8th MG Riggisberg Troop Meeting

It’s always exciting to see which teams will be participating: Will all of last year’s colleagues be there? Are there any new teams? How will the flights go?
Hopefully, this report will answer some of those questions.

Most of the 2022 participants were back again. In the model park, too, the tried-and-true model types—such as the Trojan, Cessna, and Venom—were on display. But they were joined by a surprising number of new model types, some of which were even homemade. Particularly striking was the Classics formation featuring a DC-3 and three Beech 18s—a beautiful sight both on the ground and in the air. Also new was the squadron from Thun: three Udet Flamingos, built from a kit; the models flew superbly, and—the pilots’ appearance in Flamingo costumes was a real eye-catcher and probably also a test of endurance for the pilots—it was veeeery hot even without the costumes...!! Even though the flight demonstrations by the Iskras from the MG Münchenbuchsee still have plenty of room for improvement, the simple construction of the Depron models drew attention. In addition, the “Pilatus story” continued: Following the Pilatus PC-7’s appearance last year, two new P-2s now joined the orange PC-7; the recent formation flight yielded some beautiful aerial shots, especially considering that this was the first time this formation had flown together during the competition!

Even though I’m no expert on F3A at all, the F3A pilots’ competition flights were impressive. Sure, not all the maneuvers were perfect; but you don’t really know what it takes to fly and execute aerobatic maneuvers correctly until you’ve tried it yourself! In my opinion, holding the two competitions side by side works very well: From a formation pilot’s perspective, the F3A flights provide a welcome breather!

It soon became clear that the winning relay team would have to come from either Riggisberg or Worb—yes, I know: I already wrote this in my 2022 report—and nothing has changed in that regard in 2023 either.
Behind these two teams, the point margins have narrowed somewhat. It’s also striking that the flight demonstrations generally improved as the day went on. This is certainly no coincidence: the procedures, the flight maneuvers, and—above all—communication within the team members improved as the day progressed. In any case, the MG-MU squadron pilots were in agreement: If they trained more, and if the commands were more familiar among the pilots in the air, well then...!

It takes a great deal of dedication to make an event like this happen at all. From the competition organizers to the fantastic catering and the team of judges, it takes numerous people who devote their free time to the event. Aside from the hard work and, hopefully, many wonderful encounters, they get nothing in return—so: Thank you so much! It also takes a lot of model airplane enthusiasts who are willing to step out of their “comfort zone” and be persuaded to participate! This also became clear during the discussion in Rigisberg: Within model flying clubs, we need members who value these kinds of shared events, who want to encourage their fellow club members to participate, and who—as a result—might sometimes get on people’s nerves; Without this persistence, these gatherings of like-minded people will become increasingly rare—the declining number of participants in competitions and the disappearing events speak volumes...! All the more reason to extend a huge thank you to everyone who contributed in any way to the success of the event!!

Oh, right: There was also a ranking. Beautiful flights that earn high scores bring the pilots a lot of joy—and perhaps also motivate them to continue on their chosen path; I’m thinking of the teams, but also of the F3A pilots, especially the winner Rodito—keep it up!! I wish everyone the perseverance needed for this and lots of joy in their various successes, however small and personal they may be. Once again, I drove home from a model flying event tired but satisfied, my head full of beautiful images and thoughts—all priceless because they can’t be bought, let alone ordered online...! In any case, I’m looking forward to the 2024 squadron meet, which I hope will inspire many model aviators...!