly alongside other pilots—both in training and at various competitions. Come up with a strategy before the flight. Study the terrain. Recognize differences in surface texture, observe wind directions, and come up with a Plan A and a Plan B (in case the thermal isn’t—or is no longer—where you expect it to be). And when you do find IT (the thermal): stay in it...

An experienced pilot once told me: “Keep the glider in the thermal, even if it doesn’t look pretty!” Or to put it another way: Sometimes circling in thermals isn’t a walk in the park! There are pilots who seem to succeed at everything effortlessly. It’s easy to watch them with envy. But there are also ways to recognize your own weaknesses and then work specifically to improve them. It helps if the detailed results (times, launch altitudes, and landing points) from the competitions are available and analyzed. Statistics can sometimes help uncover an unrecognized weakness.

This information is often posted by the organizer, is usually available on Gliderscore, or—as in the case of the 2022 Swiss Championships—can be found on the FAKO website.

Marco Cantoni

After a hiatus of more than two years due to the coronavirus, this was the first major international event. The Swiss national team included three senior athletes and one junior. Sixteen-year-old Alain Schad from Mühlau, a member of the Mo-

Affoltern a. Albis Model Flying Group (MGAF), was the only Swiss junior representing the SMV at the event.

To prepare optimally for the European Championship, the team also participated in another competition, the Tisza Cup,

. The event took place on Friday and Saturday, allowing the team to acclimate to the surroundings and weather conditions. Temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius took a toll on everyone.

Alain Schad placed 50th out of 112 pilots and was the ninth-best junior in the overall standings (juniors and seniors were ranked together according to FAI World Cup rules).

On Monday, Alain had to compete in very difficult conditions

into the air. Unfortunately, he had to make an emergency landing during one flight and lost valuable points as a result. At the end of the day, he took the results in stride and showed no disappointment. The competition continues through Friday. In the days that followed, Alain posted strong results and steadily climbed the rankings to 14th place.

A spot in the top 10 had become a distant prospect, but giving up was never an option. Alain ultimately placed 14th out of 24 junior competitors. In the team standings, Alain placed 8th out of 12 teams. The young model aircraft pilot was able to keep pace with Europe’s best juniors. Satisfied with his performance and his

goal of finishing in the middle of the pack, he began the journey home with a wealth of new experiences. We wish the young model aircraft pilot continued success.

*René Schad*