Dubai: Australia got their name on the medal-winners’ list at the 2015 FAI World Air Games as Bruce de Chastel claimed gold in the Aeromodelling F3T division even as the Games were hampered by bad weather for a second day on Tuesday.
With the United States dominating the first few days of the 13-day competition, bagging a total of 11 medals including 5 gold and 3 silver and bronze each, De Chastel made his mark for Australia in the Aeromodelling F3T, an event also known as Semi-Scale Pylon Racing.
In Pylon Racing, pilots go head-to-head in their radio controlled model aircraft that fly through a course of pylons, similar to what occurs in a full-scale Red Bull Air Race. Each pilot goes through a knockout competition with the best two meeting in the final, while the other two semi-finalists battle for the bronze medal.
De Chastel’s win came against tough competition and an even tougher challenger from the blustery winds that have affected events at the World Air Games for two days now. His main aircraft crashed and De Chastel had to use his back-up model to win the gold medal. In fact, the back-up model helped him post the second fastest time under really tough weather conditions.
With De Chastel taking gold, the silver went to Mario Muller of Germany, while Paolo Mucedola of Italy came in third to take the bronze.
Meanwhile, the weather is expected to improve for Wednesday, with winds between 9 to 18 kph and the forecast being for “sunny, pleasant and warmer” weather.
“Hopefully, we will be on schedule and complete as many events as possible,” Juergen Barth, the administrative coordinator at WAG told Gulf News.
