CL Scale

There are multiple Control Line (CL) events at the Nationals. They all share a bellcrank to control the elevator and fly in a circular pattern. But each CL event is very different in its purpose. The goal in a CL Scale event is to build a smaller version of a full-size aircraft in appearance and flight qualities.

Since we finished Round 1 on Friday, July 12, there were three rounds left to fly. The remaining flights were flown on Saturday, July 13, allowing the Control Line (CL) Scale portion to come to a close on Saturday afternoon.

The weather once again played a role in the scheduling for the flying portion of the 2024 AMA Control Line (CL) Scale Nats. Each pilot can fly a total of four times to determine their overall score.

Hello and welcome to the 2024 AMA Control Line (CL) Scale Nats. In this event, the models are judged on how closely they match a full-scale aircraft in outline and appearance. They are then judged on how well they are flown. You will see everything from World War I to modern-day aircraft. The models will be powered by glow engines, gas, electric, or electric-ducted fans—and even turbines have been used in CL Scale!

Light rain quickly began to intensify shortly before the 8 a.m. pilot meeting, and it was apparent that flying was not an option, at least for the morning..

We were greeted with great flying conditions on Sunday, the last day to fly for Rounds three and four of the AMA events. With overcast skies and light winds, it didn’t get too hot which made getting good flights very possible for those who decided not to fly on Saturday afternoon.

Rainstorms put the Control Line (CL) Scale flying to a halt in the morning; however, by noon, the skies had cleared and we were able to get flying again.

The 2023 AMA Control Line (CL) Scale Nationals (Nats) is the 100th anniversary of the first Nats. This might be your first Nats, or maybe you have been flying at the Nats for many years. Some pilots live really close to Muncie, while some have to drive more than 1,000 miles to get here. Just to name a few, pilots have come from California, Oregon, Colorado, Florida, and around the Midwest to compete. You will see a wide variety of models being flown, including warbirds, civilian, single engine, and multiengine.

By Fred Cronenwett

We were all happy to see the rain clear away Saturday so we could get two rounds flown. Although it was breezy, the models handled it well. After rounds 2 and 3 were completed, only a few people flew in round 4.

By Fred Cronenwett

In the past, the Nats have been one day for static judging and then the next two days to accomplish all of the flying. But just like 2021, weather forced us to get some of the flights in Friday due to incoming weather.