July 21, 2026: Outdoor Free Flight

By Don DeLoach

The forecast for Tuesday was grim when I awakened. Rain chances were 80% starting at 8 a.m. and lasting until 2 p.m. I donned my Gore-Tex boots and rain shell and emerged from my tent expecting the worst from the jump.

The rain never came.

It was cloudy most of the day and windy out of the west (the shortest chase direction). But it was never unflyable…a pleasant surprise.

F1Q had four flyers. To no one’s surprise, defending world champion Yuda Avla of the USA won over Jack Murphy by a scant one second.

C Gas was a battle between top flyers Jim S. Parker, Ronnie Thompson, and Gerald Brown. The final placings were in that order.

A Nos Gas always draws a spirited crowd of flyers and this Nats was no exception. Roy Smith topped the field of nine with his Dixielander, followed by Ted Stalick in second and Denny Dock in third. All of the top three scored max-outs.

A consistently popular event in recent Nats is Old Time Catapult Glider. This year 12 flyers braved the wind in the launch pen. Glider guru Kurt Krempetz took the win, followed by Brad Williamson in second, and Junior flyer Oliver Dillon in third.

Another popular unofficial event is E-20. These little speedsters are exciting, fun and cheap. First place was Jim Allen, second was Junior Paul Finn, and third was Malav Shah.

The Bernard H. Mulvihill trophy is arguably the most prestigious trophy in all of U.S. aeromodelling. Having been continuously awarded since 1923, it holds a place of honor in the front of the AMA National Model Aviation Museum, and engraved on it are some of the most esteemed names in Free Flight history: Bassett, Pond, Korda, Sifleet, Romak, Bienenstein…and many others. This year I’m very proud that I finally won the Mulvihill, after decades of trying. A hard-fought second place was earned by my friend Mark Vancil, who flew very hard to end, despite 15-20 mph winds and brutal off-site chases on pretty much every flight.

Tomorrow, the event count gets increased with the addition of Flying Aces Club (FAC) events. Also, the weather forecast is looking much improved with north winds around 7 mph. It should be a more enjoyable flying day than today.