RC Soaring

It's a beautiful morning at Site 5 of the AMA International Aeromodeling Center! It's warm, a big change from the cold, damp mornings of the past two days. The wing tape actually sticks! This makes for nice, buoyant morning air.

6:30 a.m.—it’s chilly and damp, not the greatest conditions for setting up your sailplanes (I hate it when the tape won't stick), especially when you haven't had enough coffee, yet the pits begin to fill up with pilots and airplanes getting ready for the 8 a.m. start.

“Working time will begin in five minutes.” That's the automated call at 8 a.m. from the scoring program … and so begins three days of hardcore competition by some of the best F5J pilots in the country. It's amazing how much carbon you can gather in one place!

It's 6 p.m. on July 25, 2024 … do you know where your F5J pilot is?
They are at Site 5 of the AMA International Aeromodeling Center attending the pilot meeting for US F5J Team Selects, which will determine who represents the US at the F5J World Championships being held in Argentina.

Good morning, Muncie! The final day of Altitude Limited Electric Soaring (ALES) is in the books. ALES is the everyman Thermal Duration event. You can fly everything from a foam Radian to a 4-figure carbon slipper.

Day two of F3K is in the books, and we have a new National Champion. Mengchen Li won the title, followed by Joe Dougherty and Contest Director (CD) Mickey Nowell on the podium.

What an exhilarating start to the 2024 AMA F3K Nats! After nearly two years away from F3K contests due to a shoulder injury, it feels fantastic to be back in the game.

A kinder, gentler Nats. Ahhhhh. The start of Altitude Limited Electric Soaring (ALES) went smoothly for Conest Director Norm Poti. If there were issues, they weren't noticed by those enjoying their first day of ALES.

With the conclusion of the winched and bungee-launched events, the 2024 AMA RC Soaring Nats opens up for Altitude Limited Electric Soaring (ALES).

F3RES at the 2024 AMA RC Soaring Nats has concluded. The five-man teams have dispersed, and their exploits have all been recorded, certified, and placed into the history books for all to see many, many generations from now.