EVERY SUMMER, many of us make the trip to the happiest event on earth: the Nats, held at AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. This year was a little more special because it was the 100th Nats. For Control Line (CL) Precision Aerobatics, there was a change in the schedule, which seemed to work well. All of the unofficial events were moved to Sunday, July 5.
On Sunday, the unofficial events were held on the grass circles. The Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association (PAMPA) held the Intermediate, Classic, and Old-Time Stunt (OTS) classes, and the Profile class, which was new this year. All of the classes had a good turnout, with a total of 36 pilots. Unfortunately, there were no participants in the Beginner class this year.
Greg Meyer topped Intermediate, with Wesley Smith taking home second! In Classic, Wayne Smith edged out "Mr. Cavalier," John Simpson, by 1.5 points. In OTS, John Paris edged out John Saunders by the same 1.5 points! In Profile, Page Peterson won with his twin Pathfinder.
Monday, July 6, was the start of the Open and Advanced classes, with appearance judging and the pilots’ meeting in the afternoon. The day was filled with the anticipation of what row your airplane would end up in. You handed your airplane to the judges, and then they closed the door. A couple of hours later, they opened the door, and it was like Christmas morning when you went in to see what score you received! There were many beautiful airplanes, but one was above the rest in finish and design: Paul Walker’s B-17. It was gorgeous and deservedly won the Concours d’Elegance award.
Tuesday and Wednesday, July 7-8, were qualifying rounds for the Open and Advanced classes. The weather was just about perfect all week long, and qualifying went seamlessly. At the end of the two days, the top 20 for the Open class and the top 16 for the Advanced class were set.
Thursday, July 9, was probably the toughest day of the competition for both the Open and Advanced classes. Pilots flew two flights, and each one counted. There was no room for even the slightest mistake. In the Open class, the two flights determine the top five, and in the Advanced class, the two flights determine the national champion. Talk about a pressure cooker for most!
This year’s top five were Orestes Hernandez, Dave Fitzgerald, Paul Walker, Derek Berry, and Doug Moon. Four out of the five are past Nats and world champions. What a tough group to break into!
This year’s Advanced National Champion is Jake Moon, which was very special for many reasons. Jake’s dad, Steve Moon, and his Uncle Doug were both there—I can relate to how proud Steve is of his son! Jake is also one of the nicest people that you will meet, and he is always willing to help. Congratulations, Jake!
Friday was the top five for the Open class and the Junior and Senior finals, as well as the Walker Cup. After the first round, the score was very tight; only a couple of points separated first through fifth place. In the next two rounds, Orestes put up two almost-perfect flights and started to pull away from the rest, capturing his third Nats win in a row. In Junior Open, Wesley won. In Senior Open, Angstrom Eberenz took first place. Together, Wesley and Angstrom faced off against Orestes in the Walker Cup, of which Orestes won once again.
This year’s Nats ran extremely well. There was even a new scoring screen (no more paper sheets)! John Hill was the event director, and he and his team did an absolutely great job. There were many volunteers who made this event happen, from the judges and the tabulators to the runners and pit bosses.
Mark Overmier has announced his retirement as the PAMPA head judge after more than 20 years. Mark, thank you for your many years of service! We are very appreciative of what you have done so that we can compete in this great event. Thank you also to all of the volunteers!
SOURCES:
PAMPA
Comments
Add new comment