Challenge Cup 2024

Rene Giger, a member of the Breitenbach Model Aviation Club and the Swiss Aerophilatelists' Association (SAV), surprised us with his idea to create a special model aircraft airmail cover, which then had to be flown in a model aircraft in accordance with SAV guidelines and documented accordingly. Twenty items were produced, placed in Matthias Engeler’s aircraft, and handed over to the author for certification after the flight. In the future, there will be a model aircraft airmail stamp in addition to all other airmail stamps. The fact that the weather doesn’t always cooperate in the fall is always an additional challenge for us, especially when the fog just won’t clear. At 11:40 a.m., the time had finally come, and the competition could begin. The 17 participants each flew two rounds—13 in the Classic category and 4 in the Tucson category.

Marc Rubin won the Classic category, ahead of Alois Schürmann and Matthias Bossard. Rodito Nussbaumer took 4th place with an impressive score of 94% of the first-place finisher’s score. The high level of athletic performance is evident in the rankings. For places 5 through 10, the scores range from 88.5% to 82.1%, confirming the high level of competition.

The winner in the Tucson category was Matthias Engeler, followed by Patrick Drack; both scored 1,000 points. Phillip Schürmann and Martin Lüthi also delivered top performances with 96% and 90%, respectively.

Thanks to the prompt efforts of everyone involved, the competition was carried out smoothly within five hours. A big thank you goes to our team of judges—Emil Giezendanner, Claude Sutter, and Walter Martig—whose dedication helped ensure the success of this event.