The Moon clan (L to R): Max (Doug's son), Steve, Doug, and Jack (Steve's son). It is a true family affair that spans the globe. Jake resides in Singapore.
By Matthew Neumann
Today was “Top 20 Day” in Open class and “Top 12 Day” in Advanced class.
The day started out cool and very humid. We again had some fog, but not nearly as bad as a couple of days ago. It was mostly above the corn or really low lying areas, which is common in the mornings here in the midwest. Winds were light and at least in one direction. The sky was mostly clear. It was a pretty good start to the day.
Contestants got to the field early again…at least those still in the running, and their helpers. You had to get there early if you were going to get in line for the one hour window before starting time. No props are to be spinning under their own power before 7 am. No exceptions. Official flights started at 8 am.
Today, the top 20 in Open was split into two groups of ten. We flew on circles 3 and 4 on the L pad. One group started on circle 3 while the other started on circle 4. After the first round of 10, each group swapped circles to fly another flight in front of those judges. The two flights were then added together to find out the rankings. The top five pilots just received a Q for “qualified.” The rest would receive a number as to their placement. The reason for the Q is those five will move on to tomorrow for the top five. I have to say that things moved along quite smoothly. Everyone knew the business and kept things going. There were no hiccups that I am aware of.
As the day progressed, the winds picked up a little. Sometimes they would come up and down and be a little shifty. But the shifty part did not last too long and they settled into a general direction, much to the relief of the pilots. However, for most of the morning that direction was into the sun. That was not a relief to the pilots. A good pair of sunglasses was a must not only for the pilots, but also the judges. At least the judges can put their hand or clipboard up to shield the sun. Pilots can't. Still, it is not fun for either party.
And now for this year’s top five finishers in Open class (in no particular order): Derek Barry, Joseph Daly, David Fitzgerald, Orestes Hernandez and Doug Moon.
As a side note, Doug has been absent from the Nats scene for around ten years. He is coming back with a vengeance!
In Advanced class today, we had the top 12. This group was split into two groups of six. One group started on circle 1 while the other group began on circle 2. Again, after the first round, the two groups switched circles to get judged by the other set of judges. And again the two scores were added together for the final outcome. However, instead of a small group moving on to tomorrow, the National Champion is determined by who comes in first. And it this case it was Don Jenkins. Congratulations to Don!
As special note. Never in the history of the NATS has a Concours winner also been the Advanced Class National champion at the same time. Well, today marks a historic first. Don has just done that. This certainly has been Don's Nationals. I hope he has room in the car for those trophies!
Rounding out the top 5 in the Advanced class is James Mills in 2nd place, Mike Alimov in 3rd, Tom Fluker in 4th and Darrell Harvin in 5th.
The hard luck story of the day has to go to Joe Gilbert. He put in a really good flight in the first round. However, during the second flight, his prop/spinner combination came off, cutting his flight short. He was able to save the plane, but the rules state that if a piece falls off of the airplane, your flight is disqualified. So he got a zero for that score. Had he repeated his first flight, which he was on his way to doing, he would have likely placed in the high single digits instead of 20th. This is a good example that anything can happen on top 20 day…and usually does at some point.
Tomorrow is the final day for the control line aerobatics Nats. Three classes will be flown. Open class will have the top five from today. The format will be for each pilot to fly three flights. The top two flights will be added together to determine the final outcome. It will also be time for the youngsters to fly. Two age groups will fly tomorrow. 13 years and under (Juniors), and 14 to 18 years old (Seniors). These will be flown on an adjacent circle to determine the Junior and Senior champions.
Tomorrow will be a big day. We will finally find out who the 2025 Open National champion will be!
