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It wasn't all that long ago that group meetings within various model aircraft clubs took place in a member's workshop, where everyone could admire the member's latest projects while enjoying a drink. Today, that’s hardly possible anymore, unless we’re admiring new “almost-ready-to-fly” models from Eastern Europe and Asia. “When will the Chinese take away our ability to think as well?” remarked an internationally active economic consultant recently. This pointed statement must be taken seriously. When I look at the entire model aviation business in Europe, I’m torn between anger and sadness. Exactly the same products a hundred times over

the same products—each time with a different label! Is that really worth it? When something new actually does come along, the businesspeople are the first to talk it down because they aren’t ready themselves yet—2.4 GHz says hello—and rumors of government bans even start circulating. No sooner have these people scraped together enough know-how than they claim to be the best in the world. We can take such big talk as entertainment, but on the other hand, we must clearly acknowledge the impoverishment and even the decline of the model aviation business. In our part of the world, true

innovation has largely been lost. It doesn’t help at all when a simple receiver power supply is overcomplicated to the point of costing a thousand francs or more. Perhaps we need to take a step back and reflect: Even today, there are gatherings of DIY enthusiasts, experimental pilots, and model aircraft designers. The Depron scene deserves special mention in this regard. This issue of MFS once again features a fantastic DIY project. I can only congratulate these fellow enthusiasts—hats off to them!

Best regards
, Emil Ch. Giezendanner