From the organizer's perspective

On September 29, 2018, the model aircraft veterans gathered for their annual conference, followed by flying at “Sichtern” in Liestal. Under sunny skies, numerous pilots from all over Switzerland enjoyed the weather and talked shop. The truly daring even braved the treacherous wind conditions and set their models free in their natural element.

Thanks to modern navigation aids, most veterans found their way to the Sichterhof Restaurant near Liestal in good time, despite construction sites and creative detour attempts. There, the president handled the agenda items gracefully and efficiently, and soon nothing stood in the way of a delicious lunch. The technical discussions during the meal were interrupted by the move to the MG Liestal airfield, a good 500 meters away

. Some took this as an opportunity for a post-meal stroll, while others drove their models to the airfield. The refreshments provided by MG Liestal and the playful breeze meant that, at first, the focus remained mainly on continued conversation and admiring colleagues’ models. However, the pilots from MG Liestal were able to demonstrate that flying conditions were favorable, and so busy flight operations soon got underway. Everything from home-built models to “foam waffles” was on display. In between, the MG Liestal “Staffelmafia” provided entertainment with a veritable swarm flight.

As a pilot from the “Styrofoam” generation, I spent the entire afternoon listening with interest to the many in-depth conversations about a time I no longer remember. It’s hard for me to imagine

that I would have stuck with this fascinating hobby if I’d spent a winter building a model, flown it for three minutes, and spent a week repairing it. Terms like EWD or aileron differentiation may no longer be a complete mystery to me, but that afternoon I realized just how much technical knowledge I’m lacking due to my lack of building experience. The demonstration of the “Tip-Tip” control system was also fascinating. At first glance, I thought there was going to be some musical entertainment—it looked more like a boombox, a hippie compressor, or a big radio to me than a remote control. It’s worth noting that, back then, in addition to manual dexterity, a considerable amount of electronic knowledge was also required. And I’m already proud when, after programming the controller, each rudder does exactly what it’s supposed to.

Of course, wild stories from “back in the day” were also brought up again! However, for privacy reasons, these will not be repeated here. But you could see from the mischief in their eyes that,

how much fun we have with this fascinating hobby, which knows no age limits. I’m almost a little envious of how, back in the day, people could push the boundaries without a sheriff immediately showing up at

waiting just around the corner. Sure, we need more rules these days; but I hope you veterans will keep the sense of humor you showed that day. It keeps you young and fit. As for the one (or two) who weren’t there, I hope they’ll remember that, too. Or, as Klaus Klages put it: “In principle, everything would be cheerful if there were fewer sticklers for principles.”

In any case, time flew by, and as is so often the case, the day came to an end far too quickly. As the sun set, the temperatures dropped, and so some headed home earlier while others left a little later. Thank you for the great day! You’re always welcome back at the Sichern!

Dominik Mangold, President of MG Liestal