RC

Day 3 of the 2026 IMAC Nationals is officially in the books, and it was another full day of great flying and fellowship. Today's flying schedule included two rounds of Freestyle, one Unknown round, and one Known round.

The opening day of the 2026 IMAC National Championship is in the books, and it was an outstanding start to the week. Pilots enjoyed beautiful weather, light winds, and a full day of competition at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana.

Friday delivered more than anyone expected. The plan called for one round of competition flying in the afternoon, which is the tradition at the Scale Nats. Instead, the weather held, the flightlines kept moving, and the contest got two full rounds in the books before the day was done.

Thursday was registration and practice day at the Scale Nats, which means no competition flights were flown and no rounds were scored in the air. That does not mean the day was quiet.

Sometimes you can win an individual heat race by being careful. But you’re not going to win an entire event with this approach. At some point during the competition, you are going to go against the best.

Finals morning dawned cool with high overcast clouds and light winds…nearly perfect flying conditions. Flying began about 8:30 am.

Nineteen Masters-class pilots gathered at 8 am on Wednesday morning for their third and fourth rounds. However, the weather gods had other ideas as the clouds were low, and the ceilings were only 400 to 500 feet at the start time. After several flights to determine whether the clouds had risen high enough to enable competition flying to begin, it was finally okay to fly without constraint.

Results from the competition rounds flown on Tuesday, August 19 can be seen on the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA) website

It’s Thursday at Site 4 and the 2025 RC Scale Nationals event is getting underway. It’s a beautiful day with bright skies and very little wind. Many pilots are already here. The camper hook-ups are nearly full.