Corfou,
Greece - A paragraph on the report of the F3J World Championship in the
French RC magazine RCM of September 2000 particularly attracted my attention:
it related the recent creation in Corfu (Greece) of a hotel which has
now specialised in the accommodation of the model aircraft enthusiast.
After having accessed their Internet
site (it is very well built and all is clearly described) and following
some e-mails, my companion and I made our way there, at the end of the
off-peak season, from 20th to 30th April 2001.
The location:
Sited on the same latitude as the "heel" of Italy, Corfu is
well known to be one of the Greek islands having varied and beautiful
green landscape. Accessible cheaply by charter flight from Brussels (Belgium),
this island is a longstanding British "fief". Quiet hilly, Corfu
comprises numerous beautiful beaches on the west coast that are only accessible
after vertiginous descent on narrow roads. A car is a must to get there!
A shuttle service does now exist at the hotel, but should you wish in
addition to explore the rest of this beautiful island, I strongly suggest
renting a car, they are cheap, particularly so when combined with your
air-fare(108 GBP for 12 days). The temperature in Corfu is very agreeable
in mid-season and very hot in summer, for this reason, meals and activities
are time-shifted as in Spain.
The hotel: An exceptionally warm and courteous welcome is to be expected
not only from the young manager (and enthusiastic modeller) Spiros Tsellas
but also from the rest of the Greek staff, all very friendly but exclusively
English-speaking. 12 km of Corfu-town and 5 km from attractive beaches,
Magdalena House offers the following facilities:
19 apartments with kitchenette, fridge,
sat-TV, ... for 2 to 4 people and 10 double rooms, very clean and all
modern, including a basic kitchenette. There is also a welcoming swimming
pool with bar, barbecue, table tennis. The chat between modellers carries
on to the early hours.
a solarium (within sight on the runway)
from where our companions may watch our flying exploits.
meals
are served in a large banqueting hall, where traditional Greek marriages
seem to be quiet frequently held (we had the chance to have 3 weddings
over the 2 weekends)! Some videos of model flying and events are on
hand to keep you entertained whilst waiting on your meals.
The flying site:
Spiros has constructed, in the Ropa Valley, one of the only flat areas
of the island, a splendid flying site just a stone's throw from the hotel
with:
a tarmac runway (125 m x 15m),
a large grassy field ideal for the "
dead stick" landings,
a workshop for build, storage and occasional
repair!
To
date it has been shared with some Greek flyers but as from 2000 it was
decided to also invite guests for theme holidays.
The planes: "Refuel and rearm immediately" was the cry of the
RAF pilots at the time of the Battle of England, so could be the cry of
modellers wishing to participate in "flying" holidays. A full
range of models are waiting for you; from the "Super Sixty"
rudder/elevator for beginners (on which the flying test is passed), to
several intermediary aileron equipped models such as the "Ready"
and "Jupiter", ... up to the true ultra aerobatic models, a
helicopter and several electric/winch gliders. The Futaba radio sets will
be set up to your flying mode as most of the British modellers use the
"mono-stick" mode 1.
The Flightline: Jed
LAWSON, a very experienced British modeller, manages the flghtline and
is kept very busy with the fleet of planes and transmitters. He refuels
with the help of the young Adonny, starts the engines to avoid accidents
to the guests, checks the flying skill with a buddy box and continues
to teach you or leaves you to fly alone. If required, he repairs the damaged
planes during the evening. Undeniably Jed "knows the music",
and how to set up the ambience as well ! He is on the go from sunrise
to sunset, seven days a week, always available and ready to exchange an
engine which does not perform properly (now mostly OS and Irvine). After
trials, Spiros has decided to limit the number of flying modellers to
15 and this in my opinion is already too high a number as Jed is over-tasked,
particularly when newcomers arrive (NB: a new instructor is now on site).
The price list:
The prices for "flying" are obviously kept separate from those
for accommodation as you may wish to stay in another hotel (at the beach
for instance). For those who come here only to fly, the weekly rate "all
in" (unlimited flights + fuel) is the most attractive at 90 GBP.
For those who like me, also wish to visit the rest of the island (and
it would be a pity to miss these sumptuous landscapes), a daily rate exists
of 20 GBP (flights only, no fuel). It allows you for instance to fly only
one day in two in order to allow you time to take care of your companion!
Because the timetable of the flights is adapted to the hot climate of
the island (from 09.00hrs to 14.00hrs and from 17.00hrs to sunset!) I
have suggested to the owner to set up an intermediate rate on the lines
of "weekly rate - half day", which would allow exploring in
the morning and flying after 17.00hrs, which personally would have been
enough for me.
To be able to fly with peace of mind, an "insurance" from 25
to 35 GBP, depending of the model you wish to fly, towards the cost of
repairs should be paid in advance. After a first accident, you have to
renew this insurance at a higher rate!
Some modellers came by car via Italy (long and costly trip of 4 days)
with their own aircraft; in this case the tariff for the usage of the
facilities must be negotiated.
Conclusions:
I really did enjoy this holiday for the locality, the ambience, the flights
and the general flexibility. Of course as we were in the low season, the
visitors were at a minimum and the 4 flyers were treated as kings. The
understanding of the English language is a must. I will with a great pleasure
surely return there soon. For all further details, please visit RC
Hotel's Website. -
Philippe Cambier
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(Click
the photos for an enlarged version and accompanying caption)
Corfou,
Greece - A paragraph on the report of the F3J World Championship in the
French RC magazine RCM of September 2000 particularly attracted my attention:
it related the recent creation in Corfu (Greece) of a hotel which has
now specialised in the accommodation of the model aircraft enthusiast.
After having accessed their 
