2018 Annual Report from the SMV President

Last year brought us a fantastic flying season. There was a tremendous amount of flying, and most of the events took place under ideal conditions. This is a lot of fun for everyone and a huge source of motivation, but it also requires a great deal of work behind the scenes. That’s why I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the dedicated participants and volunteers at every level. It gives me great joy and makes me proud to witness how well the teamwork in our model flying community functions and how much gets accomplished. However, we model aviators are not likely to run out of work anytime soon. This is ensured by a constant stream of new challenges, such as future model aviation legislation, stricter environmental and land-use planning regulations, increased demand for resources and expertise, or simply technological advancements. Of course, we also have our own new ideas and projects, and we’re setting higher internal standards for our organization. But we’re well-positioned and can look to the future with confidence. A crucial prerequisite for a bright future, however, is that we pursue our hobby with joy and passion. Of that, I am absolutely certain.

The SMV’s 2018 Annual Report takes on a new format. The SMV Board has noted that the detailed annual report published as a PDF on the website is rarely read; therefore, together with the presidents of the technical committees and regional associations, it has decided to publish only the summary by the SMV President. This summary covers the most important topics across all SMV areas. For some time now, the focus of our association’s reporting has been shifting toward being “more current and dynamic”—that is, placing greater emphasis on model aviation, the SMV website, and other online media.

The work at the association level, within the SMV Executive Board, and with the specialized committees is carried out in a spirit of camaraderie, with a clear focus on goals, and in a well-organized manner. The leaders of the departments and sports committees know their areas inside and out and are deeply committed to their work. I am proud of this and would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my fellow members. However, we must not forget that we pursue model flying as a hobby and that volunteer officers cannot devote an unlimited amount of time to this work. We must constantly decide where to focus our energy and how to set our priorities. Not least for this reason, we are particularly reliant on a well-functioning central secretariat at our aeroclub. Our collaboration with the central secretariat team—and especially with our model aviation coordinator, Christophe Petitpierre—works very well. As a model aviator himself, AeCS Secretary General Yves Burkhardt understands our needs and provides excellent support to the Model Aviation Association, for example, at the political and administrative levels. Thanks to good teamwork with the AeCS Head of International Affairs, Martin Ryff, and the Head of Airspace, Chris Nicca, our concerns are brought to the table in ongoing, day-to-day aviation matters as well as in the major projects “future model aviation legislation” and “shaping future airspace use, AVISTRAT.” We are very pleased that in 2018, thanks to the membership fee increase approved at the AeCS Delegates’ Assembly, the capacity of the Central Secretariat was expanded. The Model Aviation Association has already benefited from this expanded capacity through the work of Simone Schmid, who complements our model aviation administrator. In late fall, we established contact with the new head of the Environment and Infrastructure Division, Andreas Ryser, and initial project ideas have already been outlined. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to all the staff at the Central Secretariat.

Cooperation between the Swiss Model Aviation Federation and the regional model aviation federations is proceeding smoothly. In general, the executive boards of the regional associations are fully staffed and competent. They are very well-equipped to support their clubs on issues such as finding and securing model aircraft fields, promoting youth development, and sports. The respective regional representatives work hand in hand with SMV representatives on their specific topics. Unfortunately, due to the current overall organizational structure of the federation, there is generally too little regular and structured contact between the regional federations and the SMV. The platforms of the SMV Presidents’ Conference and the Delegates’ Assembly do not provide sufficient opportunity for joint discussion and the development of solutions. As a result, information has often not flowed effectively or quickly enough, leading to various misunderstandings or disagreements. Unfortunately, this has diminished our visibility and impact among the clubs and model aviators as a whole. To improve this situation, direct contact between the various peers has been intensified. The SMV President and the respective department heads therefore participate more frequently in regional board meetings and presidents’ conferences of the regional model aviation associations to address their respective topics. We are also striving to strengthen communication between the Swiss technical and sports departments and their counterparts at the regional level. Furthermore, the SMV, together with the regional associations, has addressed the issue of training and continuing education for both club boards and technical experts, tested a series of training modules, and subsequently recommended them for use. The regions will now offer their clubs training modules on topics such as club organization, dealing with government agencies, legal aspects, mediation, and other subjects. It is very important to me that we coordinate our efforts even more effectively at all levels of the federation to advance our cause and pool our energy for the benefit of Swiss model aviation.

Financially, the SMV is on a stable footing. Contrary to the 2018 budget, a balanced result was achieved—including the partial compensation for SMV board members approved at the 2018 General Assembly—without drawing on reserves. This was made possible by various cost savings in external services, events, and grant requests from clubs. A balanced result is also budgeted for 2019. At the 2018 General Assembly, the motion by the Northeast Switzerland Regional Association to transfer the smaller support grants for clubs involved in airfield and youth development projects from the SMV to the regional associations was approved. This provided some relief for the SMV’s budget but resulted in additional expenses for the regional associations that had not been budgeted for. In hindsight, it would have made more sense to implement this motion starting in 2019. During the annual meeting with Allianz, various improvements to the insurance package were reviewed. Starting in 2019, event organizer insurance will also be extended to cover rented and borrowed equipment.

