Pilots are anxiously awaiting a flight during the ALES Nats.
Cloudy and overcast skies with threatening thunderstorms later in the day didn't deter a single pilot from cruising the skies over Muncie…searching, hoping to embrace and become one with that ever elusive rising air. Spotty lift for the first few rounds opened up into nice conditions until…
Saturday morning (7/19/25) begins the first day of the two-day Altitude Limited Electric Soaring (ALES) contest at the AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. CD Norman Poti will manage the festivities.
John Armstrong with his super cool Fox glider. It is fast and aerobatic.
Day three of the Cross Country (XC) portion of the 2025 Soaring Nats began just as the first two did…rain! It went away around 11AM. We began our day setting up the winch and starting festivities under heavily overcast skies. The ceiling was somewhere around 1500 feet and the air was buoyant with some really good lift in spots.
The video features a conversation between Terry, a novice to the National Aeromodeling Championships (NATS), and Mike Barbie, an experienced scale model airplane pilot from Delaware, Ohio. Mike is attending his 41st NATS and shares detailed insights about the scale modeling competition, explaining the structure, judging criteria, classes, and the various skill levels involved.
The day began much like yesterday, waiting for the ominous weather to pass us by, and it did! Launching the Pike Perfect on the winch is a nice stress-free experience, straight up and smooth.
The Cross Country portion of the Nats got off to a rainy start at Monroe Central High School in beautiful Parker City, Indiana, postponing our day for a few hours. We, of course, sat under the pavilion telling tall tales as the moisture fell.
This is a purpose-built Catalina XC sailplane by Mike Ward with motor launch.
Flying at the AMA/LSF soaring Nats has been the highlight of my flying season for several years now. I spend two weeks camping and relaxing under the sunny/starry Indiana sky. I made it out after years of “next year, I’ll go next year.” Now, it's every year…because “Glider Camp” is awesome!
The 2025 AMA RC Scale Nationals is in the books. We’ll look back at a few of the highlights. There were 34 registered pilots. Thirteen pilots flew in more than one class. In total, there were 47 potential flights scheduled for each round.
Our latest video features Doug Killebrew, contest director for the pylon racing events at the AMA National Aeromodeling Championships (NATS), giving us a high-speed tour of one of the most thrilling competitions in model aviation.