Dear Readers

There is an ancient law of nature that has existed ever since humans—indeed, ever since living beings—came into existence: the law of natural selection, the law of the survival of the fittest. In short: The big ones eat the little ones! Don’t worry, I don’t want to dwell too much on evolutionary history, but sometimes it’s helpful to study these ancient laws in order to better understand the mechanisms behind our behavior. Seen this way, we can view our problems with more objectivity and reduce what initially seem like complicated, inscrutable structures to simple behavioral patterns. “It’s just the same everywhere,” one might say—and, stepping back even further, easily arrive at the “animalistic” aspect.

How does this play out in aviation? Are large environmental protection organizations and conservation groups with massive budgets (think of Franz Weber) devouring all pilots? Commercial and business aviation—because, after all, survival is at stake—sacrifices recreational powered pilots, and the powered pilots say that if we’re no longer around, there’s no need for glider pilots, and the glider pilots eventually get the Civil Aviation Authority to ban hang gliding. Now don’t go thinking that we model airplane enthusiasts are either too big or too small to be swallowed up. We’re right in the middle of the pecking order described above, and since Switzerland is overflowing with laws and regulations, some slick lawyer is bound to find some obscure little clause that makes model flying practically impossible. If that isn’t the case, it’s advisable to quickly set up an allotment garden (intensive recreation zone) next to every model airfield so that lawsuits can be filed for “violation of neighbors’ rights and privacy,” which proves that there’s also a power of the law, administrations, tax collectors, and Pharisees—in other words, “minor” bureaucrats. But once these bureaucrats have put on their elbow pads and turned their gold-rimmed glasses toward us aviators, then we, too, will realize where the real power lies.

After these general remarks, let me be a bit more precise: If one follows the recent history of our Aero Club closely, one must seriously fear that it is working against hang gliders. The fact that, at the last section presidents’ conference—following heated discussions about hang gliding—a ban on hang gliding was ultimately called for could almost be considered a fortunate coincidence, given how negative the attitude appears to be. And when one hears that the Hang Gliding Association’s admission to the Swiss Federation for Physical Education ultimately failed not without the “fault” of the AeCS, this negative attitude is confirmed. The big ones eat the little ones! The Aero Club devours the hang gliding association—a law of nature alluded to in the introduction. But one thing must not be forgotten: Even in nature, there have always been exceptions. Particularly large animals, such as dinosaurs, were unable to survive and became extinct. It also appears to be a law of nature that there are limits to “size.” Perhaps the AeCS has reached this limit, and the incidents described here are symptoms of an illness. The AeCS has one major asset that still holds it together—not its monopolistic position within the FAI (which is even more ailing), but the growing pressure from the outside. Perhaps the fight for our airfields can, despite everything, keep the pilots united. But that will only work if we don’t react according to the laws of nature like animals and devour one another, but instead treat each other with humanity. Primitive instincts to devour one another have no place in today’s world. If we want to survive, we must pool all our reason and knowledge and respond sensibly.

That’s really all I wish for us pilots in 1979 and beyond.

With best regards
—and a Happy New Year—

Emil Giezendanner