FAI World Championships RC Power Aerobatics – F3A – in Muncie, USA

This year, F3A enthusiasts eagerly turned their attention to Muncie in the U.S., the site of the World Championship. The question remained: Would Christophe Paysant-Le Roux win another title, or would Japan’s Tetsuo Onda come out on top this time? Or would an American perhaps be able to capitalize on home-field advantage? Switzerland was represented by pilots Marc Rubin, Bernhard Schaden, and World Championship newcomer Reto Schumacher. Competing for Liechtenstein were veteran Wolfgang Matt and 19-year-old Stefan Kaiser.

To adjust to the six-hour time difference and the American weather conditions, many teams traveled to the U.S. about a week before the World Championship began. It was a coincidence that a heat wave was sweeping across North America at exactly that time, bringing temperatures above 40 °C. Since American cars are equipped with very efficient air conditioning systems, the nearly one-hour drives to the practice tracks were mostly a welcome respite. Otherwise, practice conditions were ideal; the team was even allowed to practice on the AMA’s official World Championship grounds.

The F3A World Championships took place on the vast grounds of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. The national championships in nearly all categories are held here annually. Flights took place on two paved runways. Both had the same geographical orientation but were positioned slightly offset one behind the other.

On Sunday and Monday, the pilots' models were checked to ensure they weighed no more than 5 kg, did not exceed the maximum dimensions of 2 × 2 m, and were free of any gyros. In addition,

A check was performed to see if the motor would shut off during a failsafe—in this case, when the transmitter was turned off. Neither the Swiss pilots nor the Liechtenstein pilots encountered any problems. At the same time, the official practice sessions took place, during which each pilot had the opportunity to complete a flight at the official airfield. On Monday afternoon, the opening ceremony was held at the AMA grounds. After the 32 participating—

Following the introduction of the participating teams and 82 drivers, as well as a brief address by the officials, an American-style buffet was served. The celebration was over after only about two hours. Afterward, the team managers met for a meeting to discuss the schedule of the World Championship, as well as safety and rules.

When the World Championships finally began, the wind conditions suddenly changed completely for two days. During practice, the wind had always been blowing in the direction of flight, but on the first day it came from 90° head-on, and on the second day from 90° behind. Our pilots, however, demonstrated their experience and did not encounter any significant problems. The Liechtenstein pilots Wolfgang Matt and Stefan Kaiser were on track for a top-10 finish right from the start. But the exact rankings can’t be determined until after the fourth day, when all pilots have completed their four preliminary-round flights. Marc Rubin had some bad luck on his last flight: he narrowly exceeded the maximum flight time of 8 minutes. As a result, his final maneuver was not scored. This prevented him from securing a very good starting position in the semifinals. After the preliminary round, the two Liechtenstein pilots, Wolf-

Matt finished in 8th place and Stefan Kaiser in 10th. Swiss pilots Marc Rubin (17th) and Bernhard Schaden (25th) also advanced to the semifinals, which featured the top 30 pilots. Unfortunately, the third Swiss national pilot, Reto Schumacher, did not make it. He finished in 48th place. At the top of the leaderboard was Christophe PLR, ahead of Tetsuo Onda and the American Chip Hyde.

On Sunday, the two semifinal rounds featuring the top 30 pilots took place. The wind direction was particularly notable that day. It was the only competition day on which the pilots had to fly the figure program from left to right. On the previous days and on the day of the final, pilots had to start from right to left. Stefan Kaiser and Wolfgang Matt delivered outstanding flights and finished in 8th and 10th place, respectively. They qualified for the final featuring the top 10 pilots. Stefan Kaiser thus reached the final for the first time in only his second World Championship and is overjoyed. Wolfgang Matt made his way back into the world elite after

finishing in 17th place at the World Championships in Portugal two years ago. Marc Rubin ultimately placed a very respectable 17th, and Bernhard Schaden placed 27th. Christophe PLR earned the highest score in both semifinal rounds and led ahead of Chip Hyde and Tetsuo Onda.

On the evening before the finals, all the finalists and judges gathered to prepare

On the morning of the final, the competition director told us that we could be proud and that we had earned the title of “one of the 10 best

"Pilots of the World." Above all, it was a great pleasure for Stefan Kaiser to compete in the finals as the youngest pilot. He ultimately finished in 9th place, and Wolfgang Matt in 10th. Stefan Kaiser was just one point behind Koji Suzuki of Japan, who placed eighth. At the top of the standings, a neck-and-neck race unfolded. While the first two rounds were very close, the last two rounds

It was a very clear decision. In the end, Christophe PLR and Tetsuo Onda each received 2,000 points. In the event of a tie, as was the case here, the ranking in the semifinals determines the World Championship winner. Thus, Christophe PLR won for the sixth time. Tetsuo Onda had to admit defeat once again

. Behind them, Andrew Jesky pulled off a surprise: With impressive flights, he finished ahead of his compatriot Chip Hyde, who was having a bad day. In the team standings, the United States triumphed ahead of Japan and France.