Dear Readers,

No one had the courage, let alone the magnanimity and objectivity, to publicly address an association independent of the AeCS. What has been said so far could be described as “demonization”—that is, a systematic smear campaign against those circles dealing with this issue. There is talk of “manipulated” and “renegades.” The discerning reader will notice that these are the same expressions and emotional tones used, for example, in politics when the right attacks the left—or vice versa. Even without a deep understanding of psychology, one can see that whenever a party resorts to the tactic of systematic demonization, it reveals nothing but profound insecurity, helplessness, and an inability to find a constructive solution to this problem. Fear makes one blind and foolish and leads to aggressive attacks, which, as they say, is the best defense. The chicken that, out of sheer fear, flutters right under the wheels of a car is probably the most practical and obvious example of this.

Objectively and in principle, it must be said that such an association is possible—even without breaking away from the AeCS, so to speak, as a competitor. Competition has never hurt anyone—on the contrary, it spurs people on, unleashes new energy, and forces them to come up with new ideas. Monopolies (as was once the case with specialty stores for model aircraft) easily lead to stagnation, to the dominance of a select few, and to the dependence of everyone else—a rather unfavorable development, in other words. But if new possibilities and alternatives open up, the better solution will prevail in the long run.

In this context, the issue of championships is repeatedly blown out of proportion. Of course, a model aviation association competing with the AeCS could also organize official Swiss championships. Similar associations in other countries—some of which already exist—could join forces internationally to organize and host European championships or even world championships. Legally speaking, this would pose no problem; it could certainly be done without the cumbersome FAI.

One could explore this topic further and cite sound, objective reasons in favor of a new association. Nevertheless—and you’ll be surprised to hear this—I am now a staunch opponent of forming a new one. Not simply out of principle or based on some flimsy and empty ideologies, but because I’ve given this all a great deal of thought. Here are just a few of my reasons:

1. Today, we have an existing organization that functions relatively well. Rebuilding it from scratch would be incredibly time-consuming and require an endless amount of energy—energy that would be lost to model flying itself. We must pool our resources and focus on the sport itself if we want to hold our own on the international stage.
2. Bringing all aviation disciplines together, as is the case with the AeCS, strikes me as a fascinating possibility. However, model aviators must finally grow out of their infancy and ensure that they receive the same attention as, say, the much-pampered glider pilots—so that, for example, a Swiss Gliding Championship can finally hold its own against a Swiss Model Aviation Championship. This leveling of the playing field would have to take place on many levels. I also suspect that we cost the AeCS too little—what costs nothing is worth nothing.....
3. An independent model aviation association would, above all, consist of model aviators themselves. But that means we’d also be dealing with people, with all their shortcomings—big and small—with envy, with self-interest, with “big talk” and nothing to back it up, with perpetual complainers who accomplish nothing themselves, and so on. I have no illusions about this—the problems would remain the same, the same old stuff!

So what do we want? Not to glorify or treat the experiences and groundwork of our forebears as off-limits, but to build on them to develop the best and most contemporary solution for us. When it comes to young people, the traditional club model has certainly run its course. We need to look for new models. There are already some approaches in this direction; I’m thinking, for example, of the recent general meeting of the Zurich chapter of the AeCS.

Best regards

Emil Giezendanner