RC Soaring

So here we are…the day 60 registered pilots have been waiting for. It is the US F5J team selects. The top three pilots will compete in World F5J competition scheduled for August of 2027 here at the AMA headquarters flying site.

Today was a complete flip from the previous day's conditions. The uppers were moving out of the east at a pretty good clip, but you could fly a standard-weight ship (40 to 45 ounces) and penetrate well.

The first round was a battle to find any form of lift in the breezy early-morning conditions. “Muncie Madness” was in full dress.

No rain! It was not as hot and steamy, but we did have some fog and smoke haze. We set up the winch and retriever and had somewhat decent visibility by 10 a.m.

Day 2 of Cross Country Soaring: No rain, the heat index was hot as… well, you know.

No rain! 100-degree heat index. Thermals are kicking off, but it's hard to get above 800 feet. It’s very strange, but still better than a good day at work! Let's go flying!

There is just something magical about driving onto the AMA grounds for the beginning of Glider Camp. It's like entering that magical place where you can be a kid again and fly your creations with your friends and go back to a simpler time when all that existed was your latest plane and the need to fly… Well y’all, I got me one of those for XC!

Well alrighty you glider guiders, here we go again! “Glider Camp” aka “The Academy of Model Aeronautics/ League of Silent Flight (AMA/LSF) Soaring Nationals,” organized by our absolute favorite Nationals event director, Wally “By Golly!” Adasczik, is set to begin with Cross Country.

With the conclusion of the 2025 AMA/LSF Soaring Nats, I'm left with a feeling of joy! The seasoned attendees and first-timers all had a great time flying with old and new friends. Glider Camp is just awesome!

What could we expect on day three of the Quadfecta, after being shut down by thunderstorms every afternoon? So far, we had four rounds of Unlimited in the books and three rounds complete in each of the other three classes; RES, 2M, and NOS