Valentino Fry`s Fledermaeuse

Valentino Fry’s bats. The ‘Fledermaus’ is one of Valentino’s own designs. He built this model airplane in 1974 as a 1st year apprentice. This airplane accompanied him for several years, he flew it almost every day. With wheels, with skis, with floats.

Valentino Fry is a Swiss self-made man, ski racer, pilot and model pilot. He became famous for his own racing airplane ‘Esprit’. The plane is now in the Lucerne Transport Museum.

The ‘Fledermaus II’ had a wingspan of 1.6 meters, was powered by a 10cc engine and weighed 4 kg. It was his all-round aerobatic trainer and the best model airplane Valentino had ever flown. Now, in his old age, he has built himself a new ‘Fledermaus III’. The new aircraft is flown with a Leomotion propulsion system. The weight has been reduced to 2.8 kg.

In 1976, the Swiss developed the successor to his first model aerobatic airplane Fledermaus III, the successor to Fledermaus II, which he designed in 1974. At that time, the plane was powered by a Webra 61 Speed.

In 2023 Valentino built his 2nd ‘Fledermaus III’, this time powered by a Leomotion outrunner for a 5S battery. A Giezendanner electric retracts is installed.
Flying weight 4.8 kg, wingspan 1.65 meters.

The model has very good flight characteristics. He is assisted by his nephew, Jean-Claude Spillmann. With a nephew like that, nothing can go wrong. The maiden flight took place during the Christmas week.