Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines ... and propellers, and batteries! It's almost time for the 90th running of the AMA Nats! Control Line (CL) and RC Scale kick off the exciting Outdoor Nats tomorrow (Friday, June 24). The Outdoor Nats will take place at the International Aeromodeling Center, in Muncie, Indiana. Learn more and sign up to receive notifications about the NatsNews newsletter at modelaircraft.org/nats. This photo of longtime Nats competitor Charlie Bauer was taken at the 2015 CL Scale Nats.
Comments
BE CAREFUL in the heat outdoors! Dear AMA Nats Competitors: Dave from New England here, a former (#30094) and future AMA member who plans on getting back to the hobby when I can get back to work once more. Back in July 1980, I suffered a case of heatstroke that was severe enough to shut down my lower digestive system for 48 hours, simply from being at an outdoor RC Scale meet in over-90º air temperature, over-70º dew point tropically extreme summer heat here in New England, and have never been the same since then as far as outdoor weather during the summer months. As a result of that heatstroke incident, I can NEVER fly an RC aircraft safely in summertime extremes of heat and humidity ever again, so my future "flying seasons" will be those of autumn-winter-spring ONLY, with few, if any, flying sessions undertaken during summertime weather extremes - and then ONLY during early-morning sessions. It MIGHT be recommendable for some added text in the AMA Safety Code's Section A, subpart 2(h), stating that model aircraft pilots will: (my added text is in all caps, for lack of any other method of making them distinct in this reply form) "(h) Not operate model aircraft while under the influence of alcohol or while using any drug, OR DURING WEATHER CONDITIONS INVOLVING EXTREME CONDITIONS OF HEAT/HUMIDITY, that could adversely affect the pilot’s ability to safely control the model." Heatstroke is a condition that can literally SNEAK UP on someone, even IF they are properly hydrating themselves to keep from overheating. I hate to think what would have happened had I not left that RC Scale meet when I did - the heatstroke WAS certainly bad enough to have mandated a hospital trip if I'd had symptoms worse than what I DID have as I left for home. So, IF you're competing at the Nats...BE CAREFUL about summertime illness from things like heatstroke! It CAN sneak up on you without virtually any warning, and make one far more ill than one could ever imagine. Of course, IF the Nats were held at a much more appropriate time of year, like, say October, away from summertime's SICKENING extremes of heat and humidity, heatstroke as a potential problem for Nats competitors would not be as much of a concern.
Add new comment