August 7, 2024: RC Helicopter

By Tim DiPeri

Wednesday, day three of competition, began cold and windy with light rain. There was definitely a good deal of flying to do before the end of the day, and we got a little bit of a late start. The rain cleared about an hour after the planned start time. As the skies began to clear, the wind really kicked up!

Today, a single round of Sportsman, a single round of F3N, and two rounds of F3C finals would conclude the 2024 AMA RC Helicopter Nats. The competition was excellent in all classes, and each round was exciting to watch, as well as to participate in, if I do say so myself.

For F3C and F3N, these would be the final flights that could help competitors move ahead or drop a place due to the valued weights of the performances. The final flight requirements for F3N require the pilot to prepare, produce, and execute a Freestyle routine that encompasses thrilling complexity and uniqueness, all bundled with music. The flight must be precise, safe, and flow to the chosen music, all taking place in about 3.5 minutes.

Final flights for F3C require competitors to perform a completely different schedule of maneuvers. The “F” (finals) schedule is far more complex than the earlier maneuvers, with many more opportunities to make small mistakes for big deductions in judged scoring.

Note from AMA: Do you have photos from the Nats that you’d like to share? If so, email them to Clarissa Poston at clarissap@modelaircraft.org. Please include a brief description in your email, naming any individuals pictured in the photo(s), the name of the event that the photo(s) were taken during, and the name of the individual who took the photo(s). Your submission(s) might be posted on AMA’s Flickr page, which can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/modelaircraft/albums!