NatsNews

When it comes to the Nats, you always want to be prepared for severe weather. The weather on Saturday, July 11, was no exception. We had almost completed round 2 of flying when a large thunderstorm came through the area and dumped a large amount of rain. Everything was soaked.

Muncie had the last word on Saturday. The contest was in the middle of the first round of the morning when a large storm rolled over the site and simply took the day away.

Now that the 100th NATS has wrapped up, it is time to put down some final thoughts. During the days of competition, the weather was pretty good all week… a rarity.

The second day of the Nats began with the Unlimited Catapult-Launch Glider (CLG) and F1N events. Paul Polischuk established an F1N Junior record with 16.4 and 16.3, for a combined total of 32.7 seconds.

We got a slow start this morning with the static judging, but eventually got all of the models judged. The Sport, Profile, Team, 1/2A, and Authentic scale classes were done the same way we have done it in the past, where the judges were given a binder with information about the full-size aircraft that was copied.

Friday delivered more than anyone expected. The plan called for one round of competition flying in the afternoon, which is the tradition at the Scale Nats. Instead, the weather held, the flightlines kept moving, and the contest got two full rounds in the books before the day was done.

The morning of the first day started smoothly, with the Standard Catapult Glider and the Hand Launch Glider events. In the afternoon, Cabin, Easy B, F1R, and F1D flew in typical fashion until the last hour of the contest.

The day almost started out as a carbon copy of the previous days. However, today we started out with a few spotty clouds and a little wind. There was nothing major with the wind, but the pilots knew where to place their maneuvers. None of this, “Maybe here, or is it there?” type of thing.

The Indoor Free Flight (FF) events of the 100th AMA Nats will be contested at the Reimagine Recreation sports complex in Pontiac. Michigan.

By Bob Mears

Today was Crazy-Fast, Fast Combat. It is only for the ballsy. First place went to Bill Maywald, Chuck Rudner took second and Neil Simpson was third. These guys had some amazing matches! This was the last combat event at the Nats. We will see everyone next year.