2021

By Rob Romash

Nats Eve and a new day

As we filter through another full day, we realize it's half over?!?! Nearly.

Last time I showed some “focus” launch poses. What if your model doesn’t just go hypersonic and then either explodes or glides for about a minute? What if you had much more time?

Here are some favorite lounge poses. The most popular is the “laid back.” It's crazy how a firm, flat back feels after two days of being up, standing, and craning your neck up. Kudos to the artificial green stuff guys.

By Jim Quinn

All preparations have been completed. Now it is time for flying.

Who will be the first pilot to test the sky over AMA’s IAC in 2021? Ken Velez was the first up on Site 3 after the better part of 2 hours of waiting for the sky to clear.

By Chuck Andraka

Wednesday, July 21, the National Free Flight Society (NFFS) leveraged its new relationship with Science Olympiad to host 18 students and 10 coaches from 10 middle schools and high schools, mostly from Michigan and Ohio, but also from as far as Austin. Science Olympiad is a scholastic science competition that includes an indoor flying event.

By Rob Romash

The doors open at 7 a.m. each day, and the competition starts at 9 a.m.

The building was a little slower filling Wednesday after folks settled in Tuesday.

It was an early arrival for me, and about a half-dozen others. We were greeting with a dimly lit space where the few models flying would blend into shadows in the ceiling in dawn conditions.

Soon after though, the lights were on and the air buzzed with high-speed launches of various balsa/carbon-fiber gliders.

By Jim Quinn

The first day of the RC Aerobatic Nats is not a flying day. Day one is for registration, weighing all of the airplanes, and certifying the 2-meter maximum fuselage length and wingspan.

To expedite the registration, ED Jon Dieringer has enlisted great help joining him at the registration desk, like Tim Jesky, a legend on Site 1.

Photos by Rob Romash.

Josh Finn's AMA Cabin.

By Jim Quinn

AMA has published the “official” dates for this year’s Nats. The real question, however, is when did the Nats begin for the pilots?

Yes, they had to register before the deadline, they made transportation and living arrangements, they coordinated with friends, and many other things.

Many traffic delays caused my arrival at AMA’s IAC to be much later than was the plan. On arrival, the sun was setting, but that didn’t stop pilots from one extra trim flight. Bryan Hebert was flying his biplane on Site 3. Check out the setting sun.

By Rob Romash

By Gary Freeman Jr.

On Friday, we woke up to cloudy and windy skies. It was decided to wait until 9 a.m. and see what the weather was going to do. It did start to break up slightly, and we were able to finish up the last two qualifying rounds and a 5-round final.

By Matt Neumann

Well, Wednesday I left off with the statement that Thursday could be a very interesting day. It was!

Contestants were again greeted with cool temperatures and some wind. The temperatures were a little warmer than what we have been greeted with from the past two days, but light jackets were the norm to start out with. The temperatures increased throughout the day, along with the wind and the competition.