The success of the indoor event in Losone marks the launch of GAIA, the Ascona Indoor Model Aircraft Club

Last spring, a collaboration between the Locarno and Valle Maggia Model Aircraft Club and the Molinazzo-Bellinzona Model Aircraft Club led to the organization of an indoor event, thanks in part to the cooperation of the military authorities, who made the gym at the Losone barracks available for the occasion.

Indoor flying—that is, the type of flying practiced with three-axis radio-controlled model airplanes weighing approximately 150–200 g and powered by an electric motor within an enclosed space of adequate size—is a discipline that has gained popularity primarily in France. Those who follow our national calendar will notice that several groups in central Switzerland organize indoor competitions and gatherings, mainly during the winter season. Some model aircraft enthusiasts from groups in Ticino have already tried their hand at this discipline, building models out of “Depron,” which, in addition to being a fun activity, allow pilots to perform extreme maneuvers that aren’t always possible with the models they normally use—all in complete safety.

About twenty pilots took part in this international event, including our Italian friends whom we had the pleasure of seeing at previous editions of the Lodrino Meeting. Paolo Longhi and Gianpietro Tonetti, accompanied by music, presented a spectacular program featuring endless acrobatic maneuvers. The main event took place on Sunday, March 12, 2006, drawing a surprisingly large crowd. For over an hour, a large group of children from the audience entertained the crowd with “flying swallows”—expanded polystyrene cutouts kept aloft by the movement created when a person chases them while waving a piece of cardboard. In the wake of this event and given the interest shown by the authorities of the Municipality of Ascona—which makes the municipal gym available to its clubs—the organizers decided to move forward with a project that had been under discussion in recent times: the ability to practice indoor flight in a suitable facility. With great enthusiasm, the founding meeting of GAIA was held on June 11, 2006. The new group was formally incorporated into Region 8 at the FGASI presidents’ meeting on August 27, 2006. A website will also be launched soon, where anyone interested in the sport will find a wealth of information. Those wishing to contact the group’s leaders can currently find the relevant contact information on the FGASI website, www.modellflug.ch/fgasi. GAIA members meet every Sunday evening at the Ascona municipal gym from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. A heartfelt thank you to the Municipality of Ascona for its support of an activity that aims above all to engage young people.

Gianmaria Tagliabue