4. Swiss Graupner Heli-Cup 2009

At 9:30 a.m., Fritz Keller, president of the organizing committee, welcomed all participants, volunteers, and judges to this year’s 4th Swiss Graupner Heli-Cup 2009. The weather was at its best. In the morning, flying conditions were perfect, with almost no wind. During the afternoon session, the level of difficulty increased once again due to gusty winds.

The competition began at 10:00 a.m., with the first four pilots taking off on one of the four courses. The first task was to lift as many rings as possible from their mounts using the skids, or to transport as many pyramids as possible within 120 minutes and then place them in the center of a target.

The other tasks involved performing a precision landing on a board, where the walls folded up after landing. The goal here was to get the rotor blade as close as possible to the wall,

or to navigate a square course with two balls hanging from the skids without the short ball touching the ground and the long ball lifting off the ground. With intense concentration and skill, the helicopters were thus guided through the

The course was controlled. It turned into an exciting competition that required skill, speed, and precision. The winner was the participant who earned the most points, based on task performance and time. An air show was held during the lunch break and again after the competition ended, leading up to the awards ceremony. Graupner factory pilot Wolfgang Simon showcased several turbine-powered models. Club members also gave impressive demonstrations of their models to the large crowd in attendance.

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The MFV-Marbach organizing committee was very pleased with how the 4th Swiss Graupner Heli-Cup 2009 went. The pilots clearly had a great time, and some were participating for the first time. More interesting photos can be viewed at www.mfv-marbach.ch. We would like to thank all participants, volunteers, and sponsors for their wonderful support of this event. We look forward to the next edition.

Report: Eric Ribak, member of MG Rapperswil-Jona; Photos: Robert Deutschmann, member of MFV-Marbach