Standout moments from the 2024 AMA Nats
By Clarissa Poston and NatsNews contributors | [email protected]
As seen in the November 2024 issue of Model Aviation.
The 2024 AMA Nats concluded in August, and each discipline was packed to the brim with exciting occurrences, fierce competition, and an overwhelming sense of fun and camaraderie.
An impressive mass hover was performed during RC Scale Aerobatics by Johnny Gago, Kevin Garland, Kody Donath, and Misael Lopez. Photo by Ashley Moser.
This year’s Nats kicked off with Indoor Free Flight (FF) in Moscow, Idaho, and the rest of the events were held in Muncie, Indiana, at AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center (IAC). Muncie-based events included RC Pylon Racing, RC Scale, Control Line (CL) Scale, RC Scale Aerobatics, RC Soaring, Outdoor FF, RC Aerobatics (Pattern), CL Speed, CL Precision Aerobatics (Stunt), RC Helicopter, CL Racing, CL Navy Carrier, and CL Combat.
Full coverage of daily event happenings are in the 2024 NatsNews reports, all of which can be found by visiting the link listed in "Sources." This year’s NatsNews reporters were on top of their game, providing fantastic photos and text for readers around the world. Thank you to all of this year’s reporters!
Following are a few standout events from each Nats discipline, in addition to any important changes that altered this year’s events. Thank you to all who helped this year’s AMA Nats come to fruition. An event of this magnitude cannot happen without the support of dedicated volunteers, AMA staff members, pilots, spectators, and more.
Indoor FF
The 2024 Indoor FF Nats was held on July 1-5 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. The Kibbie Dome is found on the University of Idaho’s campus. The venue has been the host of the AMA Indoor FF Nats many times, in addition to hosting the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) F1D World Championships for Indoor Model Aircraft in 1996, which it will again host in 2026.
02. A happy Arend Borst after setting two Canadian F1D records in Indoor FF and placing third in the 2024 Tagliafico World Cup. Photo by Nick Ray.
At this year’s Indoor FF Nats, a new Canadian F1D record was set during the third round of the Andrew Tagliafico World Cup! Arend Borst set this record with a time of 27:16. Soon after, he increased the record once more, beating his initial time with one of 28:16! Congratulations, Arend!
The 2024 Indoor Nats Grand Champion title went to Brett Sanborn, who posted impressive times throughout the competition. In addition to this exciting accomplishment, Steve Brown was presented with his International Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM) Legends Medal. Steve received this in recognition of his 1994, 1996, and 1998 World Championship titles. Congratulations, Steve!
According to Nick Ray, this year’s Indoor FF NatsNews reporter, "The absence of legendary modelers, such as Jim Richmond, Rob Romash, and Andrew Tagliafico, was keenly felt. The fellowship aspect of this year’s Nats [seemed] particularly salient." Attendees of all Nats disciplines will tell you that their fellow competitors are a second family; when those family members take their final flights, it is a loss that’s felt heavily by all.
RC Pylon Racing
At the 2024 RC Pylon Racing Nats, held July 7-12, many competitors took to the sky in intense competition. In total, RC Pylon Racing pilots flew 63 heats of AMA 424 (Sport Quickie), 70 heats of Electric Formula 1 (EF1), 80 heats of AMA 426 (Q-500), and 144 heats of AMA 422 (Q-40). This equates to a total of 357 heats of racing!
In the end, Gino Del Ponte, of Texas, earned the RC Pylon Racing Overall Champion award. This award is given to the pilot who has the highest combined score from both AMA 426 and AMA 422 events. Congratulations, Gino!
03. RC Pylon Racing competitor Bob Petrenic (L), who is 89 years old, is shown with Dan Kane and Jason Horvatis (R). Photo by Ola Nordell.
04. The Q-40 event at the 2024 AMA RC Pylon Racing Nats was quite popular! Pictured are this year’s Q-40 competitors with their respective aircraft. Nordell photo.
