By Tim Stone
As with the rest of the world, the corona virus has affected Control Line racing at the Nats this year. The National Control Line Racing Association (NCLRA) officers were waiting until June 10, for AMA to give the okay for Outdoor Nats to proceed. By this time, Indoor and Outdoor Free Flight had decided that they were going to cancel anyway. Not so with NCLRA—race is on! Gentlemen start your engines!
By Phil Cartier
Sunday saw lots more great flying in the F2D Combat Finals. The turnout was low—14 entries. All of the pilots were competent fliers with good equipment and lot of contest experience. It really showed in how smoothly the matches went and the excellent system for scoring and displaying the results.
It took 11 matches on top of the 32 matches on Saturday to get to the new winner. Bill Maywald won first place with some great flying, not only winning matches but doing so using only three planes. Dave Fischer came in second.
By Phil Cartier
Nats F2D Combat took off to a great start Saturday morning, July 11. Unfortunately, only 14 flyers could make it, but the small field made up for it with lots of action. One could say the cream of the crop. Just about every flyer was meticulously prepared and there were few holdups other than pit crews, pilots, and judges playing Ring Around the Rosie.
By Mike Stinson
As you all know, this is a very strange year for everyone. No different for Control Line Beginner Stunt, which took place Sunday, July 12. We had more volunteers than contestants for the first time that I can remember. This allowed us to finish before the predicted rain, which never came. The event ran smoothly because of the good help and cooperation of the contestants. I have heard some very good comments about the contestants from the volunteers.
AMA looks forward to hosting a fun and safe Nats this year at the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC)! Today, we have new developments to announce for Nats 2020.
Although some Special Interest Groups such as NFFS, NSRCA, IMAC, and NASA are not participating in Nats this year, the Executive Council's vote on 6/10 did not officially cancel those particular events. Other contest directors have approached AMA and are being considered to manage those events during Nats. You are welcome to register for any Nats event up through 06/26, but if an event organizer or contest director does not step up to host your particular event, AMA will fully refund your money and not host that portion of the Nats.
The following message is from Dave Lindley, president of the National Free Flight Society (NFFS):
It is with great regret, that AMA and NFFS today announce that the current COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of the Outdoor Free Flight Nats scheduled for July 27-31, 2020, in Muncie, Indiana. We do not anticipate that there will be a rescheduling of this event in 2020. Anyone that had already registered WILL be refunded 100% by AMA automatically.
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 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):
As AMA continues to plan and prepare for the Outdoor Nats in July and August, we understand that our June 10, “go” or “no go” deadline is leaving participating waiting until that time to register for their events. Due to this timeline, we are extending the deadline for Nats registration to June 12.
As always, please contact your Nats CD or SIG if you have questions or concerns about your event. AMA will also be available to field questions as well using the contacts below.
Thank you and stay safe!
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