F3E World Champs
With the Austrians claiming top honors, the U.S. F3E fliers were hot on their heels at this year's champs. Jason Perrin's no-holds-barred flying got better and better, vaulting him to second place along with the U.S. team. ■ Cal Ettel
Event summary
The third edition of the F3E FAI World Championships was held August 6–12 in Freistadt, Upper Austria. Eleven countries sent a total of 33 pilots to compete in this most prestigious world electric contest. The competition was intense, the people warm and friendly, the food hearty and delicious, and the weather nearly ideal.
Location and facilities
Freistadt is a picturesque walled medieval city in the Muhlviertel, a region often called "The Land of Enchantment." Much like the central United States, the Muhlviertel features rolling farmland with scattered forests. Competitors flew from the private Lolf airfield, located on a plateau about eight miles from the city. The airport was closed to accommodate the competition.
Premeet events
An international contest held August 1–5 provided warm-up opportunities and included a range of electric-powered competitions: F3E glider, pylon racing, precision aerobatics, wide-span gliders (3.5 meters or more), and the popular "Dawn to Dusk" endurance event. Most of the World Championships competitors and helpers entered some or all of these events. There were 47 entries in F3E and 17 in pylon racing; a special four-minute pylon race drew nine entrants, who vied to fly the greatest number of laps in four-minute heats.
Wide-span gliders and precision aerobatics remain less popular in the U.S. and parts of Europe, partly because of model-aircraft noise concerns, but competitors arrived the week early to practice at the site. The U.S. team was among the earliest arrivals.
Registration and practice
Registration and model processing took place Monday, August 6, accompanied by a change in weather — hot and sunny with moderate temperatures, low cloud ceilings, and light rain showers. By Tuesday the clouds thinned, allowing practice sessions with little or no delay. Practice revealed some issues with the Swiss timing system used throughout the competition; although precise, it was unfamiliar to some contestants. Minor communication issues were discussed and resolved promptly.
A Team Managers' meeting that evening posted the flight order for the first round. The first day of flying, Wednesday, brought near-perfect weather with clearing skies and light, variable winds.
Competition highlights
Jerry Bridgeman was ninth in the round-one flight order and the first U.S. pilot to fly, followed by Jason Perrin (15th) and Steve Neu (27th).
Jerry's first flight was marred by a mechanical failure during launch: the motor stopped before the model had sufficient airspeed or altitude. After the plane struck the ground, the damage was repairable, but the mishap earned Jerry a zero for round one. This put pressure on him, since each competitor is allowed only one throwaway round. Jerry adjusted his style and flew conservatively for the remainder of the meet.
Jason Perrin posted a blistering 24 laps in Distance in round one, second only to defending World Champion Rudolf Freudenhaler. He followed with a 4:58 Duration, including a 74-second spot landing, and his landing in the 15-meter circle netted him a total of 669 points for the round. Steve Neu nearly matched Jason's performance in the distance and duration tasks, using one extra second of motor run for a score of 668. Jason's all-around performance put him into the lead after round one.
Round two began immediately after lunch, with a partly reversed flight order in which the first four pilots from round one flew last (a procedure followed throughout the meet). Flying his backup plane, Jerry turned in a score of 649 — 12th highest of the 33 competitors. Jason continued the pressure with 659 points (fifth-highest of the round), and Steve finished seventh with 654 points.
Round three opened with a fine 665-point flight from Jerry, regaining some ground. Jason recorded a 695 (the round's top score) and Steve posted 624. All three U.S. pilots were in the top 11 after that round.
By the end of the second day, Austria's Rudolf Freudenhaler was firmly in first place, Franz Weissgerber of Germany was second, and Jason Perrin was third, only two points behind Weissgerber. Steve Neu and Jerry Bridgeman were ninth and 11th, respectively. At the halfway point the U.S. team was a strong third overall.
Day three improved matters further for the Americans. By the end of the sixth round, Jason had moved into second place ahead of Weissgerber; Steve held ninth; and Jerry climbed to 10th by posting 681 points with 24 laps, his best showing of the meet. With a collective 9,989 points at that stage, the U.S. fliers rose to second in the team standings, bettered only by Austria.
The final day continued at full intensity. In round seven Jason scored 694, Jerry 680, and Steve 673. Jason then added 699 points in round eight and capped with a 709 that included 26 laps; Jerry repeated his 680, and Steve turned in 671.
When final scores were tabulated and verified, the team standings remained unchanged: Austria retained the team crown and the U.S. held second.
Individual Final Results
- Rudolf Freudenhaler — Austria — 4,885
- Jason Perrin — U.S.A. — 4,821
- Franz Weissgerber — Germany — 4,748
- Urs Leodolter — Switzerland — 4,709
- J.P. Schiltknecht — Switzerland — 4,706
- Jerry Bridgeman — U.S.A. — 4,639
- Steve Neu — U.S.A. — 4,636
Team Standings
- Austria — 14,222
- U.S.A. — 14,096
- Germany — 14,070
- Switzerland — 13,987
- France — 13,345
Credits
Credit is due to the dedicated support of the U.S. team members and helpers who worked throughout the contest and during many months of preparation:
- Bob Stiff, Team Manager
- Keith Finkenbiner, Helper
- Brian Chan, Helper
- Grant Messinger II, Assistant
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