At the 2019 General Assembly, we will need to elect a new treasurer, as René Sigrist is stepping down after four years in office. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank René for his tremendous dedication and camaraderie.

The guidelines from Brussels regarding future model aircraft legislation are slowly taking shape. Thanks to the strong international networks of the AeCS and the SMV, as well as effective cooperation with the FOCA, these guidelines have been improved in many areas. Special thanks are due to the AeCS/SMV working group on this matter. Our EU expert, Jürgen Lefevere, is also a member of this group. Jürgen has a deep understanding of how the EU works; as an active model aviator, he knows from firsthand experience what our needs are, and he represents our interests on the international stage with dedication and great effectiveness. Our primary goal remains to exempt model aviation in Switzerland from EU regulation and to maintain the current, proven legislation of the VLK. Despite the Federal Council’s evasive response, we are convinced that the motion submitted by Matthias Jauslin on this matter will be successful when it is debated in Parliament. Fortunately, the feedback from the FOCA and its director, Christian Hegner, has been very positive, so we can expect future Swiss legislation that is reasonable and feasible to implement. However, there is still much work to be done.

As in most years, the Infrastructure Division focused on securing existing model flying sites and searching for new ones. The division members work hand in hand with the regional representatives for the Environment and Infrastructure and provide effective support to the clubs. Due to increasingly dense population and growing regulatory requirements, this work is an ongoing priority, requiring excellent technical expertise, sufficient capacity, and a strong network of external experts across the various regions. The Northeast Switzerland Regional Model Aviation Association has been addressing this issue for some time in collaboration with the Institute for Spatial Planning at the University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil and is assisting several clubs that will need new model flying fields in the medium term. This project is also supported by the SMV, in part because, in parallel with the search for new airfields, a guide is being developed that can assist all clubs in Switzerland. This “cookbook” is expected to be published this spring. The issue of safety is also being actively addressed at the association level: through training events, support for clubs in their daily flight operations and for organizers of major events, as well as through practical tools for implementation.

In the Sports Department, the various major events in Switzerland deserve special mention. I’d like to highlight, by way of example, the highly successful FAI Scale World Championship in Meiringen. The Scale World Championship was truly a collaborative effort that was executed flawlessly thanks to many dedicated participants and the support of the Swiss Army, the municipalities in the Haslital region, and many other organizations. It was a complete success both from a sporting perspective and in terms of public relations and will remain a fond memory for the participants from 15 countries, the organizers and volunteers, as well as all guests and visitors. As the icing on the cake, our national scale model team achieved outstanding results at this World Championship. We can also be proud of our athletes in the other disciplines: once again, world championship titles and many other top results were achieved. In 2018, around 100 sporting events were held in Switzerland at the regional, national, and international levels. Our sports scene is very active and successful. It’s truly gratifying to see how the leaders of the various disciplines go the extra mile to organize fantastic events in collaboration with the clubs. To improve quality, increase appeal for spectators, and keep the number of volunteers manageable, technical aids are developed and deployed in-house. However, organizing large events remains a complex undertaking and requires good teamwork and a great deal of dedication. In certain disciplines, such as Scale—which features multiple simultaneous flight categories and model-building evaluations—a Swiss championship places very high demands on the airfield and the surrounding infrastructure. It is therefore becoming increasingly difficult to find clubs and sites for such events. At the same time, we must not forget that such events also play an important role in showcasing the hosting club and our hobby to the public. A very important aspect is the promotion of young talent and active athletes. In this regard, it is worth noting the intensified collaboration with regional associations and the increased support for athletes, based on the SMV’s sports promotion concept. For our national teams and top pilots, an initial workshop on mental training will take place in early 2019.

As always, the Communications Department ensured up-to-date coverage on modellflug.ch and in *Modellflugsport*, kept model aviators informed on a regular basis about model aviation legislation, and reached out to Swiss model aviators via email newsletters on various topics. Model aviation was also featured in the mainstream media in 2018. The magazine “Schweizer Familie” published a charming article about our Scale World Champion, and Swiss television aired programs about our athletes. Such coverage promotes public understanding of our hobby and is something we’d love to see repeated. The SMV also made successful appearances at major events, such as the launch event for “Die Schweiz fliegt!” at the Swiss Museum of Transport, the Scale World Championship, and the air show in Hausen. The online competition platform SMV-Competition, which was used at many Swiss competitions as well as at the Scale World Championship, not only simplifies scoring but also facilitates communication and is a product of the department. Since there are many different tasks within the Communications Department and there is still much to be done, we want to expand our capacity and distribute the work among more people. Specifically, we are looking for additional help here.

The Youth Development Department was also actively involved in many events. Department members, together with representatives from regional associations and model flying clubs, flew with young people in a teacher-student format at air shows, club events, exhibitions, and, of course, at the AeCS JULA. Models were built with the young people, and the flight simulators were in high demand. To strengthen collaboration among the various youth development stakeholders in Switzerland, the relevant network was expanded, and a Swiss Youth Development Conference is being planned for 2019.

To conclude this annual report, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to what has been a joyful year for the association. I look forward to a wonderful 2019 in every respect. ■

Adrian Eggenberger