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.
Monday was the first day of official flying at the centennial Free Flight (FF) Nats. It’s hard to believe that 100 years have passed since the very first NAA Nationals, which predated the existence of the AMA by a full 13 years. Back in 1924, model aircraft competition was still a very new concept, often held at full-scale air shows and air races.
Thursday was the day for all of the unofficial Control Line (CL) Navy Carrier events. As late as Tuesday evening, the forecast was predicting thunderstorms all day long on Thursday, so we had some concerns that the events might be adversely impacted. Things changed overnight, and the day dawned clear and calm with no rain forecast for the entire day. It ended up being a truly great day for flying.
Many of the competitors who had flown in the Team Trials or the F2d National Championship headed home, but their ranks were filled with new faces. Many are specialists in the event and fly nothing other than Speed Limit Combat.
Today was the top 20 day for the Open class and the finals day for the Advanced class. The day started out cool with a light breeze. God's curtains again obscured the big, bright lightbulb in the sky. Every once in a while, it would peek out but otherwise it was hidden. Winds stayed light throughout the morning, making for some great weather to fly in.
