NFFS

Today was the first official day of flying at the 2024 AMA Outdoor Free Flight (FF) Nats. Some higher-entry events were flown today, including D Gas, AB Classic Gas, F1A, Electric B, 1/2A Nostalgia (NOS) Gas, and Moffett. Today’s weather was mild, not too hot, and there was strong rising air for many parts of the day.

The AMA Outdoor Free Flight (FF) Nats have officially entered their centennial era, as 2024 marks the 101st AMA Nats. The attendance for this year’s Nats is significant, as 121 contestants have preregistered.

Thanks to David Lindley’s foresight and attention to detail, the 2024 AMA Indoor Nats ran smoothly. David was on-site running events from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, and his efforts ensured that the fliers had an enjoyable competition.

The fifth day of the AMA Indoor Nats, July 5, was the hottest outside with a high of 87° Fahrenheit. Indoors, there was more thermal activity than noted on previous days, and with the exception of Kang Lee’s ninth-round World Cup flight, the best times were posted between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The outdoor temperatures reached the mid-80s for the first time on the fourth day of the AMA Indoor Nats, July 4. The contestants enjoyed more buoyant air than they had previously experienced.

On the third day of the 2024 Indoor AMA Nats, the glider and lightweight duration events concluded. Within the article are the flight times for each respective event.

Day two of the Indoor Nats saw competition flying begin in earnest. The F1D Nats event ended on July 2 in order to accommodate the nine rounds of the F1D World Cup. This scheduling nuance wasn’t initially understood by some of the competitors, who thought that the two events would overlap by a day on Wednesday.

By Don DeLoach

Friday, July 21, was the final day of 2023 Free Flight (FF) Nats competition. The forecast called for partly cloudy skies and light winds. Instead, we got served an unseasonably cool morning, clouds for almost the entire day, and steady winds of 5-10 mph from the northwest. It wasn’t unflyable, but it was more challenging than expected. Here’s why.

A mixed bag of weather … that’s what we had Thursday at the Free Flight (FF) Nats.

Spectacular. Stupendous. Perfect. Wednesday’s weather at the Nats was that good, and I wasn’t the only one who noticed.