July 25, 2024: Outdoor FF

By Skilly DeLoach

The 2024 AMA Outdoor Free Flight (FF) Nats began at sunrise on Thursday, with Dawn Unlimited and the F1B flyoff. The day was jam-packed with exciting flying and high-entry events. Hand Launch Glider (HLG), F1G, B Electric, and Old-Time (OT) Rubber Stick were just some of the most popular events of the day.

Dawn Unlimited brought with it seriously impressive flyers and some questionable weather. Randy Ryan began the event by shedding a propeller blade then disqualifying himself from the event. The wind was deceiving; it seemed calm at ground level, but once models rose, so did the air’s intensity. The wind was howling, sometimes pushing models backwards midair. It reportedly took around 6.5 minutes to get from the soaring area all the way to the airport. The array of models competing Thursday morning was unique. Mike Kirda flew a Gollywock, with a score of 209, coming in fourth place; moreover, Mark Vancil flew a 600-sq. in. model, coming in with a strong second place and 339 seconds. Josh Finn took the gold with 402 seconds. 

There were 13 flyers in F1G (Coupe), a great turnout with rigorous competition. The air was ideal for maxing these models, so it is relatively surprising that only two flyers, Dave Gerspacher and Chris Matsuno, maxed out. They are both sitting at 600 seconds, and the winner will be determined Friday morning at a flyoff. Hope Finn came in third place with 582 seconds.  

It was another busy day at the HLG pen. Every year, the best flyers converge in Muncie, Indiana. The action is always pressure-packed and intense. The conditions were ideal for hooking a thermal in HLG, so it was astounding that only two flyers maxed out. Jan Langelius and Ken Bauer maxed all three of their flights, and Jan dropped the max on his flyoff flight. Ken continued to dominate, maxing a total of five times and dropping the sixth with 44 seconds. Don DeLoach had two maxes and a 108 (totaling 348 seconds), earning the bronze. Jan took silver (450 seconds), and Ken was victorious with 644 seconds.

The race for the gold in Senior HLG was intense. The author, who came in second place, lost by one second. Dev Goda came in first with 134 seconds, the author in second with 133 seconds, and Stephen Griggs in third with 44 seconds. There were five Junior flyers as well: Oliver Dillon (167 seconds; first place), Wes Reuter (129 seconds; second place), and Caleb Finn (70 seconds; third place).

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!