Delegates' meeting in Altenrhein in a sophisticated setting
125 years of AeCS, 100 years of Altenrhein airfield: reason enough to hold the AeCS delegates' meeting in eastern Switzerland in the anniversary year.
Raphael Widmer, President of the Aeroclub of Eastern Switzerland, welcomed over 100 delegates and invited guests to the FFA Museum at Altenrhein airfield with a witty speech. The sometimes somewhat sharp Eastern Swiss dialect could also prove to be an advantage, said Widmer, in making the cause of aviation heard, whether in Bern or Zurich.
Matthias Jauslin, President of the Board of Directors, led the meeting through the statutory part of the meeting, but first mentioned the 125th anniversary of the AeCS and the successful balloon launch on the Bundesplatz in Bern. Although CFO Eugen Stieger was able to present a solid financial situation, he was not pleased with the red figures in the 2025 financial statements, even if they can be explained by special factors (see 2025 annual report). Both the CFO and the President thanked the "new" Managing Director Chrigel Markoff, who had settled in perfectly in a new environment in 2025.
His predecessor, Yves Burkhardt, was presented with the FAI Paul Tissandier Diploma as part of the honors. The head of the FAI, President Greg Principato and Secretary General Markus Haggeney, who both paid tribute to Yves' great services to air sports and light aviation, attended the ceremony.
Felix Deutsch, head of the reorganization working group, outlined the first steps to adapt the structure of the AeCS to the new challenges. The extensive Central Board will be reduced in size and will concentrate more than before on setting the strategic course, while the office will deal with operational business. Following the unanimous approval of the necessary amendment to the Articles of Association, the number of regional representatives on the Central Board will now be reduced from six to four.
Cyril Kobler and Marco Guscio were dismissed from the ZV. The new representative for southern Switzerland is Paolo Cassina. Unfortunately, the AeCS had to bid farewell to Jean-Michel Zellweger in February. His successor as representative of Western Switzerland, Gaby Rossier, paid tribute to his deceased friend with moving words.
Central President Matthias Jauslin, who has played a major political role for the AeCS as a member of the National Council in Bern, was unanimously re-elected for a further three-year term of office.
An important concern of the AeCS is the recruitment of young talent. At the award ceremony presented by Michael Weinmann, it became clear that this new blood is available, both in model flying and parachuting. Among the balloonists, "old hands" such as Stefan Zeberli (European Hot Air Championships) and the Kurt Frieden/Pascal Witprächtiger team (Gordon-Bennet) were able to collect coveted medals for Switzerland. Pascal presented the new anniversary balloon in front of the FFA Museum in the morning.
The delegates' meeting, which was perfectly organized by Marc Robert and his team, was concluded punctually at 1 pm. The lively discussions continued in a pleasant atmosphere over a sumptuous aperitif riche.
New annual report
The Annual Report 2025 has been completely revised and streamlined. In addition to the Chairman's foreword and the Managing Director's report, it provides an overview with figures and charts. The 2025 annual financial statements, the 2026 budget and the Chief Financial Officer's report are included in the usual scope.
