nats

Sunday was a very pleasant day weather wise. I arrived at the field from my home in Vincennes, Indiana, around 11:30 and found several of the guys practicing. A few even had jackets. I could tell they were from the south because they were used to extreme heat. I, being a Midwesterner on the other hand, thought this was a nice, cool Midwest morning.

Today was the day that we celebrated our past. In conjunction with the 100-year celebration by the AMA, the Pylon community invited all pilots to bring out some old models to display and fly.

Celebrate, celebrate, it is time to strike up the band and have a celebration!

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Nats, and the 50th anniversary of the special interest group (SIG) Precision Aerobatic Model Pilots Association (or PAMPA for short). These are two big milestones to be achieved.

We had a great Nats at the AMA International Flying Sites last year. Mike Barbee Concrete had finished a lot of earth moving and grading, and then grass was planted to this tough ground at Site 4. The site is looking better now, but some projects are still in construction.

The morning hours saw the final flights in the F1N and F1N-150 World Cups.

The morning kicked off with a mess of Nats trophies being awarded for the AMA events held on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The screen-printed, acrylic tabletop trophies are an elegant and unexpected change from recent Nats.

Wednesday's flying at the Kibbie Dome was a flurry of activity.

Nats are a big enough deal here that the Best Western Plus has a big welcome screen for the AMA members. Cool to see!

By Don DeLoach

Day one of the Indoor Nats was a reunion, firstly. Free Flight-minded friends and flying buddies gather every summer, this time at the Kibbie Dome in east central Idaho, for the annual convocation. This year, even a sizable contingent from Europe made the trip. No doubt several are eyeing the inaugural F1D and F1N FAI World Cup offered at this outsized Nats.

The 100th anniversary of the first Nats gets underway Monday, June 19, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. The flying site is the stupendous 146-foot Kibbie Dome at the University of Idaho.