MG Uster Summer Fun Event

For the fourth time, MG Uster held a construction course over three afternoons during the 2009 summer break as part of the Uster district’s “Ferienplausche” program. Just two days after registration opened, the course was fully booked with 20 participants.

Together with the young people aged 11 to 15 and volunteers from MG Uster, we built the “Der kleine Uhu” model from Graupner. This model, designed specifically for courses, proved to be very well suited for the task. The participants also learned some theory. It was a real joy to watch how motivated and focused the boys were as they set to work in groups of five—and all this during summer vacation in a school building... Nevertheless, the atmosphere was cheerful and lively. Concentrated and efficient—though perhaps a bit too efficient for some—the building progressed. We had actually planned to fly the models on the third afternoon. But the dire weather forecast for Friday afternoon prompted us to pick up the pace a bit so that we could test-fly the models as early as Thursday, when the weather was at its best.

All the “Uhus” took flight. We just had to prove it to a few people. For some, however, the Uhu showed its full potential, which was met with applause each time. For one participant—who had some room for improvement when it came to takeoff technique—the elves had to step in that evening to make sure he, too, could take home an intact model. Well, a trash can like that just isn’t suitable for comparing the strength of steel versus balsa wood...

Without further ado, a bad-weather plan had to be devised for the third day, which was originally scheduled for teacher-student flights. A contingency plan also had to be discussed, since Meteo Switzerland had even referred to the conditions as “severe weather.” And then this happened! After heavy rain in the morning, the skies cleared up more and more around noon, and the sun began to peek out more and more. As quickly as possible, all participants were driven—along with their models—to the MG Uster grounds, where they were able to practice and fly intensively with their instructors and students. Always keeping a critical eye on the

Wow, the weather really held up. I guess St. Peter is a model airplane enthusiast after all... Some participants were even able to experience the thrill of thermal flying. At the end of the course, the young people went home satisfied and with many new impressions. Some said this wouldn’t be the last time they visited a model airfield.

MG Uster held a construction course for the fourth time as part of the Uster district’s summer recreation program. Once again, the course was a complete success. I’d say it was the best of the four. Twenty participants seem to be the ideal number, and the “Kleine Uhu” model is perfectly suited for this. They could be easily divided into four groups of five. Our course takes place at the same time as the “Young Silent Wings” course in Dübendorf—two kilometers away as the crow flies. We clearly do not see ourselves as competition. On the

; rather, we see ourselves as a stepping stone to that program. We clearly target the group of young people who have never had any exposure to model aviation. This year, we were also able to refer two young people to that course. Across the four courses, we were able to introduce model aviation to about 90 young people. A pleasant side effect: The number of junior members in our group is steadily increasing. The fact that the course is selling out faster and faster is also a clear indication that we’re now much more visible in Uster.

Running a course like this requires a substantial number of dedicated volunteers. I was fortunate to have them at my disposal. I’d like to take this opportunity to extend a huge thank you to everyone! Special thanks also go to the Nänikon High School Board and school custodian Castrischer, who allowed us to use the shop during the school break.

Gregor Hochstrasser/MG Uster