Young Pilots Days 2019

The organizer, Werner Baumann, had prepared everything perfectly. From the name tags for every part of the plane and the battery, to the small board for optimizing the battery’s center of gravity, right down to lunch—he left nothing to chance.

We began by covering the basic concepts of aerodynamics. Dom Escher, the designer of the gigantic Lockheed Tristar, sparked our interest with a simple hand-launched glider. The wings and tail made of Depron and the fuselage made of pine strips were quickly assembled. Practice makes perfect, so we headed outside to the large schoolyard. We explored the concepts of center of gravity and angle of attack through gliding experiments. Within a few minutes, the gliders were flying distances of up to 10 meters. The findings were recorded on worksheets, and the basic technical terms were explained.

Meanwhile, an “EasyGlyder4,” along with a remote control, charger, LiPo batteries, and all the necessary tools, were waiting on the workbenches. Werner Baumann took charge of unpacking and explaining the components. The excitement grew as the fuselage and wings were unpacked. Each part was marked with prepared labels so that later

The sparkle in their eyes and the fact that some chose not to take a break for ice cream demonstrated their enormous interest. By the end of the first day of the course, there were already eight airworthy models in the workshop.

On the second day, starting early again at 8:30 a.m., the instructor-student pairings were set up and tested before heading to the model airfield.

to make it easier to tell the eight participants apart.

Before lunch, there was a lesson on LiPo batteries and chargers, with the goal of ensuring safe handling. The settings for the charger and instructions for the use and storage of LiPo batteries, as well as how to handle swollen batteries or those damaged in a crash, were explained. For lunch, Werner had set up the “Bausatz liklämmts” so that everyone could make their own sandwich. In the afternoon, with the help of six additional pilots from the MFVB, the motor glider was assembled and the flight controls were programmed.

The young pilots were eager to make their first flights, and the flight instructors were called upon to correct their initial rough control inputs and recover from subsequent critical flight attitudes.

The flight instructors’ calm demeanor quickly rubbed off on the beginners, and soon the gliders were circling high up at a safe altitude. The particularly daring ones were already attempting loops and had to be reined in. After all, the goal of the flight training was safe takeoffs and landings, not an aerobatics routine. The second day of the course ended with an enthusiastic group of aspiring model airplane pilots who were already planning to—

were speculating about new pilots. The third day was devoted entirely to flight training, and some were already expressing a desire to fly on their own right from takeoff. Although the increasingly strong southwest wind helped with takeoff, it proved to be a challenge for the young pilots. The flight instructors complained of increasingly sore index fingers from constantly pulling the student control lever, yet they were still—

and, in some cases, overwhelmed by the situation. The deployment of the Skyworker was a direct result of this and provided a welcome break in the program. The EasyGlider, which had “landed” in a birch tree at a height of about 15 meters, was recovered without damage.

By the end of the course on the third day, there were already two pilots

who had successfully completed their first solo flight. To wrap up the 2019 YPD, all parents were invited to marvel at their sons’ flying skills. The traditional pilot initiation ceremony was carried out in true aeronautical style. The customary group photo of eight beaming young pilots and the “wave” for organizer Werni Baumann rounded out the course—

program came to a close. With the grilled sausages provided by the MFVB and the cakes and desserts brought by the parents, the 2019 Young Pilots Days came to a pleasant end.

On behalf of the Basserdorf Model Flying Club, we would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to ZKB Bassersdorf, the Hinwil Foundation for Youth and Leisure, the Northeastern Switzerland Region of the Swiss Model Flying Association (SMV), the custodians of the Chrüzacher school building in Bassersdorf, and all the volunteers and flight instructors from the MFVB who helped make this course a success. ■

*Hans Lehner*