Three cheers for our tow pilots!

Our sailors must use their powerful tow planes to pull them up to the required altitude. This task is not as easy as it often seems. Considering the various pitfalls and risks involved in the ascent, incidents are actually quite rare.

This is primarily thanks to our experienced and reliable tow pilots from the Powerschlepp team. At competitions, they tow one glider model after another to an altitude of 450–550 meters every two minutes. This easily adds up to 70–80 tow flights per day. The fact that these generally go off without a hitch is primarily due to the tow pilots. Their vast experience and confidence in handling their well-maintained tow gliders contribute significantly to this success. Even adverse weather conditions like wind, rain, and the like don’t faze these seasoned pilots.

But what’s truly amazing is that even during intense towing operations, there’s never any rush or stress. Everything proceeds calmly and routinely. For us glider pilots, this is particularly important—it gives us a sense of security, and we can focus on preparing for the upcoming competition flight.

On behalf of all glider pilots, we would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to all tow pilots for their reliable and highly professional service, and we are already looking forward immensely to the upcoming season and to reuniting with many good acquaintances and dear friends. →

Flying your model plane for another 2–3 flights at your local airfield after work is no problem in most model flying disciplines, but it’s a different story when it comes to RC aerobatics. Here, you’re always dependent on a tow pilot. Glider aerobatics is a team sport. This fact always requires advance coordination and some organizational effort. Furthermore, not every airfield is suitable for glider towing operations and/or has a pilot with the appropriate tow plane available.

For this reason, at the start of the flying season, Swissakro Connection plans training sessions across the various regions, taking into account the travel distances for the different glider pilots. Participants in the various training sessions and competitions typically travel from all regions of Switzerland and even from neighboring countries. The training sessions are organized so that they take place alternately—sometimes more frequently in Western Switzerland and other times more frequently in Eastern Switzerland. They usually take place in the late afternoon on Wednesdays or Thursdays, and occasionally on Saturday mornings.

One important piece of information to conclude: The training sessions are open to any model pilot who has a suitable glider model and is interested in glider aerobatics. We welcome both newcomers and those returning to the sport!

The current training schedule is available on the Swissakro website: www.swissakro.ch

Hans Gratwohl