“I was able to prepare perfectly and I’m really looking forward to the EM” – Liechtenstein
ZAMORA – After an expected “forced break” due to Corona, the model pilots are again competing on the big international stage. The F3A-EM will be held in Zamora (ESP). The anticipation of Gampriner Stefan Kaiser is great, as he is well prepared for the “air duels” with Europe’s top pilots.
It’s been a while since the last major event in the premier class of F3A model aircraft. In 2019 the World Cup was held in Calcinatello, Italy. The strong fourth place leads for Stefan Kaiser. The Frenchman Christophe Paysant-Le-Roux won the world title in front of the Japanese Tetsuo Onda and the Austrian Gernot Bruckmann. Paysant-Le-Roux also triumphed a year earlier at the European Championships in Grandrieu, this time ahead of Lassi Nurila (FIN) and Bruckmann. For the Gampriner there was fifth place in Belgium. This was followed by a longer break due to Corona.
But now it’s that time again when it comes to major events. The European Championships will be held in Zamora, Spain, from August 20th to 28th. Liechtenstein’s top pilot Stefan Kaiser, who won the title at the 2014 European Championships in Bendern and finished third at the 2015 World Championships in Dübendorf (SUI), will set off for Spain today. Zamora is approached in two stages. This leaves the Gampriner with two or three days to get used to the relevant location on site. In addition, he WILL also take a closer look at the EM grounds and use the training grounds for training flights. The official model acceptance is expected to take place next Saturday and the opening ceremony will then take place on Sunday.
From next Monday it’s time to get serious, the first competition flights (preliminary round) are coming up in Zamora. Stefan Kaiser sees himself well prepared and is optimistically looking forward to the continental title fights, as he explains in the interview.
“Volksblatt”: After the long break in international competitions due to Corona, international competitions are being held again today. You’ve already been in action in Belgium and at the home World Cup. How satisfied are you with these competitions?
Stephen Kaiser: First of all: It’s really wonderful that we can finally take part in competitions again, the whole F3A family can see each other again and you can compete with the best pilots. I was able to learn a lot from the two competitions and was able to gain important conclusions for the future. I wasn’t satisfied with the results of either event, but I’m happy and grateful that everything went the way it did. I now feel ready for the highlight of the season, the European Championships in Spain, and I’m really looking forward to it.
How do you have the time between the home World Cup and the upcoming European Championships?
I changed my daily routine both during the week and at weekends so that I could be in the air with my model every day. The weather was also really perfect and so I was able to complete my training over the days in very different flight conditions. It was also important to me to be in the air every day in order to feel completely inside the model, no matter what the external conditions were.
The EM takes place in Zamora. What conditions are waiting for you in Spain?
It will be my first time in Zamora myself. According to my colleagues, however, we must definitely reckon with very strong winds. In addition, it will probably be very hot. Together with my father Robert, who is back as team manager, I have prepared well for both factors and I am looking forward to the upcoming challenges with the local conditions.
As always, the competition is fierce. Who are the toughest opponents in Spain?
The power density is extremely high despite only 37 participating pilots. The Swiss Sandro Matti, the Finn Lassi Nurilla, the Austrian Gernot Bruckmann and the Spanish local hero Juan Rombaut are certainly among the big favorites.
Christophe Paysant-Le-Roux is missing from the entry list, he is also the defending European Championship champion (2018) and reigning world champion (2019), a very big name. Do you know why?
That’s right, he’s the big absentee from this European Championship. However, I don’t know the background to this.
In Belgium you used the double decker in the final. Is that also an option in Zamora?
In this regard, I listened to my gut feeling and I felt very comfortable with the monoplane model right from the start. I was now able to further improve the settings of the model, so that I feel very comfortable with all flight programs – the simpler preliminary round program, the more complex final program and the unknown flight maneuver programs – and can conjure up the maneuvers with my flying style as I like.
What have you planned for the EM?
My goal is to focus completely on myself and my model, so that I can fly figure after figure on the unfamiliar airfield as I have trained and am able to do. I was able to prepare perfectly and I’m really looking forward to it.
You won the title at the European Championships at home in 2014, is that also an issue for you this year?
The title at the home European Championship as well as the whole week is still very much in my mind and helps me, like so many moments in my flying career so far, to concentrate on the point. All of these moments serve as anchors that I can use as a guide to adjust myself and my body correctly every day in order to get the best out of me and my model. This is very important for the European Championship, as it lasts seven days and nine races. What comes out of it in the end remains to be seen.
Your father Robert is also back. How important is he to you?
He is official team manager, my helper, my announcer and mental support. My father and I are a perfectly coordinated team and this is enormously important. As the announcer, he tells me the maneuvers to be flown. This is extremely important, especially on the final day with the unknown figure programs. My father accounts for about 70 percent here. He knows exactly what information I need at what time and when he is not allowed to say anything so as not to disturb my full concentration. I am grateful for all his support and the training together to make us perfect for the EM invitation.
How is the EM going?
According to the current status, 37 pilots are registered. Four preliminary rounds are flown, with one void result. The 20 best pilots then qualify for the semifinals, where the difficult final program is flown twice. Together with the preliminary round, which counts as one round, a void result will be determined and the best 10 pilots will advance to the final, which will be held on August 28th. Three passes are flown. First, as in the semifinals, the well-known final program, followed by two unknown programs, which are created the evening before using a random number generator. In the final everything starts again from scratch and each of the three flights counts for the determination of the European Champion 2022.