2022 F5J/FAI European Championships in Szeged, Hungary

After about a year of work by a working group of the F5-CIAM Subcommittee, a usable—though somewhat complicated—set of rules was developed. The key difference was that, instead of an energy limiter like in F5B, an altitude logger is installed. In very “simple” terms, these wonder gliders are called “THERMAL DURATION GLIDERS WITH ELECTRIC MOTOR AND ALTIMETER/MOTOR RUN TIMER (AMRT).”

Put simply: The motor may run for only 30 seconds—but it doesn’t have to. Up to an altitude of 200 m, one point is deducted per meter; above that, three points. In addition, flight time and the landing are measured.

This class quickly became a huge success. In Switzerland, I launched the first trial competition as early as 2015. To speed things up, I provided participants with loggers on loan. I repeated this several times in the following years, which certainly contributed to its rapid spread. The most important thing was that the time was simply ripe for a more modern electric flight competition class.

In my role as president of the FAI jury, I have been able to attend all of the FAI’s major F5J events (World and European Championships) to date. This has allowed me to make comparisons over a four-year period.

Even at the first FAI European Championships in Bulgaria (2018), I could easily see that not only did the competitors and team leaders still have a lot to learn, but so did the organizers. In addition, a few gaps in the regulations were discovered. The first problems arose as early as the team leaders’ meeting, when some participants tried to impose local rules on the spot. By 2019, at the World Championships in Slovakia, everything was already running much more professionally. In Szeged, Hungary (2022), a wonderful competition was carried out using the simplest of means. This cannot be praised highly enough. Flexibility and tight organization were the hallmarks of the event. No major problems, no protests, no accidents.

The flying field at the Szeged airfield is a dream for any aviation enthusiast—not just for us model aircraft pilots. A vast open plain.

No restricted flying areas were designated at any of the three major competitions. Flights took place over campsites, pilot tents, hangars, the food tent, etc. (Unfortunately, I let myself be talked into it in San Vittore—it had to do with the highway.) Fair monitoring would only be possible via visors or trackers, which hardly anyone would be willing to put up with. Anything else would be speculation—leading to discussions that are sometimes hostile.

In my opinion, the gearbox has had its day. Climbing like a helicopter is a thing of the past and pointless. To explore thermals, you scan the terrain at altitudes below 50 meters while applying plenty of thrust. Gearless motors allow for a high degree of dynamism. While geared motors with large propellers adjust to a specific speed, gearless motors with smaller propellers adapt to the desired speed. In addition, small propellers experience significantly less drag in the gliding position. Slow, meandering flight is mostly replaced by rapid circling and equally rapid movement from one spot to another. Furthermore, the motors and propellers are inexpensive.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that, in general, the teams were much better organized than in previous years. This made the entire process much smoother. The pilots and their team leaders were standing by at the waiting line just minutes before their runs. It was very rare for a second helper to “stray” to the pilot’s location. The German team was exemplary and perfectly organized. The Swedish team surprised everyone by finishing in 3rd place. The Swiss finished in the middle of the pack, between 30th and 52nd place (out of 72 participants)—neither good nor bad. To try to gloss this over by calling it “bad luck” would be window-dressing. Sure, with such a high level of competition, one slip-up is the absolute limit. My recommendations: Be ready and focused even earlier before a competition. No smartphones. Our junior (see pages 40 and 41) put up a good fight. It would be nice to have a second junior on the team. They could motivate each other. Our team has laid the groundwork for the future. They have to make do with training grounds that offer less-than-ideal conditions. However, this year the best athletes prevailed even on difficult terrain. Nevertheless, all four athletes have room for further improvement. I’m convinced of that. Good luck.