Skip to main content
Home
  • Welcome
  • Register
    • Event Registration
    • Camping
  • Event Info
    • 2023 Schedule
    • Scores
  • Nats News
    • Nats News Subscribe
    • Nats News Archives
    • Nats Video
    • Nats Flickr Albums
  • AMA Links
    • AMA Flight School
    • AMA Foundation
    • AMA Main Site
    • AMA Safety Info
  • Press Kit

2022 Indoor FF Nats Wraps Up

penny plane winners

 

By Don DeLoach

Official flying wrapped up for the lightweight events (F1D, HLS, Intermediate Stick, ROG Stick, Cabin, F1R, Helicopter, Ornithopter, F1L, and Easy B) on Friday, May 27, at 9 p.m. Several records were set and there were 12 fliers in F1D including no fewer than seven AMA youth. This was certainly the largest F1D turnout at the Nats in a decade or more.

Saturday, May 28, was a shorter day of flying, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Events left to complete were in the mid- and heavyweight rubber classes, and F1N/HLG/Catapult.

I spent the first minutes of Saturday freeing my Limited Pennyplane from a hang-up. It spent the night about 65 feet up between a row of lights. I’d had a really good flight going Friday night when the ship suddenly drifted behind the lights and wrapped itself in a coil of electrical cord. At first it looked unlikely that I’d get it down, but a single bump from a balloon freed it with only a slightly broken fin. Five minutes later I was back in the air and managed a 10:44 in Pennyplane and 11:32 in Limited Pennyplane shortly thereafter.

There were other several notable performances Saturday. Josh Finn put up 12:30 to win Pennyplane by a wide margin. He also snagged third in AMA HLG with the only two 70-plus second flights on Saturday, despite the air being not particularly good. Josh was nearly unbeatable all week. He won a total of six events with a number of close seconds and thirds. He did all this while timing flights, helping his young kids fly, and mentoring numerous other fliers. For his efforts he was crowned Rubber Category Champion, AMA/FAI Category Champion, and Grand Champion. Congratulations, Josh!

George Nuñez scored wins in FAC Peanut, High Wing Peanut, and Coconut Scale. George’s son Jonathan’s nearly perfect Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien won FAC Rubber Scale handily enroute to earning Jonathan FAC Category Champ. Jonathan was also honored with a surprise presentation of the FAC’s Blue Max Medal, for achieving 16 victories in FAC competition over 20-plus years.

This is most of the Youth contestants at the 2022 Indoor Nats, flanking NFFS President Dave Lindley and Education Chairman Chuck Andraka. NFFS has done an incredible job promoting Free Flight to AMA Youth.

 

Three-year-old Paul Finn set an AMA Electric record of 3:55 enroute to winning the Junior Championship. Anjulie Sorbello earned the Senior Championship after placing highly in several combined ages events, including F1M where she placed a close second to her mentor Chuck Andraka.

More AMA records were broken on Saturday. Adith Alagiri bested the F1L Junior record set earlier in the week by Caleb Finn. And Ross Clements picked up three more Senior records in F1N, Standard Catapult Glider, and AMA Electric.

On to the AMA Nats at Muncie. Outdoor Free Flight week is July 25-29. See you there!

 

 
  • The Alagiri family.
    The Alagiri family.
  • David Aronstein’s 1930s twin pusher fun flyer did over 4 minutes.
    David Aronstein’s 1930s twin pusher fun flyer did over 4 minutes.
  • Indoor Nats 2022 grand champions: Stan Buddenbohm, Glider; Josh Finn, Rubber and Overall Grand; Paul Finn, Junior, Anjulie Sorbello, Senior; Jonathan Nunez, FAC.
    Indoor Nats 2022 grand champions: Stan Buddenbohm, Glider; Josh Finn, Rubber and Overall Grand; Paul Finn, Junior, Anjulie Sorbello, Senior; Jonathan Nunez, FAC.
  • Jonathan Nunez launches his Rider R-4.
    Jonathan Nunez launches his Rider R-4.
  • Limited Pennyplane winners (L-R): Odessa Wignall, best Junior; Monet Ramaciotti, best Senior; Josiah Rose, 3rd; Josh Finn, 2nd; Don DeLoach, 1st.
    Limited Pennyplane winners (L-R): Odessa Wignall, best Junior; Monet Ramaciotti, best Senior; Josiah Rose, 3rd; Josh Finn, 2nd; Don DeLoach, 1st.

