NSRCA

By Jim Quinn

Our fourth and final day of RC Precision Aerobatics always starts with a special and newly fresh atmosphere. The 2021 Nats was no exception, but the SPECIAL had a whole new meaning this year.

Kevin Young, a regular at our Nats and World Championship competition, made this year extra special. Yes, Kevin is special, but … Kevin was joined this year by his wife, Sarah, and their beautiful daughter Allee. Thank you Sarah and Kevin for this extra special start to Day 4.

By Jim Quinn

Let’s meet our Event Director for the 2021 RC Aerobatics Nats! Jon Dieringer was asked if he would like to become the Nats ED. It took all of 20 seconds for Jon to answer, “Yes.”

As he disconnected the line, he thought to himself, “What have I done?” In the weeks and months ahead, he contacted many people for advice. Monte Richard, a former ED himself, Charlie Barrera, the NSRCA president, and many of the AMA staff, to name a few.

By Jim Quinn

After the long, 2-hour weather delay Wednesday, we all woke up to a sunny and clear morning for our second day of flying. It looked like a perfect morning. Little did anyone anticipate a new delay on day two.

A crop-dusting helicopter took over the sky at AMA, dusting all of the surrounding cornfields! As though our new ED didn’t have enough to deal with on our first day with the weather, now there was a helicopter in our airspace. Jon handled it well and within the hour, we were back in the air.

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 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.

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.