The end of the 2024 AMA RC Pylon Nats has arrived. We ended up with days of great weather, some with wind and rain. The workers performed nearly perfectly all week. We flew 63 heats of AMA 424, 70 heats of EF-1, 80 heats of AMA 426, and 144 heats of AMA 422 for a total of 357 heats of racing.
Welcome to the AMA League of Silent Flight (LSF) Nats! I arrived a few days early to pitch my tent, get acclimated, and fly my sailplanes in the notorious Muncie skies!
A great time was had by all at the banquet held at The Clubhouse Muncie Saturday evening. There was plenty of catching up that occurred, and war stories were shared among both RC and Control Line (CL) Nats participants. Plenty of great food was served buffet style, and there was plenty of time provided to enjoy it!
Ed Mason earned the Overall Champion award at the 2024 CL Scale Nats.
Since we finished Round 1 on Friday, July 12, there were three rounds left to fly. The remaining flights were flown on Saturday, July 13, allowing the Control Line (CL) Scale portion to come to a close on Saturday afternoon.
Today, July 13, started off with a serious feel to it. What does that mean? Thursday, July 11, was for registration, practice, and, if applicable, static judging.
Jeff Pike’s B-24 was built from a Jack Stafford kit. Engine problems kept this good-looking model grounded for Round 1. Let’s hope it gets sorted out for Round 2!
Once again, we were greeted by a great morning at the field, albeit the grass was still quite wet from yesterday’s storm; however, nothing delayed Contest Director (CD) John Boyko’s 8:30 a.m. pilot meeting.
Christopher DeGroff flying his 1/2a Scale F4F Wildcat, built from the Brodak kit.
The weather once again played a role in the scheduling for the flying portion of the 2024 AMA Control Line (CL) Scale Nats. Each pilot can fly a total of four times to determine their overall score.
The 2024 AMA Q40 winners: (L-R top) Leo Nordell, James Allen, Dean Stone, Jason Oliver, Jack Kane, Roy Andrassy, Anthony “AJ” Hemken, Brody Freeman, Gary Freeman Jr., (L-R bottom) Mike Helsel, Jason Duda, Dan Kane, and Gino Del Ponte.
Today, July 12, is the final day of AMA 422 Q40 Racing. We could not have asked for a better day.
A colorful Stearman of Tim Dickey on the table for static judging.
The RC Scale Nats kicked off on a beautiful Thursday morning. Light winds, a clear blue sky, and temperatures in the mid-70s were perfect for practice flying. This was a welcome change from Wednesday’s rain and 25 mph winds, all courtesy of hurricane Beryl!