RC Pattern

The 2020 National Aeromodeling Championships (Nats) are still scheduled to begin July 12. AMA is continuing to monitor the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and it's impact on our upcoming events. Our final decision on moving forward with the Nats will take place June 10. AMA Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are also making decisions for their individual schedules, and some are choosing to make earlier cancellations for their events. The following message is from Archie Stafford, president of the National Society for Radio Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA):

By Rachelle Haughn (rachelleh@modelaircraft.org)

Saturday, July 20, was the last day of the RC Aerobatics Nats, held in Blytheville, Arkansas. The final rounds of the Masters, FAI, Intermediate, and Advanced classes were flown that day at the Arkansas Aeroplex.

By Monte Richard (mrichard@compassengineering.com)

Day 3 of the Nats, our second day of flying competition, went well. We shut down flying at 8:30 a.m. to allow a Learjet to come in and land. The show was worth the slight delay.

The sky was overcast, which kept temperatures cool. All sites started flying and we completed FAI about 11 a.m. Advanced is the longer class and didn’t finish its second round until roughly 1 p.m., just in time for the start of Intermediate and Masters.

By Monte Richard (mrichard@compassengineering.com)

Hurricane Barry had its effects on the RC Aerobatics Nats, taking place in Blytheville, Arkansas. But despite the rain, we managed to process all of the planes on Tuesday. The airport authority at the Arkansas Aeroplex sponsored a barbecue dinner with fried catfish, barbecue brisket all the fixings, and banana pudding for dessert. Quite a treat.