In a very impressive manner, 89-year-old Bob Petrenic flew in AMA 424, a slower adaptation of Q-500 racing. With a bit of assistance from fellow pilots, he greatly impressed all who were present. Bob is looking forward to attending and racing once more in the 2025 Nats.
Unfortunately, the weather was not always in favor of this year’s RC Pylon pilots. On July 10, the second day of AMA 426 was canceled because of stormy weather. The event was concluded and results from July 9, the first day of racing for the event, were used to finalize pilot standings.
RC Scale
The 2024 RC Scale Nats, held July 11-14, saw lots of exciting awards being presented. At the traditional Saturday evening banquet, held July 13, the latest inductees to the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame were formally announced. These inductees included Jerry Bates, Pete Bauer, and George Rose. Congratulations to all!
In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, the Bob Lirette Award was presented to Cole Bryant. This recognition is awarded to those whose efforts go above and beyond expectations. This year, Cole was RC Scale’s line boss all weekend. Gerry Garing, the RC Scale NatsNews reporter, stated that Cole did an excellent job, and "he was there to help any time that a job needed to be done." Well done, Cole!
05. John Boyko presented the Bob Lirette Award to Cole Bryant, who served as RC Scale’s line boss all weekend.
Aside from awards, there was an exciting occurrence during RC Scale. A 16-year-old named Jack Satterfield and his mother, Linda, visited the IAC to take a gander at the various disciplines. After a day of exploration, RC Scale caught Jack’s interest because of its requirement of precision and discipline.
The next day, after a night of learning more about the event through watching YouTube videos, Jack returned to compete in his first Scale contest! Gerry wrote, "Jack has been flying aerobatics and 3D maneuvers with his Extreme Flight 64-inch WS MXS." Welcome to RC Scale, Jack!
Also in attendance was the RC Scale FAI US team, consisting of Jack Buckley, Mike Barbee, Tim Dickey, and Team Manager Steve Eagle. While at the Nats, the team practiced for the FAI F4 World Championships for Scale Model Aircraft, which took place in Romania in August, shortly after the Nats concluded.
CL Scale
The 2024 CL Scale Nats were planned to be held on July 11-14, but because of predictions of inclement weather, it was decided to host all four rounds of flying on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13. This new schedule worked out for pilots, and the CL Scale Nats concluded on Saturday afternoon.
One of the best things about our hobby is that it can be shared with close friends and family, regardless of age. This year, the familial aspect of model aviation was greatly represented by Dave Betz and his grandson, Christopher DeGroff. Both Dave and Christopher flew in 1/2A Scale. Fred Cronenwett, the 2024 CL Scale NatsNews author, wrote that "Christopher first started flying 1/2A Scale about 5 years ago at the AMA Nats, and he has come a long way. He got his first solo flight in today!" Congratulations, Christopher!
06. Christopher DeGroff is shown before he flew his first solo flight in CL Scale. Photo by Fred Cronenwett.
Also of note was the presence of longtime Scale modeler Frank Beatty. Frank flew Sport Scale and 1/2A Scale at previous AMA Nats, and he is known for drawing many of his own plans and having various articles published in multiple model aviation-based magazines. He was joined by his family, Valerie Schaefer, George Schaefer, and Frank Beatty Jr., during his visit.
A new CL handle with 2.4 GHz for three channels was presented to the attendees of the 2024 CL Scale Nats by Bob Whitney. Fred wrote that more details on the handle will be announced. Keep your eyes peeled for this intriguing new product!
An exciting induction occurred during the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers banquet on Saturday night. Peter Bauer was inducted into the CL Scale Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Peter!
RC Scale Aerobatics
The 2024 RC Scale Aerobatics Nats, held July 16-19, saw a new digital scoring system used. Ashley Moser, this year’s RC Scale Aerobatics NatsNews reporter, wrote that the new scoring system "… is a game changer. Despite initial hesitations, most pilots agree that the near real-time scores are a huge win. Scores are downloaded after each round and displayed on a TV screen within minutes, keeping everyone on edge." This new scoring system is said to be the brainchild of Toby Silhavy. He and David Garceau continue to finetune the mechanism throughout various competitions.
