Dear All:
in my article about the award of the Prix Gaïa to Paul Gerber in 2007, I alluded to Paul's fascination for control-line model flying. This refers to elaborately-designed model aeroplanes that fly in a circle, guided by a 20-m-long steel cable, powered by a combustion engine or electric motor. They are controlled by precise hand movements, which is quite a feat if you consider the impressive maneuvers the planes perform:
For a video, please click here:
www.ornatus-mundi.ch
The Swiss Aeromodelling Association explains: “Each aeroplane communicates with the pilot in its own way. It moves in a certain direction, it accelerates, it vibrates, it lives. The control-line pilot knows exactly what is going on, because he has his hand on the controls of the aeroplane, which is constantly reacting to all the influences. He therefore feels even the slightest wind, each change in engine output and any construction defect, however small it may be. Our aeroplanes are designed so that they can perform complex manoeuvres with the smallest rudder movement. However, this means that they must be controlled with the greatest of concentration at all times. Even if a flight only lasts a few minutes, it is really quite demanding and always a brief trip into another world.”
So what are the challenges that appeal to master watchmaker, so that he does not only design, built and fly his planes, but also teaches the youth?
There are the following three: