Up, up, and away—launching and climbing on your own

Last summer, the MG Winterthur airfield hosted the third edition of what has now become a traditional motor glider gathering. There was a flurry of flight activity, with numerous large scale gliders either on the ground or high in the sky—yet not a single tow plane was to be seen anywhere.

All models, built on a scale of 1:2 to 1:3.5, were equipped with engines that enabled the aircraft to take off and climb under their own power. Almost all known propulsion types were represented. Four of the five vintage wooden gliders were powered by gasoline engines, while one had an electric motor. For the

modern aircraft, only electric motors were used. On display were retractable engines from various manufacturers, nose-mounted propellers, and attachable pylons. All propulsion systems, including the rather delicate retractable engines, operated without a hitch. On Saturday, good thermals developed at times, allowing pilots to explore the beautiful terrain over a wide area. Unfortunately, this proved fatal for one pilot when he mistook his new glider for another’s at a great distance and lost it in a crash. On Sunday, the thermals were more reliable, but fewer pilots showed up that day, as they had other flying “obligations” to attend to. About half of the roughly

Twenty pilots flew models they had built themselves—a welcome sight. Many thanks to MG Winterthur, which made its beautiful airfield available

and also allowed us to spend the night in our own RVs on site. All participants, including those who traveled a long way from

Germany; we enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. Dinner together under the old trees at the nearby, idyllic restaurant "Zum Landhaus" was the perfect way to round out the thoroughly successful event.

Large sailing ships are increasingly being equipped with propulsion systems that allow them to launch under their own power. This trend began some time ago with our large, passenger-carrying prototypes.

The latest development in the model aircraft sector is powerful, retractable electric impeller engines. That’s reason enough to hold the motor glider meet again next year. Anyone who would like to

at their airfield should contact peter.aeberli@bluewin.ch. ■

Georg Staub