The 2025 Indoor Free Flight Nats return to the East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) Mini-Dome in Johnson City, Tennessee.
By Nick Ray
Introduction
The 2025 Indoor Free Flight Nats return to the East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) Mini-Dome in Johnson City, Tennessee. Tony Italiano brought the Nats to ETSU in 1987. The venue’s stable air and relative proximity to much of the United States’ indoor flying population led to its popularity as a Nats site. The University installed the current scoreboard in 2006, and the banners surrounding the center of the building were added in 2015. After the installation of the banners, the decision was made to look for alternative Nats sites due to the significant reduction in flyable space.
Although the Nats have been elsewhere since, flying resumed in the building in 2022 with the inaugural Abram Van Dover Memorial contest. The event sparked a sense of nostalgia for many participants who have attended previous Nats and the 1990 F1D World Championships at the Mini-Dome. A combination of lower attendance and increased travel costs have made the site an appealing NATS venue once more.
The 2025 Indoor Free Flight Nats will take place over the three days of Memorial Day weekend (May 24-26). Because of the holiday, all daily reports will be posted on Tuesday, 5/27. For more immediate information, the privileged reader may follow the online live scoring. Note that some events span multiple days.
Scan the QR or Click here to view live event scoring!
2025 AMA Indoor Free Flight Nats Schedule
Saturday, May 24th
8:00am – 11:00am
Standard Catapult Glider
Hand-Launched Glider
11:00am – 8:00pm
F1R
F1D
HL Stick
AMA Cabin
Sunday, May 25th
8:00am – 2:00pm
P18
LPP
F1M
Pennyplane
Manhattan Cabin
2:00pm – 8:00pm
EZB
F1D
HL Stick
AMA Cabin
Monday, May 26th
8:00am – 4:00pm
A6
Ministick
F1L
3:30pm
P18 Mass launch
All times in by 4:00pm!
FAQs
Q: How is the winner determined for Indoor Free Flight events?
A: The model that stays in the air the longest wins.
Q: How long can a flight last?
A: Depending on the event, the winning time may range from under one minute to around 40 minutes.
Q: What makes it go?
A: Indoor Free Flight models are typically powered by a small rubber band. There are also glider events, and capacitor-powered electric models.
Q: How is the model controlled?
A: Once the model is released, it flys autonomously based on the settings of the pilot. If there is danger of a collision, models may be steered with large balloons.