Vacation Fun in Rohrbach

"Vacation Fun" is the name of the first week of activities in Rohrbach during the fall break. And the goal is for all the children who take part to have fun. So the Rohrbach Model Aircraft Club was also invited to participate in this event.

Preparations began as early as the summer, when the Rohrbach Model Flying Club was asked to participate in this event. For our board, this was a no-brainer, as it serves as a great way to promote our club. Children ages 10 to 14 were able to sign up for this event. We planned for two afternoons so that on both

half-days—partly due to the current COVID-19 situation—to welcome a maximum of eight children to our airfield. After initial contact with the Lucerne Aeroclub, which provided us with the necessary number of balsa and Depron gliders free of charge for this purpose, the event was secured for its first iteration. We at MG Rohrbach then decided that, in addition to glider building, we also wanted to offer the children a teacher-student flying session. This would give the children their first taste of our hobby. By the end of the registration period, a total of twelve children had signed up.

Theory and subsequent glider construction, while the other four children received hands-on instruction in flying the model airplane

. This way, the children took turns having the opportunity to learn the art of piloting a model airplane outdoors together with two flight instructors.

After a snack, provided by the Rohrbach Model Aircraft Club, the groups switched places. This allowed all the children to take part in several flying sessions. At the end of the afternoon, all the children competed in a small flying contest using the gliders they had built themselves.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t ideal. We had to keep checking to see when the next rain shower was coming and from which direction, so we could briefly pause the flying. Nevertheless, the children had a great time.

Seeing the children’s eyes light up on both afternoons was our greatest reward—especially when they launched their gliders into the air for the first time and watched their different flight paths. This inevitably created a competitive atmosphere. They competed fiercely, experimented, and fought for every centimeter of their new flight paths.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues at MG Rohrbach, who actively helped with the event and thus contributed to its success. A big thank you also goes to the Lucerne Aeroclub for sponsoring the gliders and the construction plans.

Hans Wüthrich, President