07. Kurt Koelling won the Bennett Cup, which is given to the top adult pilot in RC Scale Aerobatics who has the best raw scores across the competition. Moser photo.
Also exciting was that this year’s RC Scale Aerobatics Nats saw a new Nats competitor! Misael Lopez, a Cuban native, competed in the Nats for the first time. Misael has been flying since he was 13 years old and moved to the US roughly two years ago. He did extremely well in this competition, taking the top spot in Advanced. Good job, Misael!
This year represented the 50th anniversary of the RC Scale Aerobatics Nats, hosted by the International Miniature Aircraft Club (IMAC), one of AMA’s various Special Interest Groups (SIGs). A special banquet was held to celebrate this exciting milestone.
In a very impressive manner during an afternoon show, Johnny Gago, Kevin Garland, Kody Donath, and Misael wowed all in attendance with an incredible tandem flight and mass hover.
IAmIMAC awards were presented to vital contributors, including Jacques Telles and Primo Rivera. Other exciting awards were presented as well, including the Bennett Cup, won by Kurt Koelling, and the Schroder Cup, won by Kody. Congratulations to all!
RC Soaring
Note: This writeup was provided by Mike Bergerson.
This year’s RC Soaring Nats had all of the Thermal Duration Soaring events capped off by the US F5J team selection, bringing the best pilots in from across the country to see who will go to Argentina to represent the US at the FAI F5J World Championships for Electric Powered Thermal Duration Gliders in February 2025.
08. (L-R:) CD Norm Poti with the new US F5J Team: John Butler, Tom Kiesling, and Steven Willcox Jr. Photo by Mike Bergerson.
A few newcomers showed up to try their hand, along with several seasoned Cross Country pilots who came to play, and get that elusive 10K run out and back. Ed Dumas completed his League of Silent Flight (LSF) two-hour Duration flight to his joy and relief. It’s tough staring up at the sky for 2 hours and 8 minutes, not to mention hopping from thermal to thermal during that time. A big thank-you to Ed and Wally Adasczik for their exceptional organizing efforts.
The winch events drew quite a crowd with four competitions, deemed the Quadfecta, being flown in two days. Nostalgia was won with a 1970s Lee Renaud design, a Grand Esprit, piloted by Florida’s Gordon Buckland, the 2024 National Champion. Most prevalent were the classic Sailaires. The ever-popular Sky Pig can only be described as majestic.
09. The Sailaire crowd competed in RC Soaring’s Nostalgia event. Affectionately known as the Sky Pig, the Sailaire is a classic RC Soaring icon. Pictured are (L-R) Wayne Norrie, John Marien, Gavin Trussell, Gil Gauger, and Ed Dumas. Bergerson photo.
Kent Nogy, of California, claimed the 2024 National Champion title in Rudder Elevator Spoiler (RES), flying his Super AVA. Everything from a House of Balsa 2T, a Windfree, the Sailaires, every incarnation of AVAs and their clones, and many others, were well represented.
Bob Burson, of Minnesota, took top honors and the 2024 National Champion title in Two-Meter with his bright orange Sprite. The Sprite dominated, but there was an old Duck sneaking in for second place … eh, Mr. Buckland?
Claude Turner, of Maryland, took top honors as the 2024 National Unlimited Champion. The thermals were working for nearly everyone throughout the entire weekend, and the infamous Muncie sink was also there for those who were seeking the fastest way to a short flight.
The Juniors were well represented by Rowdy Lee, of Georgia, who flew the Quadfecta extremely well, becoming the National Junior Champion in all of his events. Again, a big thank-you to Wally and Ed for keeping it all running smoothly.
The top spot and F3RES National Champion title went to Gordon, who flew his new Encanto. Kudos to Contest Director (CD) Jon Garber for a smooth contest.
As the prequel to the F5J competition, Altitude Limited Electric Soaring (ALES) was a wonderful practice venue for all of the pilots who participated. Launch height was set to 150 meters. Lots of groups and lots of rounds were flown smoothly. Jon Garber, of Colorado, is the new 2024 ALES National Champion. Scores can be found on the GliderScore website, listed in "Sources."
