RC Scale World Championship (F4C)

Of course, in this context, the question soon arises as to whether it is appropriate to speak of “world championships” when it involves a “gathering” of just a few model builders from even fewer countries. At the very least, all those who—despite the fact that airplanes are scaled down—do not believe in a Lilliputian world and take a realistic view must repeatedly acknowledge the questionable nature of wanting to regard scale model building as a competitive sport. In any case, there are many scale modelers who view this hobby much more as a kind of “philosophy of life.” Scale model building is a pleasure! Although building true-to-life model airplanes has gained unprecedented popularity around the world, so-called championships are consistently attended by relatively few participants. When you think of the many wonderful scale models being built all over Switzerland, a field of just 9 competitors at the Swiss Championship seems like a complete letdown. What could be the reason for this?

A relaxed atmosphere, the joy of reliving bygone days, romance, and so on—these things cannot be captured in regulations; otherwise, it would no longer be a championship, but “unfortunately just” an ordinary, friendly gathering. Is it perhaps because of these regulations that hardly any “ordinary” scale modeler dares to enter a championship these days? Are the requirements so high that only a handful of specialists can meet them? Especially when you consider the immense effort required just to gather the authentic documentation. This might still be manageable for common sport aircraft. However, the task becomes quite difficult when it comes to vintage models—and nearly impossible for military aircraft, because numerous dimensions have been intentionally altered and falsified.

Then there’s the fabrication of details such as landing gear, cockpits, etc., which in some cases require the highest level of precision engineering expertise, and so on. Added to this is the actual flying, where even the takeoff of many models repeatedly poses major problems. This list of problems—which is arguably more than just amateurish—shows that this form of scale model building will never experience widespread growth. Here, development will clearly have to focus on depth, that is, on quality. In fact, scale model building has made tremendous progress in this direction in recent years.

The triple American victory at this year’s World Championships proves that, in addition to a good build score, the flight evaluation plays a decisive role. World Champion Wischer was in fourth place after the build evaluation. The winner of the construction evaluation, J. Lang of France, was unable to fly his motor glider (Fournier) properly and ultimately finished in twelfth place! Whether one views Lang as a victim of excessive specialization or of the rules is a matter for each individual to judge. Only a few of the scale model builders are also skilled at flying their creations. Although these models were a feast for the eyes even when standing on the ground, one must not forget that airplanes belong in the air—that is their element, and it is there that they truly come into their own.

Another important feature of this RC Scale World Championship is that, once again, relatively conventional aircraft such as the Emeraude, Piper Comanche, Cap 20, Piper Cherokee, Shinn 2150 A, etc., have prevailed. These are low-wing aircraft as everyone knows them. For one thing, it’s relatively easy to obtain the plans for these types—preferably directly from the manufacturer—and, for another, the flight characteristics of low-wing models of this design are well known. What is clearly missing is the extraordinary, the experimental. Twin- and multi-engine aircraft, propeller-driven models, delta wings, swing-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, canard configurations, and so on. It also seems, as in other categories, that taking the leap toward something unique isn’t worth the effort. Competitors take on too many risks. The question is, wouldn’t it be justified—especially in scale model building—to award a special bonus for extraordinary designs? Meant as an incentive! So that the next World Championship doesn’t feature only Cessnas and Pipers? Of course, even ordinary airplanes can be built with exceptional fidelity to the original, and there is certainly still room for development in this direction. But this would be somewhat one-sided if the development of diverse and interesting designs weren’t encouraged.