Today we're flying much more smoothly

In recent years, this discipline has been dominated by father Andi and son Tim Schaerer. While Andi won the championship four times, his son Tim edged him out by a hair in 2007 and 2009. So Tim went into this year’s race as the clear favorite and confidently secured the 2010 victory. The highlight of the event was undoubtedly the freestyle routine, accompanied by music and smoke.

A conversation with Andi and Tim Schaerer before the final round:

Hans Jürg: You guys have been having a real family showdown lately. Who’s going to win today—you, Andi, or your son, who’s now 17?

Andi: Tim’s been winning all the time lately.

Hans Jürg: Is that upsetting for you?

Andi: It’s a disaster! (Holds his stomach, laughing.)

Hans Jürg: I see! As a dad, you can’t admit just how proud you are! What’s the score so far?

Andi: Tim won in ’07 and ’09, and I won in ’08. And now he’s on track to win in 2010. But it’s almost impossible to take the victory away from Tim now, unless he crashes on the final run.

Hans Jürg: Do you guys always practice together?

Andi: Yes. We have our own tow plane, and one of us tows the other. We also compete in international competitions. In the European Championships so far, Tim has already won two and placed second twice. He’s thus won the 2010 overall standings and is actually the unofficial European champion in glider aerobatics.

Hans Jürg: And where do you stand?

Andi: I’m in third place.

Hans Jürg: What kind of planes do you fly?

Andi: The model has to be based on an original aircraft that’s approved for aerobatics. I fly the single-seater Swift, and Tim flies the two-seater Fox. Those are the most commonly flown models right now. Our models come from Austria. You still have to finish building them and, most importantly, adjust them properly.

Hans Jürg: How big and how expensive is a model like that?

Andi: My model has a wingspan of six meters and weighs 19.5 kg. The total cost is about 6,000 to 7,000 francs.

Hans Jürg: Thank you very much for the information, and best of luck going forward.

As president, he brought new energy and recognition to the MG Hinwil, extending far beyond the region’s borders. The purchase of the airfield and hangar secured the club’s foundation. He has supported or launched numerous events for young people as well as for competitive model aviators, offering both advice and practical assistance. Despite all these diverse commitments, he never let anything keep him from building and flying himself.

Hans Jürg: You’re not just the organizer of this event—you’re also flying yourself. Is that possible?

Gerd: Yes. I’m the president of the Hinwil Model Flying Club, and I’ve been hooked on glider aerobatics for 17 years. Almost every year we host an event, whether it’s the international Swiss Acro Cup, now the Swiss Championships, or last year’s Regional Championships.

Hans Jürg: What classes do you fly in?

Gerd: The whole spectrum, from first to last. At the German Championship last weekend, I placed 8th. Then the joy is huge again, and when you “mess up” a competition yet again, you just want to quit.

Hans Jürg: Is your model the best of the best?

Gerd: No. It’s 10 years old now. But development has continued. The models have gotten lighter and now have thinner profiles. They’ve also gotten a bit bigger and have been adapted to the flying style. While my model has a five-meter wingspan, you see some today with 6.25 meters.

Hans Jürg: How has the flying style changed?

There used to be German championships where pilots would race through the maneuvers in models with high wing loading, such as jets. Today, we fly much more smoothly, similar to manned aerobatic aircraft. This means the models must be able to fly both slowly and quickly and have a certain amount of thrust.

The freestyle routine is now performed to music. Is that difficult?

The winner here is whoever can wow the audience. Of course, the music has to match the flying style.

One more question about the smoke bombs. What do you use?

I use chimney sweep cartridges—the kind chimney sweeps use to check if a chimney has a draft. We’ve adapted this type of smoke cartridge and given it a different color. While pilots pay around 120 francs per flight for professional smoke cartridges, it costs us 40 francs per flight. The smoke has to be clearly visible to the judges.

Thank you for the interview.