At this year’s US Team Selection, the best pilots from across the country and those waiting to see how they stacked up came for a serious competition to see who would represent the US in Argentina at the 2025 F5J World Championships. More than 60 pilots flew in six groups from 11 lanes, completing 16 rounds over the course of three days to bring out and show the consistency needed to compete at the world level.
The new 2024 US F5J National Champion is Tom Kiesling, of California, with Steven Willcox Jr., of Arizona/California, in second, and John Butler, of California, in third. Team alternate Brady Baggs was fourth. Kudos to CD Norm Poti for a unique pilots’ meeting and an excellent competition. A big thankyou to his ground crew for their tireless efforts.
Here are a couple of eclectic things to note. Twenty years separates each F5J US team pilot. Sixteen-year-old Junior competitor Oscar Cytrynowicz finished in 11th! The complete scores for the team selections can be viewed at the F3Xvault.com website listed in "Sources."
Outdoor FF
Held July 22-26, the 2024 Outdoor FF Nats was an exciting event, with 121 preregistered contestants! This five-day event boasted a lot of activity, and many were impressed by the younger competitors! For starters, Skilly DeLoach, this year’s Outdoor FF NatsNews reporter, wrote, "One of the most impressive E-36 models on the field was flown by Caleb Finn, a Junior contestant. He launched the model and it soared like a rocket every time, making him one of the youngest fliers with one of the fastest E-36 models."
Caleb and his brother, Paul Finn, placed on the podium in Junior F1P. Paul was Junior Champion, and Caleb came in second place. These brothers will certainly be forces to reckon with in future competitions!
10. Caleb Finn, the 2024 AMA Outdoor FF Nats Junior Champion and owner of one of the fastest E-36 models in the competition! DeLoach photo.
11. The 2024 FF Hall of Fame class was inducted at the NFFS’ annual banquet. Pictured are (L-R) Glenn Schneider; the two sons of Bob Wilder, both of whom accepted the award on behalf of their father; Don Slusarczyk; and Paul Andrade. Not present but also inducted were Bill Gowen, Ruby Kluiber, and Randy Secor. Photo by Skilly DeLoach.
Also of note are the talents of D Gas contestants Ronnie Thompson and brothers Neil and Guy Menanno. Skilly wrote that "their flying was incredible, and throughout the day, they continued to stack the maxes. The three fliers ended up maxing a striking 11 times!"
This year, the Moffett Champion was Dunkin McBride. For those unaware, the Moffett Trophy was held at the National Air and Space Museum until the 1990s. Congratulations, Dunkin, on this achievement!
The 2024 Mulvihill National Champion is Greg Simon. He was awarded the Bernard Mulvihill Trophy, which "originated in 1923 and is the oldest continuously awarded aviation trophy in the US," Skilly wrote. Congratulations, Greg!
Moving inductions for the 2024 FF Hall of Fame took place at this year’s Outdoor FF Nats! These inductions took place at the annual National Free Flight Society (NFFS) banquet. This year’s inductees included Glenn Schneider, Bob Wilder, Don Slusarczyk, Paul Andrade, Bill Gowen, Ruby Kluiber, and Randy Secor. Congratulations to all!
RC Aerobatics
The 2024 RC Aerobatics (Pattern) Nats were held from July 29 to August 2. This year’s event was slightly different than in years past. Justin Wells, this year’s RC Pattern NatsNews reporter, divulged a few of the changes: the AMA Masters class flew the FAI P sequence, the AMA Advanced class flew the FAI A sequence. the overall weight limit of aircraft was raised to 5,500 grams, glow-powered aircraft were weighed with a full tank of fuel, and the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA) opted to adapt the rules for AMA classes.
