The small motor sets the propeller in motion. A fine whirring can be heard on the dry, trampled meadow. About 50 meters away, a group of people are clinging to a construction site fence. The wheels of the model airplane roll across the lawn. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. After 40 meters, the plane made of carbon fiber with a wingspan of two meters takes off.
The participants come from 13 countries – actors have also traveled from the Serbian capital Belgrade.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
More than 250 students have gathered this week on a site of the Technical University (TU) Munich. In the midst of grain fields, just outside the research center in Garching, 26 teams compete against each other in model flying. Snippets of conversation in Spanish, Czech and Turkish mingle with the music that fills the grounds: “99 balloons”. The teams came from 13 countries. In addition to European teams, students from China and Mexico also take part in the competition.
Barlas Türkyilmaz is chairman of the Aka-Modell Munich association and co-organizer of the Air Cargo Challenge 2022. The student group behind it was founded at the Technical University of Munich in 1999. Since then, the students have been developing, constructing and controlling remote-controlled model airplanes. Three years ago, the club prevailed against 27 opponents in Stuttgart and won the competition. In addition to the trophy, the Munich team has taken on the task of organizing this year’s Air Cargo Challenge. However, the Munich team is not allowed to take part this time. “You have the most fun when you build something yourself and then see it fly,” says Türkyilmaz, who recently completed his master’s degree in aerospace engineering at the Technical University of Munich. For him, however, it is exciting to see how the different teams face the task of flying.
Til Röder from the Technical University of Aachen loads the plane with a fake blood bag.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The task of this year’s Air Cargo Challenge is to transport a previously defined load as far as possible in a two-minute flight time. The rating also includes how quickly the model aircraft is loaded and unloaded. “There are 1,000 ways to solve this task,” says Türkyilmaz. The “Chicken Wings” team from the Technical University of Prague, for example, put the load in the wings of the aircraft to keep drag as low as possible. The payload has an unusual form: in the past competitions, simple steel plates were used. This year they are fake blood preserves made from a mixture of water, starch and dye, which look deceptively real – at least the red colored ones. There are three colors, each representing a different weight: red for 300 grams, blue for 200 grams and bright green for 100 grams.
“You can get your hands dirty here,” says Türkyilmaz. At university you only sit in the lecture hall and rarely have the opportunity to build something and apply the knowledge you have learned. These competitions are ideal for this, according to the 25-year-old, who got a working student position through his work at Aka-Modell and finally a permanent position with a service provider for Airbus in Hamburg. “The project opened a few doors for me.”
The site where the competition takes place resembles a campground at a music festival. Some are walking barefoot across the meadow, music is blaring from the speakers. A scent of sunscreen is in the air. Several pavilions are set up to protect the participants from the relentless sun. If you have thought of a cap or a straw hat, you have a clear advantage. Til Röder studies at the Technical University of Aachen. He loads a model airplane with the blood-red bags. The plane can load almost three kilograms – that’s nine bags. “Last Sunday we completely disassembled our best aircraft during a test flight and had to work a night shift,” says the 26-year-old student. That’s bitter: two years of work were gone. But with little sleep and a lot of effort, the students turned night into day and assembled a replacement aircraft.
The model airplane of the Prague team “Chicken Wings” glides through the air.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
A model airplane glides silently through the air. Most aviators are black and reflect the sun’s rays, creating a play of light with the slightest movement. In order to be able to observe the flight undisturbed, most of them shield their eyes with their hands. If Batman were to retire his plane, he would have no problem finding a new “Batwing” on the site.
The model airplanes are remote controlled. Only the pilot and one person accompanying him are allowed on the airfield – the rest of the team stays behind, together with the other teams, anxious at the site fence. The teams have a total of three minutes of flight time. One minute to climb 100 meters and the rest of the time to cover as much distance as possible. A student in the group from Aachen looks at his watch: “25 seconds left.” The team is worried about the landing. The ultra-light wheels from the 3D printer have to be placed very gently on the runway. Henry Schmidt, the Aachen pilot, prepares to land. wind comes up. The plane shakes considerably and climbs again. One more round. Again Schmidt prepares to land. This time the roles are on the meadow. The model airplane rolls and rolls into the adjacent corn field. The actors hold their breath at the site fence. If the plane is broken, the score is gone. Schmidt carries the model airplane back. “But he’s smiling,” exclaims a student. Schmidt gives a thumbs up. It’s all ok.
Little does he know at this point that his team will end up victorious.