A boozy, jubilant mood

This gathering was, once again, purely a get-together without any competition, rivalry, or posturing. Despite the low-lying fog and lack of sunshine, it was marked by a great atmosphere, camaraderie, the sharing of experiences, and above all: flying, flying, flying... Quite a few pilots said they had never flown so much in a single day.

The gathering, attended by people of all ages, was also remarkable because it featured a wide variety of very different models. Pilots who had really gotten a taste for it last year showed up this year with beautiful—and in some cases, gigantic—models.

However, Hanno Pfeifer, with his micro seaplane, and Dominique Vultier, with an incredibly detailed and utterly charming Tiger Moth with a wingspan of just 82 cm, demonstrated that even small but beautiful home-built models can attract a lot of attention. There were also extremes in terms of materials and workmanship: A Water-Rat delta, cobbled together from leftover Depron crash debris and barely airworthy, stood in stark contrast to Rolf Breitinger’s Piper Super Cub, a high-tech homebuilt aircraft constructed from fiberglass, carbon fiber, and Kevlar.

The fact that seaplane pilots are highly adaptable people is proven by the fact that the rescue cruiser rarely had to be called into action this year. It goes almost without saying that all pilots used the latest brushless LiPo propulsion technology across all size classes. The numerous spectators were delighted by the action-packed—and, what’s more, whisper-quiet—performances.

And this time, too, people were wondering what exactly the

The fascination of seaplane flight. Everyone agreed that it is above all the thrilling takeoffs and landings on the water that send adrenaline levels soaring. But it was also clear that the floats certainly do not improve the aircraft’s flight characteristics.

But ultimately, it’s about much more than just taking off and landing on water. Deep down in our subconscious, we probably know that all life once came from the water.

That’s why so many people feel a magical attraction to water. Soaking in the changing moods of a lake at different times of day, watching and feeling how the winds play with the water, deciding when a model can be entrusted to the elements, sometimes waiting patiently and taking a cool dip until the wind dies down toward evening, the water becomes as smooth as a mirror and seems to be waiting only for a seaplane model to finally whiz across the silvery, glistening surface—that is the true spirit of seaplane flying!

Food and drinks were provided… And once again, congratulations are in order for the organizers of this successful event. Thanks go to the catering team—consisting of Ruth, Lilo, and Juano, the expert grill master—as well as to Heinz Lattmann, president of the Grischhei Model Flying Club, who once again made this gathering possible. *hjb*