NatsNews

By Gary Freeman Jr.

Tuesday started off a little chilly, with temperatures in the low 50s. The good news was that there was little wind and that made from great racing conditions.

Event 426 is a one-engine class that uses the Dub Jett Super Sport .40.  All of the engines are very close in performance. As a result, this class has very tight heats in almost every race. We completed six of the eight qualifying rounds. The top 22 will make it, along with two “wild cards.”

By Melvin Schuette

In 2020, attendance was down in the CL Navy Carrier events due to COVID-19. Some of those who didn’t attend last year came this year, but are numbers were still down from where they have been in the recent past. This meant that the contestants not only had to help each other, they were called upon to help with some of the official duties. 

By Tim Stone

Two events were scheduled to be run Tuesday: AMA Slow Rat and AMA Goodyear. The weather was cool and calm at roughly 52° in the morning. It definitely was one of the coolest Muncie Nats on record. Several teams had blown plug problems, as was rumored to be the same later at the speed circles.

By Warren Gregory

The 1/2A Speed and 1/2A Profile Proto contest took place on Monday, June 21.

Bill watches launch.

Up close with Chris.

By Rachelle Haughn

Control Line Combat began Sunday, June 20. There are approximately 30 contestants this year. Here are some photos from the action on Monday.

By William Drumm III

We started out the second day with GNAT Combat. GNAT airplanes are easy to build and are quite rugged as they are built out of coroplast and are all of the same design. They use a .15 engine that is legal for SSC and use the same 8 x 3 propeller without an rpm limit. Electrics are also able to compete and be competitive.

By Matt Neumann

By Gary Freeman Jr.

On Monday, June 21, we competed in EF1. It is an electric class. It was a very windy day and made things challenging at times, but most handled it well.

EF1 is the only electric class that we race at the Nats. This is a box stock class that makes for some really great racing. We had 32 entries. There were lots of tight races and, unfortunately, a few lost airplanes.

By Tim Stone

Three events were to be run Monday, but Muncie’s weather had other plans! Wind gusts of over 25 mph led to the postponement of all of the racing schedules.

F2C is the only international racing event that’s run at the US Nationals. Due to the cost, difficulty, and complexity, it has shrunk to even smaller participation than in past years. Three teams were entered, but due to weather conditions, the event was postponed indefinitely.

By Warren Gregory

(Photos from the 2019 Nats.)

Greetings to the 22 Control Line Speed fliers who are registered for the 2021 Nationals. Howard Doering was registered this year but will not be here due to health issues. We wish him well.

There are 12 states represented by Control Line Speed contestants this year: Florida, Virginia, Texas, California, New Jersey, Oregon, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Utah, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.