Scale Helicopters – Focus on Design and Construction

Since its invention by Dieter Schlüter in 1969, model helicopter flying has become an integral part of model aviation. In recent years, various classes have emerged. One of these is model helicopters that are replicas of their real-life counterparts.

It wasn’t long before many pilots expressed a desire to compete against one another. Even in the early days, competitions were held time and again, particularly in neighboring countries. In Switzerland, the first competitions took place in the late 1980s, though without any major regulatory guidelines. In the early 1990s, the class experienced its first real boom. Scale and semi-scale helicopter competitions were held regularly in Schönbühl near Bern. The first
sets of rules were then drawn up, later officially recognized by the Swiss Model Flying Association, and from then on supported by Technical Commission F4 (Scale). The competition scene developed rapidly, and the number of participants rose to over 20. The rules were subsequently adapted on an ongoing basis to meet evolving requirements and keep pace with constant technical advancements. The variety of models has also changed over the years. Whereas in the early days they were piston-powered models with 10 ^cm³ engines and a rotor diameter of 150 cm, today they are turbine-powered models with 5 kW of power and a rotor diameter of 200 cm or more.

The MG Obwalden, which is based at its model airfield on the grounds of the former Alpnach military airfield, volunteered to host this year’s event. The last
time a scale model championship was held at this site was in 2004. The organizing committee began preparations early this year. What followed was undoubtedly the gold standard in terms of preparations, promotional efforts, and infrastructure setup. The club’s website featured a dedicated page (www.mgow.ch/f4c.htm) that provided up-to-date and highly detailed reports on the progress of preparations. Flyers were created and distributed to model shops throughout Switzerland; even the local television station, Tele Tell, aired a three-part series of interesting reports on model building leading up to the championship. The pilots appreciated these efforts, and a total of 30 pilots took to the starting line. In the Scale Helicopter category alone, there were seven.

Unfortunately, it must be noted that the legendary semi-scale helicopter meet took place in Stabio, TI, that same weekend. This reflects poorly on our coordination efforts (Editor’s note). As a result, some top pilots did not participate in the Swiss Championship!

The SM 09 was my last Scale Championship as head of the Scale Helicopter Division of FAKO F4 within the SMV from 2002 to 2009. During those seven years, the scene continued to develop in a positive direction. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported me during this time.

We were able to recruit André Meylan as my successor for this position. He has been “at home” in the scale scene for some time now with his two projects, the EC145 and the Super Puma. He has been a regular participant in recent championships. The contacts he has already established both domestically and abroad will support him in this role.

Yours, Eric Ribak, FAKO F4
(Scale Helicopters)

P.S. The F4 Technical Commission currently consists of nine members. Within this commission, so-called category representatives are responsible for the respective categories, such as airplanes, jet models, and helicopter models.

The final standings reflect the current level of build quality and the pilots’ flying skills. The range of models was once again very interesting: Four models were equipped with turbine engines, two with glow plugs, and one with a gasoline engine. The 7th Scale Helicopter Contest 2010 will take place at the military airfield in Emmen near Lucerne.

In response to high demand, the current division head, Eric Ribak, launched the website www.swiss-scale-helikopters.com for active pilots and anyone interested in the sport. It features ongoing, up-to-date coverage, regulations, photos from events, and much more. This website does not represent a separate club or similar organization; it is purely an information platform.