The Swiss Acro Show Team Makes a Guest Appearance at OpenFly in Gäu

Four large aerobatic gliders simultaneously tracing their flight patterns in the sky with smoke within a tightly defined aerobatic box—this is only possible with a precise “script” and eight pilots and assistants who carry out these instructions with precision.

With a vertical offset of 250 meters, one tow team after another takes off. The tow plane flies a precisely prescribed route with its glider before releasing it into the aerobatic box at an altitude of about 600 meters.

In this sequence, every tow must be successful; no engine is allowed to stall, and no tow rope is allowed to break.

While the glider pilots now trace their graceful flight maneuvers across the sky, the tow planes circle off to the side in a holding pattern. Only after all the gliders have landed safely on the runway do the tow planes return to the starting point.

In Gäu, these presentations went off without a hitch, and the audience rewarded them with thunderous applause each time. In addition to the fantastic and impressive jet and motor models and the spectacular flight displays, it was important to us at Swiss Akro Connection to introduce the audience to another, equally fascinating branch of model aviation with our glider carousel. For us SAP pilots, too, this air show is always a wonderful, unforgettable experience.

We thank the MFV Gäu for their hospitality and look forward to more appearances by our SAC show team. ■

Report: Hans Gratwohl
; Photos by Rodito Nussbaumer
and Sarah Göggel