event

The bungees were singing when 29 pilots showed up at Site 5 of AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center for two days of F3RES competition at the AMA Soaring Nats.

By Mike Bergerson

The weather gods have granted mercy! What a beautiful day to fly gliders. There were quite a few flights made from the winch, and just as many were electric flights.

We now have day two of the 2024 AMA Cross Country (XC) Soaring Nats firmly in the books. There were Explorers, Maxas, a couple of purpose-built XC Catalinas, and even an old House of Balsa “2T” Crunchie. Rick Bothell, of “Hands Free Retriever” fame, was out flying his 2T, AVA, and others as the day progressed.

The 2024 AMA RC Scale Nats is now in the books. The conditions were as good as could be hoped for. The winds were light every day, and any rain came when the contest was done for the day.

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!

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.

Today, July 9, held AMA 426 Quickie Racing. We could have asked for a better day, as the weather was wet, but there was no wind. Doug Killebrew and his crew put on a nice show. 77 entries make this the biggest event of the week.

The outdoor temperatures reached the mid-80s for the first time on the fourth day of the AMA Indoor Nats, July 4. The contestants enjoyed more buoyant air than they had previously experienced.

Well, this is it. Another Nats is in the books—a special one, considering it’s the 100th anniversary of the first Nats. Everyone had a great time, and I look forward to seeing everyone continue to improve with their flying in the future.

Wednesday morning, we started an hour later than normal. By the time we started, the temperature was a comfortable mid-70s, and the wind was slightly greater coming from the southeast.