Horizon Airmeet
The ultimate inspirational airshow
The ultimate inspirational airshow
For the past nine years, the Horizon Airmeet has taken place at a small regional airport in Genderkingen, Bavaria, Germany. To say it’s a popular event would be an understatement. Every year, 25,000 enthusiastic spectators arrive, eager to be wowed by some of the best RC airplane and helicopter pilots in the world. Along with several Horizon Hobby employees out of the Barsbüttel, Germany, this event is a labor of love from European Horizon Team Air manager Stefan Wurm and his family and friends.
The Airmeet inspires people to take up the hobby and experience this lifestyle. It makes people want to get out and fly and to feel the excitement of model aviation.
This year, I had the opportunity to attend, and I was ecstatic! In addition to Airmeet, Horizon decided to build on the success of the air event and ran Racemeet for RC surface vehicles at the front entrance of the show. Saturday was reserved as an open practice and tuning day, and on Sunday, we hosted 32 drivers for 1/8-scale racing. There was even a Blade Inductrix course, so attendees could experience first-person-view flight. At this year’s Airmeet, 87 pilots from around the world were scheduled to fly, including IndyCar driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Models of all sizes were on the flightline, from the E-flite X-Vert to giant-scale gliders. Several full-size planes were also in on site, including a Pitts,
Yak 52, and T-28. The Red Bull Blanix team was even in attendance to kick off the night show.
To give you an idea of what kind of a following this event has built, the first campers showed up on Monday to secure their camping spot for the weekend (five days before the event was to take place!). I arrived on Friday afternoon to help finish setting up and lend a hand wherever possible. Hangars were full of the assembled models as more trailers rolled in to add to the fleet.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., we held the pilots’ meeting at the main stage. Shortly after that was the flag-raising ceremony of both the German and American flags, while a full-scale Pitts screamed by on a low sideways pass down the runway. The show had begun! People poured in by the thousands and lined their chairs along the fences next to the flightline. Many stood in line for up to two hours for their chance to purchase one of the 6,000 tickets to win some of the great prizes in the Tombola tent. They followed on the Airmeet mobile app as each scheduled pilot fired up his plane to have a turn in the spotlight. U.S. Horizon Team Air pilot Peter Goldsmith said it best: “I’ve been to a lot of airshows all over the world where they have pieces of this show, but never have I seen anything like this all in one place.” There was 3D flying, helicopter
speed runs, turbine jets and helicopters, commercial jets, and even planes from the early age of flight. We had blocks of some of the latest Horizon products flying together, even a Hangar 9 Ultra Stick with a radial engine. As the show went on, the flying became more intense. Teams of three to 12 pilots flew together, making smoke formations and low flightline passes. Then the full-size Pitts, Yak, and T-28 had their turn. As dusk approached, the Red Bull Blanix team was towed up to their release altitude. As the music started, so did the choreography. Two sailplanes flew in unison, colored smoke pouring out from the ring tips. It was incredibly precise on a much larger scale than we had witnessed all day long from the models. Once they were back on the ground, the crowd eagerly anticipated the highlight of the weekend: the night show! Several of the pilots had outfitted their models with LEDs for this event. Some had different lights on different switches to enhance their flight; others flew to the music. One of the helis even faced the crowd as animated images flashed like a movie screen on the top of his blades; others flew through fireworks and even lit sparklers midflight to add to the spectacle. A fireworks show followed along with the music, then it was time for the finale. The “Ring of Fire” was lit as brave pilots attempted to fly their LED planes and helis through it. It was a mix of chaos and fun that had people laughing and enjoying the nightcap to this incredible day.
That night, I went to bed in awe of what I had experienced. If I could sum it up into one word, it would be “inspirational.” The Airmeet inspires people to take up the hobby and experience this lifestyle. It makes people want to get out and fly and to feel the excitement of model aviation. I was exhausted and excited at the same time because this was only day one, and I g ot to experience it all over again on Sunday.
For more information on attending the Horizon Airmeet, go to horizonhobby.de/airmeet.htm.