Northeast Regional Championship: Victory is only within reach when EVERYTHING falls into place

There was an excellent atmosphere among the 20 registered participants at the First Airfield. The 2008 Kyburg Cup, held in conjunction with the regional RCS-M, was organized and successfully carried out by the Illnau-Effretikon Model Flying Club, as in previous years. The facilities at the airfield, including the spacious refreshment stand, welcomed participants with coffee and croissants as soon as they arrived.

Flight Director Rolf Weidmann conducted the briefing, noting that the program had undergone slight changes. The reason for this is that the competition no longer revolves solely around a landing discipline, as in previous years, but rather the points earned during the flight program now contribute to the final score. The additional 5-second inverted flight incorporated into the program was tacitly acknowledged by all participants, well aware that some models might experience a certain amount of “drag” during this maneuver.

The competition was able to begin under optimal conditions. The first

The flights were closely watched by the other competitors, stopwatches in hand: When does the competitor begin the actual figure routine within the 240-second time limit? How many minutes into the routine does he begin his approach to landing? Then the landing itself… Right on the mark, or how many meters—sorry, centimeters—off course…

Even if the routine looks simple, victory can only be achieved when everything falls into place. The competition in inverted flight was relatively limited; a clear definition of the maneuver would often have been necessary. But it became clear that models that had more or less survived the last 20 to 30 years unscathed were no longer willing to submit to the torments of inverted flight… Otherwise, everything went smoothly. The young pilots battled for points against the rest of the competitors. And how! It brought great joy—

It was great to see the enthusiasm with which the juniors tackled the task, even though some of their equipment was truly subpar. We have a bright future ahead of us in the area of youth development. The sky grew increasingly dark, and the first raindrops began to fall somewhat hesitantly during the third round

. As a result, when voting on whether to hold a fourth round—which would have been a tiebreaker—the majority of participants voted against it. So, the event was called off after three rounds. Shortly after the flight director, Rolf Weidmann, announced the rankings, the sun reappeared in full

It was magnificent, and by late evening, there was no denying it. Too late to continue the competition any further.

Thanks to all the volunteers at MG Illnau-Effretikon. Once again this year, we were able to

enjoyable day together among “like-minded people.” We look forward to a large turnout in 2009.

See you then... and
goodbye*Werni Erismann*