Two years later

Two years ago, it was just one of those things: The Unterburg Model Aircraft Club wanted to celebrate its 30th anniversary and had set a date early in the year for a tow-in day in the fall—along with a backup date in case the weather turned bad. All that foresight didn’t help a bit back then. The weather wasn’t just bad—it was terrible on the first date and absolutely awful on the second. Frustration ran high among the Unterburg crew, but not so high that the tried-and-true team led by President Fredy Gass wouldn’t give it another shot. →

Two years later, the time had finally come. A large-scale towing event was held to make up for the rain-soaked anniversary celebration. On October 12, the weather gods gave their blessing with a sunny, very warm fall day. The enthusiasm among model airplane enthusiasts from Unterburg and friendly groups was correspondingly high. Well over 40 participants—including RMV-Nordwest President Romeo Spaar with his grandson—and onlookers gathered at the edge of the well-maintained and freshly mowed grass runway in Wenslingen. The three tow pilots were in action almost nonstop, with Markus Meier being the busiest. His Yak-54 had enough power to get even heavier gliders up to altitude despite the irregular wind. Thermals began to build relatively early in the day, ensuring that everyone got their money’s worth. Markus also treated those present to an acrobatic display of the highest caliber.

The flying was one thing; the technical discussions at the wooden tables over sausages and potato salad, along with coffee and cake, were another. There were many valuable exchanges of ideas and lively discussions at the wooden tables. It almost seemed as if this part of the event was the more important one. In any case—enthusiasm and satisfaction were high both on and off the runway.

Roland Schlumpf,
Photos: Peter Reimann and
Roland Schlumpf