12. Jason Shulman (L), a 2025 US RC Aerobatics World Championship team member, greets Joe Walker. Photo by Justin Wells.
These changes weren’t the only ones present at this year’s Nats! Pilots vied for a spot on the US team for the 2025 FAI F3A World Championship for Aerobatic Model Aircraft. The top three pilots would be placed on the team, so competition was fierce! The pilots selected were Andrew Jesky (first place), Jason Shulman (second place), Peter Collinson (third place), and Brett Wickizer (alternate). Congratulations!
Another change to this year’s Pattern Nats was the return of the Sportsman class! Justin wrote that "this is the entry point into flying Aerobatics," emphasizing his happiness to see that it was again offered at the Nats.
In addition to the 2025 US Team Selection, Justin wrote that the annual after-Nats banquet, held at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie, "included honoring special contributors to Pattern, as well as inducting them into the [NSRCA] Hall of Fame, which was created a few years ago. The participants were well honored."
Although various weather delays occurred throughout the duration of the event, all pilots persevered and all flights were flown, albeit not always on the day that they were originally scheduled.
CL Speed
This year’s CL Speed Nats was held on August 4-7, and the competition was extremely close. There was only a 5.65 mph speed separation between first and sixth places in 1/2A Proto Speed, a 1.2 mph separation between first and third places in Sport Jet, and a 0.13 mph speed separation between first and second place in Fast Jet!
CL Speed saw a new flier, Angstrom Eberenz, compete in Fox 35 Speed this year. John Moll, this year’s CL Speed NatsNews reporter, interviewed Angstrom and wrote the following: "He is 14 years old, is homeschooled, and is going into ninth grade. He is entered in five classes of CL Navy Carrier, and he flew in Intermediate Stunt and won first place in his age category. He has only been flying for the past six years, so he has come a long way in a short period of time." Welcome to CL Speed, Angstrom!
13. Chris Montagino, a longtime CL Speed competitor, won the 2024 National High Points Champion Award. Photo by John Moll.
14. Steve Perkins won the Doc Davis Award for having the fastest Jet speed in CL Speed. Moll photo.
On the contrary, while some events in CL Speed garnered new fliers, other events had none. No one entered C Speed, so it was not flown.
Some important awards were presented, including the Doc Davis Award, presented by the North American Speed Society (NASS) and awarded to Steve Perkins. The High Speed Award, which is given to the pilot in any class who gets closest to the respective AMA record, was awarded to Chris Montagino for going 97.72% of the Formula 40 record. The Grand High Point Champion Award, which is awarded to the contestant who places the highest combined Speed score for all of the AMA events, was also awarded to Chris. In addition to these awards, Glen Van Sant won Best Average in Fox 35 Speed for coming within 0.32 mph of the average speed. Congratulations to all!
CL Precision Aerobatics
Held at AMA’s IAC on August 4-9, this year’s CL Precision Aerobatics (Stunt) Nats took place right before the World Championships. CL Precision Aerobatics NatsNews reporter Matt Neumann wrote that this caused "many contestants from across the globe [to] make the trek and come early. Some [came] early enough to compete in our Nats." Contestants from around the world were warmly welcomed to the event.
With such a vast roster of pilots, competition was fierce. With fierce flying occasionally comes unintentional mishaps; a few occurred before official contests even began! Morning practice flights saw two unfortunate Advanced fatalities. According to Matt, one was because of a mechanical linkage failure, and the other was because of an electrical issue. Competition flights saw a loss as well. Matt wrote that "Richard Huff was trying to improve upon his first score with his second flight when he lost his airplane in one of the maneuvers." Although these occurrences were unfortunate, they by no means trumped the high spirits of the pilots!
16. Jim Aron won the CL Aerobatics Concours d’Elegance Award with his Looney Tunes-themed airplane. Photo by Matt Neumann.
Speaking of Richard’s airplane, Matt wrote that it "had a unique feature; the electric motors tilted up and down with the controls, resulting in vectored thrust. This was achieved by some homemade linkages made from carbon fiber." How distinctive! Matt voiced his interest in hoping that Richard continues to develop his idea, and I’m sure others share that sentiment!