 

2022 Indoor Free Flight National Champions

A-6                                         Hamish Christie                   9:26

ROG Stick                             Josh Finn                               15:38

Easy B                                   Karen Khanagov                 16:49

F1D                                        Brett Sanborn                       38:53

F1N HLG                              Stan Buddenbohm              3:32.2

Limited Pennyplane            Josh Finn                               11:06

AMA Electric                       Paul Finn (J)                         3:55

NFFS Towline                      Don DeLoach                       4:34.6

Hand Launched Stick         Ross Clements (S)               30:55

Intermediate Stick               Josh Finn                               20:34

Ornithopter                           Josh Finn                               3:13

Helicopter                             Ross Clements (S)               5:04

Ministick                               Karen Khanagov                 9:45

P-18                                        John McGrath                      3:39

Pennyplane                           Josh Finn                               12:30

Unlimited Catapult             Stan Buddenbohm              2:43.6

HLG                                       Tim Batiuk                           2:29.2

Manhattan Cabin                 David Aronstein                   7:58

ROG Cabin                           Ross Clements (S)               21:21

F1D                                        Brett Sanborn                       38:53    

Std. Catapult Glider             Xiaoguo Tang                      2:19.0   

F1L                                         Mike Fedor                           22:06

F1R 35cm                             Josh Finn                               41:53

F1M                                       Chuck Andraka                   23:39

AMA Bostonian                  Jonathan Nuñez                   384.0

P-18 Mass Launch              John McGrath                      3:00

NFFS Coconut Scale          George Nuñez                      Potez 36

FAC WWII Combat           David Aronstein                   Fiat        

FAC WWII No-Cal             Mike Fedor                           Spitfire

FAC Greve Thompson       Don DeLoach                       Goon

FAC Greve/Th. No-Cal      Mike Fedor                           Chambermaid

FAC Jet Catapult Scale      Stan Buddenbohm              2:31       

FAC Phantom Flash 5g      Hamish Christie                   7:22

FAC Phantom Flash           Hamish Christie                   9:31

FAC Embryo                        David Aronstein                   545 sec.

FAC Golden Age                 Jonathan Nuñez                   278

FAC Simplified Scale         Don DeLoach                       227

FAC Peanut Scale               George Nuñez                      150

FAC Rubber Scale              Jonathan Nuñez                   148

 

 
  • NFFS President Dave Lindley (L) present Intermediate Stick winning plaque to Josh Finn.
    NFFS President Dave Lindley (L) present Intermediate Stick winning plaque to Josh Finn.
  • Anjulie Sorbello was H-Point winner in the  Senior category.
    Anjulie Sorbello was H-Point winner in the Senior category.
  • Jonathan Nunez.
    Jonathan Nunez.
  • Odessa Wignall snagged best Junior in the popular Limited Pennyplane event.
    Odessa Wignall snagged best Junior in the popular Limited Pennyplane event.
  • ROG Cabin winner Ross Clements.
    ROG Cabin winner Ross Clements.
  • Stan Buddenbohm.
    Stan Buddenbohm.
  • Junior flier Adith Alagiri won best Junior in Easy B.
    Junior flier Adith Alagiri won best Junior in Easy B.

 

Thank you to the Indoor Nats staff!

Tom Gaylor, overall director. Tom is retired USAF fighter pilot. He lives in the Phoenix area and is the current president of the Phoenix Model Airplane Club (PMAC). He enjoys small rubber-powered models. This is the second Indoor Nats he has directed.

FAC event director Rich Adams started models when he was 11 in 1966. Rich has built and flown Control Line Stunt and Scale, R/C Scale, eventually settling on Free Flight. He spent 32 years in various areas of aerospace engineering as a structural and mechanical systems designer. He lives in the Phoenix area.

Bruce Grawburg, head scorekeeper. Also a rubber flier, Bruce is another PMAC member who was also scorekeeper at the last Eagar Nats (2019). He lives in the Phoenix area and is newsletter editor for PMAC.

 

 

 
Tags: 
wrap-up
FAC
awards
Eagar Arizona
Categories: 
Event
Indoor Free Flight
NatsNews
NFFS
Recap
SIG

Add new comment

Formatting options

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically, unless the parent tag has the 'nolink' class.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Cancel

Twitter Live Feed

Tweets by @modelaircraft

IAC Headquarters
Join AMA

The Academy of Model Aeronautics is a nonprofit community of enthusiasts who come together to celebrate model aviation..

Join Now

Contact Us

AMA National Aeromodeling Championships

Copyright © 2023 Academy of Model Aeronautics. All rights reserved.

5161 E. Memorial Dr. Muncie IN 47302
Tel.: (765) 287-1256 / (800) 435-9262 Fax.: (765) 289-4248