2025

Today was “Top 20 Day” in Open class and “Top 12 Day” in Advanced class.

The final day of flying began again at 8:00am. Unfortunately, the fog was way too dense to begin flying on time, but it did not take long to burn off. I was elected to test the ceiling height with one of my models and we got started about 30 minutes later.

There are multiple Control Line (CL) events at the Nationals. They all share a bellcrank to control the elevator and fly in a circular pattern. But each CL event is very different in its purpose. The goal in a CL Scale event is to build a smaller version of a full-size aircraft in appearance and flight qualities.

Today, contestants were greeted with cool temps in the low 60's. It was cool enough that I even warmed the vent air just a bit in the car. No AC was needed this morning. On the way back to the motel, however, the car's AC was set to max, with all nozzles pointed at me!

F2D combat is a double-elimination event, that started on Monday, July 7th. Round one went well.

On Monday, July 7th, there were three events being held: Old Time Stunt (OTS), Classic, and Nostalgia 30.

Beginner and Intermediate classes of Control Line Precision Aerobatics were flown on Sunday July 6th. There were two entrants in Beginner with seven in Intermediate. These events were flown on the grass circles. Grass is much more forgiving, than asphalt in case of an accident.

Most of the competitors arrived bright and early (8:00am) for our pilots meeting by the Event Director (ED), Chris Goodin, for the AMA and FAI classes. Scale helicopters, due to slight miscommunication, will have its official pilots meeting on Monday morning.

Saturday (7/5/2025) was the first day of setup for the helicopter national championships for all classes of AMA and FAI disciplines.

The 2025 Indoor Free Flight Nats is in the books. The participants are in the process of returning home with new memories and plans for what to build before next year’s contest.