This year, a new National Advanced Class Champion was crowned, with the title going to Rick Campbell. In Senior, Gabriel Alimov came in first. In Junior, it came down to Xyndi and Angstrom Eberenz. In the end, Angstrom beat Xyndi for the Junior Champion title.
Finally, the Concours d’Elegance Award was presented. This award is voted on by all pilots, and it’s given to the pilot who the masses agree has the best-looking airplane. This year’s award was presented to Jim Aron for his Looney Tunes-themed airplane. Congratulations to all!
RC Helicopter
The 2024 RC Helicopter Nats took place August 4-7. This year’s event hosted a new change! The American Radio Control Competition Helicopter Society (ARCCHS), a new AMA SIG, managed the RC Helicopter Nats for the first time. ARCCHS also managed the US F3C/F3N Team Selection portion of the event! Thank you, ARCCHS!
17. One of the impressive helicopters that was present at the 2024 AMA RC Helicopter Nats was Dan Lucente’s SAB Urukay. DiPeri photo.
In other exciting news, Tim DiPeri, this year’s RC Helicopter NatsNews reporter, wrote that August 6 "recorded the largest number of competition flights—50 formal flights! This is most certainly the largest number of model helicopter flights in modern history." Wow! It’s evident that this year’s RC Helicopter Nats boasted a great number of enthusiastic pilots who were eager to get their helicopters into the sky. Good weather conditions allowed them to fly from morning to evening, and they took full advantage of that!
Another exciting occurrence was the success of Scott Graham. Scott was a first-time Nats competitor, and he was welcomed to the world of RC Helicopter Nats competition with open arms. While competing, he found major success! After his impressive performance, which won second place in F3N with a score of 2,400.56, Scott became a new member of the US F3N team, which will compete in 2025. Nice job, Scott!
15. Scott Graham, a first-time AMA Nats competitor, found great success at this year’s RC Helicopter competition. He obtained a second-place win in F3N, earning him a spot on the 2025 US F3N Team. Photo by Tim DiPeri.
CL Racing
This year’s CL Racing Nats was held August 4-7. The event boasted great camaraderie throughout its entirety. Some attendees came to the rescue with quick-acting first aid, while others alerted fellow pilots to cracks on their propeller blades, ensuring that everyone and their aircraft were kept safe.
18. Brothers Tristan and Mason Mayer, of California, flew well in CL Racing. Photo by Paul Gibeault.
19. The 2024 Open Goodyear CL Racing contestants (L-R): Charles Barnes Sr., first place (completed all laps); Charles Barnes Jr.; Bill Bischoff, second place (completed 58 laps); Mike Greb; and Doug Mayer, third place (completed 50 laps). Gibeault photo.
More specifically, Doug Mayer received thanks from Paul Gibeault, this year’s CL Racing NatsNews reporter, for coming to his aid when he had a mishap with a running motor. Paul returned this spirit of camaraderie by alerting Bill Bischoff of cracks along one of his propeller blades, which Paul explained "was likely incurred during a pit stop where the pit man stopped the model by the propeller." The fellowship displayed by both Doug and Paul is a great representation of the spirit of our hobby.
In one of the events flown at the CL Racing Nats, a father-and-son team emphasized the thrill of sharing our hobby with loved ones. Charles Barnes Sr. and Charles Barnes Jr. competed together in Open Class 1 Mouse Race! This duo impressed attendees when flying both as a team and individually.
Another family bond was present in Junior fliers Tristan and Mason Mayer. These competitors are brothers from Hawthorne, California, and Paul wrote that they "both flew very well."
In Open Goodyear, only one person completed their heat. This made determining a winner quite simple! First place was awarded to Charles Barnes Sr. Congratulations, Charles! Also of note is the Dallas Model Aircraft Association’s Sport Goodyear Race. This event was the most popular at this year’s CL Racing Nats, with 11 entries.
In addition to the standard first-place winners, a few other awards were presented to the CL Racing Nats attendees. The Aggregate Racing Champion Award was given to Mike Greb, and Sandra Lee was awarded the Good Sportsman Award. Paul wrote that this was because of "her stalwart service timing and lap counting, all while enduring the oppressive heat on the blacktop for all three days of racing." Congratulations, Mike and Sandra!
