Outdoor Free Flight

After careful deliberation, the AMA Executive Council has agreed to not cancel the 2020 Outdoor Nats. This decision is aligned with state and federal guidelines for events concerning COVID-19.

The 2020 AMA Nats will take place to the extent that individual Nats organizers plan and conduct their respective events. Additional safety measures will be in place to protect our members, staff, and community. Nats participants and visitors to the International Aeromdeling Center will have limited access to AMA facilities and should anticipate a scaled-back Nats experience.

The 2019 Outdoor Free Flight Nats were held August 5-9 at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. See all the highlights of this year’s event and final results with our NatsNews 2019 Outdoor Free Flight edition.

NatsNews: Outdoor Free Flight

By Rick Pangell (themaxout@aol.com)

Sitting in the motel “breakfast room,” with my eyes hardly open, a voice came out of the hallway … “Did you guys go to the Dawn Unlimited event?” Apparently, I did not, so there are no photos of that happening.

Gerald Brown put in an early morning flight of just over 6 minutes, with Robert Marier just 30 seconds behind. Dan Berry and Chuck Powell were respectively 3rd and 4th. It was Chuck Powell who found me in the breakfast room and asked.

By Rick Pangell (themaxout@aol.com)

One word to describe the day: windy! Well maybe another for the last part: stormy.

By Rick Pangell (themaxout@aol.com)

Waking up and not being able to see across the street from my motel room made me want to just toss the covers back over my head. But, having a cup of coffee and driving to the field made a world of difference.

It was dead flat and no rain! Everyone had basically gathered up on the knoll just west of the Control Line circles. The Catapult pen was set up on the hill just east of there.

By Rick Pangell (themaxout@aol.com)

The morning started out with some “iffy” weather, and choosing a launch line for the F1 events was being debated. F1C and F1Q were sharing the same starting positions but the issue wasn’t that, it was the prevailing wind direction. F1H was on its own but piggybacked on the big model location. The first round was delayed until it got straightened out and a suitable place was found. The wind blew southwest to northeast, so much of the flying came from the southwest corner of the complex.

By Rick Pangell (themaxout@aol.com)

I guess that when you come to the Nats, there is a growing anticipation of energy in the crowd. Plus, it’s an excitement that comes from seeing all of the “usual suspects” of fellow fliers from last year. And then seeing the new fliers come into the ranks, and this is their first Nats and they make great showing.