All the pilots of District 3 accepting their award.
By Jessy Symmes
The 2026 NSRCA Nationals ran the full range this week. It opened with rain, ran through wind, and closed on a perfect afternoon of finals. Along the way, this event decided a national champion in every class and a World Team that will carry the American flag to Korea.
Sixty-seven pilots came to Muncie to fly Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced, Masters, and FAI. The week began on Sunday with open practice, model processing, a pilots’ meeting, and an ice cream social. It was the last relaxed evening before points started counting.
Monday made everyone earn it. Rain and low ceilings delayed the start by more than two hours. Once flying began, pilots faced 15 mph winds for the rest of the day. Every class still got two rounds in before dark. Conditions eased as the week went on, and by Wednesday the field was running clean rounds with no delays. Pilots dropped their lowest score heading into the semi-finals. On Wednesday evening, a large group gathered at Elm Street Brewing Company for dinner and drinks away from the flight line.
Thursday set the finals fields. After flying, pilots gathered for barbecue, drew numbers for flight order, and picked the unknown sequences (those routines nobody gets to practice, which are drawn the night before and flown the next day).
Friday belonged to Site 1. Every other class finished early and walked over to watch the FAI finals and Team Trial. Joe Walker and Forrest Pilkenton flew demo flights for the crowd.
Andrew Jesky won F3A with a perfect 3000, taking every counting round. Jason Shulman was second at 2992.65 and Albert “AC” Glenn third at 2907.59, edging Peter Collinson by four points. Those top three positions make the World Team, with Joe Walker returning as Team Manager. Jesky will go to Korea as the reigning World Champion. For Glenn, a longtime national-caliber pilot with an FAI title already to his name, it is his first team position.
Samuel Woodard won Sportsman at 5994.77 over Kasey Johnson at 5941.07, and John Schmehl at 5433.07. Timothy Taylor took Intermediate with a perfect 6000, ahead of Eric Uptagrafft, and Ron McGrath. Gordon Hyde won Masters with a perfect 2000 in the finals, followed by David Lockhart and Christopher Hogue. Lonnie Martin won Advanced, also on a perfect 2000, with Joseph Lachowski and Evan Krause behind him.
The week closed Friday evening at the Horizon Convention Center. Robert Green won the CK Aero raffle prize. Dean Pappas, Tim Jesky, and Andrew Jesky were inducted into the NSRCA Hall of Fame, and Andrew Jesky was also inducted into the Academy of Model Aeronautics Hall of Fame. District 3 took the district points contest.
None of this happens without the people who run it. Enormous thanks to Don Ramsey, Bob Kane, Al Glenn, Joe Winterrowd, Mark Doucey, Charlie Barrera, Scott Smith, Peter Van Huesden, Chris Hogue, Jonathan Carter, Mike Harrison, and Monroe Michaelis, to the AMA maintenance staff, and to Yolanda Jones. Contest directors, judges, scorers, and volunteers put in longer days than the pilots do, and they do it so everyone else can fly. Thank you from all of us.
And thank you to the pilots. Every one of you spent a year practicing at a local field to be here for the 100th AMA Nationals. See you next year!
