Jul 23, 2024
Reported by Pete Bauer
The 2024 Control Line Scale Nationals Competition is now in the books. The weather conditions at the AMA flying site in Muncie were as good as could be hoped. The winds were light every day (Frank Beatty said that the light winds were because he was not flying this year). Thanks to the great planning of the Co-Contest directors Allen Goff and Pete Bauer, and the sportsmanship of all the the pilots, the entire event ran smoothly.
We completed Round 1 of 3 on Friday, July 12 to fly. The remaining flights were flown on Saturday, July 13, allowing the Control Line (CL) Scale portion to wrap up on Saturday afternoon of the 2024 Control Line Scale Nationals Competition.
Let’s look at the 2024 NATS by the numbers.
Thirteen – the number of airplanes entered and flown.
Seven – the number of individuals registered.
Two in 509 Sport Scale
One in 521 Profile Scale
Three in 526 Fun Scale
Two in 527 Team Scale
One in 528 Authentic Scale
Four in 529 1/2A Scale (Including one Junior)
Start now to prepare for the 2025 F4B CL Team Trials and the AMA CL Scale Nationals!
Mike McHenry – 1st Place 509 Sport Scale with his beautiful L-4 Piper Cub.
Fred Cronenwett – 1st Place 521 Profile Scale with an awesome B-29 model.
Pete Mazur – 1st Place 526 Fun Scale with a beautiful Bearcat model.
Allen Goff / Mike McHenry – 1st Place 527 Team Scale with this colorful Extra 300 model.
Ed Mason – 1st Place 528 Authentic Scale with a beautiful Connie airliner model.
Mike McHenry assisting Christopher D. with his 1/2A Scale Wildcat model.
You can learn more by clicking the link below:
https://nats.modelaircraft.org/nats-news/2024-cl-scale-introduction
You can also visit the AMA Flickr page at the following link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/modelaircraft/albums/
You can learn more about the competition by visiting our competition page:
https://nasascale.org/competition-documentation-and-forms/
Jul 12, 2024
Reported by Gerry Garing
The RC Scale NATS kicked off on a beautiful Thursday morning. Some pilots arrived the day before and were already set up while others began arriving this morning. Light winds, clear blue sky, and temps in the mid-70s were perfect for practice flying. A welcome change from Wednesday’s rain and 25 mph winds all courtesy of hurricane Beryl! The afternoon brought some warmer temps and higher humidity levels, but after all, it is mid-July.
Today was a set-up and practice day. The beauty of scale modeling is the variety of aircraft at a contest. This one is no different with subjects ranging from a pre-World War I pusher to several turbine-powered jet fighters. An outstanding Piper Cub, a designer scale Kraft Super-Fli, a Fly-Baby, and an Ercoupe are a few of the more unique airplanes entered this year. Registration remains open till noon tomorrow (Friday), so I’m anxious to see what’s yet to arrive.
Following nearly 2 years of preparation, the FAI team of Jack Buckley, Mike Barbee, Tim Dickey, and Team Manager Steve Eagle are on hand preparing for the World Championships next month in Romania. They are all flying practice airplanes at the NATS this year to avoid any mishaps that could jeopardize the team’s chances. Don’t be misled by the term “practice” airplane. These are competitive airplanes by any measure!
Static Judging began shortly after Noon. Airplanes entered in Sportsman Scale (both sport and expert), Designer Scale, Team Scale, and Open Scale require static judging. The Static Score is worth a maximum of 100 points. Each round of Flight is worth a maximum of 100 points. The pilot’s best 2 rounds of flying are averaged together for the final flight score which is then is added to the Static Score.
The official AMA rules are revised every 2 years. This is the first year that Fun Scale has been renamed Pro-AM. Pro-Am does not include static judging. The only requirement is that the model represents a full-scale aircraft. A picture is presented to the judges as proof after which the airplane is awarded 5 points. Additionally, the model does not need to be constructed by the pilot. Pro-Am is divided into a Sport category for novice pilots and a Pro category for those with experience flying scale contests. To level the competition, Pro-Am pro is further divided based on the aircraft’s performance. Jets and aerobatic vs. general aviation types for example.
Today’s activities were cut short at about 4:00 PM by an unexpected 30-minute heavy rainstorm. The rain let up after which some packed up for the day and headed out to dinner. Others remained on site and took advantage of the beautiful evening for additional flight time. Tomorrow’s weather outlook calls for partly sunny and light winds. However, the risk of a shower or thunderstorm can’t be ruled out.
Scheduled for tomorrow is an 8:30 AM pilot’s meeting. Registration and static judging will wrap up in the morning and Round 1 of flying will begin at Noon.
Larry Folk, assisted by his grandson, Nicholas Kelty assembling the 1/3 Scale Fly Baby.
A team effort is required to assemble Mike Wolvin’s (C) F9F Cougar.
Beautiful Kraft Super Fly, designed and built by Brian Peterson from Plattsmouth, NE. Dave made his molds for the cowl and wheel pants.
Steve Shurick’s Royal Aircraft SE5A is assembled and ready to go.
Scorekeeper Jan Merenberg’s job this weekend is just beginning as she adds registered pilot data into the scoring program.
Colorful Stearman of Tim Dickey on the table for static judging.
Larry Barr’s not often modeled Curtis Pusher.
Close-up the Pusher’s pilot and “cockpit”.
District 3 Vice President, Randy Adams with his 1/3 Scale Nieuport 17.
Close-up of the strut detail on Randy’s Nieuport.
Static Judges, Jim Martin (near) and Jeff Grant compare reviewing a model’s documentation. Looking on Juan Cruz who participated in the judging seminar recently held in Muncie.
Contest Director, John Boyko, pondering his options as heavy rain continues.
