July 22, 2024: Outdoor FF

By Skilly DeLoach

Today was the first official day of flying at the 2024 AMA Outdoor Free Flight (FF) Nats. Some higher-entry events were flown today, including D Gas, AB Classic Gas, F1A, Electric B, 1/2A Nostalgia (NOS) Gas, and Moffett. Today’s weather was mild, not too hot, and there was strong rising air for many parts of the day. 

The fliers of the day were three contestants in D Gas: Guy Menanno, Neil Menanno, and Ronnie Thompson. Their flying was incredible, and throughout the day, they continued to stack the maxes. The three fliers ended up maxing a striking 11 times! On his attempt for the gold, Guy dropped the 12th max. Neil and Ronnie held their streak. The air was pristine, and the thermals were so present that Ronnie and Neil were chasing bad air—otherwise, they would max forever! With a score of 1,638, Ronnie came in second to Neil, who made 13 maxes and a strong 14th flight, garnering a striking score of 1,650 points. Not only did Neil win D Gas, but he also won 1/2A NOS Gas, maxing five times and scoring 600 points. 

Until the 1990s, the Moffett Trophy was kept in the National Air and Space Museum. Now, it’s back in Muncie, Indiana, to be awarded to the Moffett Champion. The Moffett event is highly competitive, and it’s a very popular event among rubber fliers. Surprisingly, there was only one max-out in Moffett, by Dunkin McBride, and he made the first flyoff flight of five minutes. It turned out that the fourth flight wasn’t needed. Second place went to last year’s Mulvihill Champion, Hope Finn. Mark Vancil won the bronze with a score of 472. 

For Old-Time (OT) Hand-Launch Glider (HLG), the air seemed to be patchy earlier in the day; however, the air was primarily rising in the afternoon. The bronze in OT HLG went to Josh Finn, following the second-place winner, Len Surtees. Jan Langelius brought home gold, with his score of 150 points. 

Ken Bauer and Jim Parker had a flyoff in F1A, after both sitting at 930 points. Ken ended up winning.

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The Story of the Moffett International Trophy, from the British 2000 SAM 35 Yearbook:

“The Moffett International Trophy was donated as a memorial to Rear Admiral William Adger Moffett, DSM USN, one-time Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, who lost his life in the crash of the dirigible Akron in 1933. A contest for rubber-powered duration models, the Moffett was competed for throughout the Thirties and early Forties. Usually held during the course of the U.S. National Championships, it attracted many entries not only within the U.S. but from overseas as well. A famous and prestigious event, it ranked with the Wakefield Cup during the golden era of rubber endurance flying. The trophy is now in the Smithsonian Museum, Washington.”

Source:

The National Free Flight Society
www.freeflight.org

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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!