after finishing the fieldwork for the new o-map I need some kind of compromise. This time I start building a new plastic model kit. Recently I get a Tamiya Milestone edition kit of the Fieseler Fi-156C. This kit is in scale 1:48 but there is a smaller one from Academy already in my stash. Therefore I started with that one first.

My Storch is on skies as you can see here. The winter camouflage will follow together with a snow diorama (eventually).

during the last weeks I was doing the fieldwork for a new orienteering map. Next March thurgorienta will organise their orienteering event on this new map „Barchetsee“. For this event I will do most of the fieldwork and also the drawing on the computer. Barchetsee is a small lake between Neunforn and Ossingen at in the western part of the canton Thurgau.

The Barchetsee itself wouldn’t be used for orienteering; the lake and its surrounding is a nature reserve and it will be marked as permanent out-of-bound on the final map. This photo is done with my multicopter (see a video or more photos on my flickr album).

we spent this years vacation in the upper Engadin valley. Nadine and me participate at the swiss o-week 2016 (SOW). It was her desire to spend vacation together and to do these orienteering competitions at he SOW. It was a wonderful week up in the mountains and I really enjoyed the races in that terrain.

On Wednesday (restday at SOW) we travelled to the Ofenpass for a special purpose. Alain was having the idea of the remake of a particular photograph that is on display at home. Therefore we hiked to that place and take the picture again. A nice idea indeed.

Of course there are many other photos, you may find them together with the orienteering maps on my flickr album.

after a long absence, I started once again at this years PfiSta. This is an orienteering relay that takes place in the Jura during the Pentecost days. Two night legs and five legs on the day are making a PfiSta.

Here the first leg of the night runners gets ready to start. Two teams of thurgorienta have been at the start. I did the second night leg while Nadine started early in the morning on the third leg.

Orienteering in the Jura is still fun. Want to see all the photos from that event or even read a review (in German)? There is also a short video of the start to the first leg on my facebook page

Yes, it is true yesterday I could celebrate my 60th birthday. To remember that special day Nadine and Alain were organizing a birthday party without my knowledge.
It was a perfect surprise and all my family, friends and acquaintances were already at the Gusslihaus when we arrived.

It was really a special and wonderful evening for me that I will never forget (photos). I have enjoyed it very much and I would like to say thanks to all of you.

This is my Quadcopter a Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K. Essentially, it is an (almost) autonomously flying video camera.

No comparison to a RC model; be it a helicopter, model-aircraft or sailplane. With the techniques now used (GPS, telemetry data and video downlink) a Quadcopter is a hight-tech device and because it belongs to mass-produced goods, the prices - also are no comparison to RC models.

Beside the Easter eggs search there has been left some time, to make a few flights with the Quadcopter. I have created a dedicated album on Flickr now. There the photos from my flights are filed, or, at least a part of it. For the videos there will be a colletion on my Vimeo account real soon now.

as you might know I am doing orienteering and in particularly night-o because during the night more o-skills are required than during a day competition. The Swiss championship in night orienteering (NOM) in 2016 was held in Meggen near Luzern. And there was no mass start than in previous years, just a simple event.

Photo by Samuel Hebeisen (Festbilder.ch)
This together with the fact that my health has been better than in last months was my motivation to prepare for that event. Sam my brother asked me to travel with me. He wanted to make a few photos from this event. I've enjoyed the competiton and the result was also pleasing (see my course on the map in the class M60).