1981 Swiss Circling Championships in Sion: Sunshine and Impressive Performances

Sunshine and dead calm in the morning; still sunshine, but treacherous turbulence in the afternoon: the competitors in the 1981 Swiss Circling Championship got a taste of the Valais summer weather.

Sun and heat, certainly, but also impressive performances. Take that of the distinguished guest, Frenchman Patrick Constant, who, in his final flight, reached a speed of 256 km/h, thereby asserting his undisputed supremacy. And since a Swiss champion was needed, it was Lehmann—not that our usual contender, Bilat, had flown poorly, but simply because Lehmann did better. It’s also worth noting that single-blade propellers seem to be gaining ground, and that a model with a propulsion engine carried out some interesting tests, though these still need to be confirmed.

In aerobatics, the anticipated duel between Sedlathek, the rising star, and Salathé, the ace who is holding his own very well, lived up to expectations. The first round went to the defending champion. His rival, stung by the loss, delivered the best flight of the weekend in the second round and retook the lead in the competition. The third flight was highly anticipated: Salathé, taking advantage of a gust of wind and his competitor’s overly rich fuel mixture, executed a flawless flight that secured him another title.

In team racing, the most spectacular of the events, the Valais-based Ming-Sedlathek team had suffered every possible misfortune during practice: erratic engines, leaking fuel tanks, and, to top it all off, their best model disintegrating in mid-air just five days before the championships. Out of the running? That would have been to underestimate their tenacity. They worked so hard in the days leading up to the competition that their first Swiss championship title seemed to fall into place like a ripe fruit. After posting the fastest qualifying time three times, they clocked an excellent 8' 13" in the final.

A high-level championship, then, thanks to the quality of that same small circle of enthusiasts who improve year after year. As for the number of pilots, circular flying deserves better. And we dare to hope that such an event—successful in every respect—will help make this discipline more popular.

GMR Sion

F2A Walter Lehmann, MBZ Basel
F2B Toni Salathé, MBZ Basel
F2C Ming/Sedlathek, GMR Sion