RC Scale

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

The AMA RC Scale Nats has seen a few significant improvements to Site 4 over the past few years, making for a better all-around experience for everyone. The new turf runway is in much better shape this year, and it’s scheduled to be cut at 3/4 inch for the contest. One set of new pavilions is completed and will serve as the contest headquarters.

Approximately 100 people, RC and Control Line (CL) combined, attended the Saturday night banquet. The program for the evening began with an auction of several donated items. The items included a set of plans, a Pica T-28 kit and retracts, a bottle of bourbon, and a bottle of wine. The auction netted a total of nearly $500 to be donated to NASA’s FAI team sponsorship.

Light rain quickly began to intensify shortly before the 8 a.m. pilot meeting, and it was apparent that flying was not an option, at least for the morning..

The RC Scale Nats officially began on Thursday, July 6. While more than just a few pilots arrived on Wednesday to set up and get in some practice flying, the majority began arriving early Thursday morning. John Boyko, the event’s contest director, calls this “processing day.”

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.