Many Paths to Happiness

Dear Reader

I have been involved in electric flight for more than 30 years. At first out of a love of experimentation, later as a committed advocate, and today as someone who enjoys this low-maintenance propulsion option—a welcome change for a former methanol enthusiast. As early as 1996, I had written in this magazine about the bright future of lithium-polymer batteries. No other German-language trade journal had gone that far at the time. In recent years, even the skeptics have had to admit that electric propulsion, while not entirely free of its drawbacks, has significantly mitigated many of them—for example, when I consider battery weight or energy density. Now, the downsides are beginning to emerge—not of the technology itself, but of the people handling it—as electric propulsion is portrayed—for example, in aerobatics—as the only way forward. Anyone involved in technology should know that very different solutions can lead to the same goal. Dear “amp-guzzlers,” it’s no different in model aviation, and we must acknowledge that neither internal combustion engines nor gas turbines are standing still in terms of development.

Now that even Kloten Airport is no longer “Unique”—or even called that—but is simply an ordinary airport, we can admit that RC model flying isn’t the only one; free flight and circuit flying—both of which, by the way, can also be done indoors—definitely exist internationally, and how! Let’s rejoice in the diversity of model aviation. Neither pure gliding—engines are a no-no—nor the execution of precise aerobatic maneuvers has a monopoly on legitimacy. Certain aspects of model aviation are demonized simply to better highlight one’s own preferences. Competitive model flying will only win new enthusiasts—and thus ensure its survival—if the various classes, large and small, respect one another. After all, we’ve had to learn that regulating the different model flying competition classes also brought disadvantages, as technical developments are often “stifled.” The very large number of people who consistently avoid competitions are actually better off. They do what they enjoy without risking having their activities ridiculed by association bureaucrats, forum trolls, and obsessive bloggers. Some time ago, I defined the “premier class” of model flying as that activity in which the practitioner feels like a king. That fits well with this time of year, when the Three Kings set out on their journey. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and all the best for the New Year.

Best regards
, Emil Ch. Giezendanner