Simple—or is it?

Thirty-two participants had registered, and to our delight, they all showed up. The weather cooperated as well—with temperatures just under 20 degrees, plenty of sunshine, and little wind, nothing stood in the way of an exciting competition. The volunteers arrived at 10 a.m. The task at hand was to set up tents, lay out the high-launch ropes, and mark the landing points and the landing field. These tasks took quite some time, as the area to be prepared—22,000 ^m²—is quite substantial.

After the welcome and briefing, we started off leisurely with lunch together with the pilots and volunteers from the free flight competition. This allowed us to make the most of the kitchen facilities and talk shop about the various competitions. After a delicious risotto and a juicy steak, we were able to start the first round at 1:00 p.m. as planned.

A brief summary of the competition task: flight window of 9 minutes, maximum flight time of 6 minutes, precision landing without a hard landing. Easy or not? Actually, yes—but the competition clearly demonstrated that many factors have to align for success.

We noticed right from the start that we were all lacking competition experience due to the long break caused by the pandemic. There was still some uncertainty about the exact procedure during the first few rounds, and unfortunately, we also had a few line breaks. Line crossings caused by the crosswind required a great deal of patience and tactical skill from the pilots.

Once we’d overcome those initial hurdles, we were treated to an exciting and fair competition. It’s always fascinating to see how quickly flying conditions can change. While it was very possible to achieve the full six minutes of flight time in the current round, the next eight pilots were happy just to manage a three-minute flight. That meant a lot of running for the “rubber dogs”—or, in other words, pure model aviation. In most cases, the high launch using the rubber cord went off without a hitch. However, the models weren’t always able to withstand the 4 kg of pulling force from the launch cord. This is evident from the excellent series of snapshots taken by Markus Schneuwly, President of FA-KO F3 Gliding, who also participated in the event. Note in particular the V-shape of the wing, which reappeared when the wing broke.

At the end of the competition, Markus also explained the latest developments regarding the R.E.S. category. The category has gained international recognition and is officially called F3L. This means, among other things, that Swiss championships can be held starting in 2023. Any flying clubs interested in hosting these events are welcome to contact Markus. The new rules will be available in German shortly. After 4 preliminary rounds and

After more than 50 launches from the high-launch ropes, the top five competitors battled it out in two fly-off rounds to determine the winner. Ruedi Baumgartner shook up the field from the back of the pack, entered the fly-offs in fifth place, and ultimately stood atop the podium—heartfelt congratulations.

Such an intense and exciting competition is only possible thanks to many motivated and ambitious volunteers, as well as fair-minded pilots who know when to cut their losses. A heartfelt thank you to all of you! We’re already looking forward to next Good Friday and the 3rd F3L competition at Birrfeld Airfield. ■ Best regards

Reto Bucher, MFG Auenstein,
F3L Competition Director