CL Navy Carrier
Held on August 5-8, the CL Navy Carrier Nats saw some new and exciting occurrences unfold! For starters, various new Junior records were set, all by the same contestant: Angstrom Eberenz! Angstrom, who flew in other AMA Nats disciplines as well, had only flown Navy Carrier in one other contest before competing at the Nats. All four of his top scores became new records. What an accomplishment! Well done, Angstrom!
20. Paul Smith releases Bob Hawk’s Nostalgia Profile model for a CL Navy Carrier flight. Photo by Melvin Schuette.
21. Center judge Dave Betz (L) judged Angstrom Eberenz’s low-speed flight in CL Navy Carrier. Schuette photo.
Also of note was an unusual result in Skyray Carrier. Angstrom and Paul Smith both scored 214.8 points in this event! Melvin Schuette, this year’s NatsNews reporter, wrote that "since [pilot] placement in the event is determined by [the pilot’s] highest single score, it is officially a tie for first place. Trophies are not given in Skyray Carrier. First place was given a Skyray kit, and second place received a gallon of fuel. It was determined that the kit would be given to Angstrom, and the fuel was given to Paul." Congratulations, Angstrom and Paul!
Throughout the event, the carrier deck had to be relocated because of a 180° shift in the wind. Melvin wrote the following on the matter: "A big thank-you goes out to the maintenance crew for their help with moving the [carrier] deck. The wind had a large effect on the models in both the high- and low-speed flights."
CL Combat
The 2024 CL Combat Nats was held August 4-7. This year’s event hosted a few important changes. For starters, Standard F2D Combat was not flown as an official event. Charlie Johnson, this year’s CL Combat NatsNews reporter, wrote that the event was instead "run as a World Cup event, along with F2A Speed and F2C Team Race."
In addition to this change, CL Combat events saw the order inverted. The event began with Fast Combat on August 4. Charlie wrote that "it turned out to be a blessing. Everyone started off with a full tank of energy, enthusiasm, and, most of all, patience."
Much like other Nats disciplines, the joy of sharing this hobby with loved ones was well-represented in CL Combat. Brothers Ivan and Patrick Mackenzie flew in Speed Limit, representing the Canadian team.
22. Patrick Mackenzie (L) and his brother, Ivan Mackenzie, wait for the launch signal. Both represented the Canadian team and flew well in their CL Combat matches. Photo by Charlie Johnson.
Charlie wrote that, throughout the various events, "some of the foreign World Championships team members joined in to make it more interesting." Competition was fierce—so much so that in Speed Limit, there were a few instances of matches being won in the closing seconds of the race!
In exciting news, Fast Combat was won by 80-year-old Steve Kott! This was Steve’s first time at the Nats since he won in 1999, according to Charlie. Congratulations, Steve! Additional excitement arose for Craig Campbell, who placed third in Fast Combat and received his first Nats trophy! Well done, Craig!
23. Steve Kott recently turned 80 years old and won Fast Combat with a beautiful, bat-themed model. It was 25 years ago that Steve was the national CL Combat champion. Johnson photo.
It’s quite evident that the 2024 AMA Nats was an event that held an immense amount of excitement, friendship, competition, and fun for all. If you were not able to attend this year, plan to attend in 2025! Whether you come as a competitor, spectator, or volunteer, this gathering is one that everyone can enjoy.
To see additional photos from the 2024 Nats, visit AMA’s Flickr page by following the link listed in "Sources." There are Flickr albums full of photos from both AMA staff and NatsNews contributors!
To see the final scores and standings from all disciplines of the 2024 AMA Nats, visit AMA’s website, linked in "Sources."
SOURCES:
AMA’s Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/modelaircraft
2024 AMA Nats Final Scores and Standings
www.modelaircraft.org/natsscores
NatsNews
https://nats.modelaircraft.org/nats-news
GliderScore
F3XVault
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