Stories from the Flight Line

NATS News

Coverage, results, and stories from the National Aeromodeling Championships.

group pylon 23
AJ Seaholm won "426" with a perfect score, topping both qualifying rounds and the final heat.
Jul 13, 2023
Timers Tristan Mayer (left) and Bob Oge are surprised by the vertical takeoff when the model is released by Richard Kucejko. The battery clip stuck to the engine and, when the slack was taken up, it pulled the model straight up. The pilot, Bill Bischoff, saved it
CL Racing's July 12, 2023 event saw successful race times for all participants, with Quickie Rats and Sport Goodyears competing in fixed pilot and pitman combinations. Top heat times were posted by Bill Lee and Tristan Mayer. Mason Mayer won the Junior final.
Jul 13, 2023
I think Andy Mears likes flying against Anna Minor, as he’s all smiles in every photo. Anna can pick you apart if you don’t look out. She was 3-1 until her final loss.
Austin Minor won the CL Combat event at AMA Nationals, defeating Andrey Nadein in the final match. He finished with a 7-1 record.
Jul 12, 2023
The early morning lineup of models waiting for their test flying slot.  Tim Lampe photo.
RC Pylon starts 426 with a 6-round qualifying format, focusing on making finals rather than winning early, as the top 28 pilots will be re-matched for finals.
Jul 12, 2023
PLanes
The CL Precision Aerobatics event on July 11, 2023, was marked by challenging weather conditions with strong winds blowing towards the sun. Pilots faced difficulties while flying and had a fatality during an outside loop maneuver. Despite these challenges, the day also brought some lighter moments, including a surprise lunch provided by Michelle Lee and Colleen Gilbert.
Jul 12, 2023
CombatRibbon Caught
Here's a summary of the July 11, 2023, RC Combat classes: RC Combat: - SSC: Will Drumm (2832), Tim Gillow (2148), George Pritchett (1220) - GNATs: Will Drumm (1060), George Pritchett (652), Tim Gillow (472) - Scale 2948: Will Drumm (1848), Andrew Shkolik (1740), George Pritchett (764) Classes to be flown on Wednesday: GNATs, Limited B, E-1000
Jul 12, 2023
Bob Heywood (right) assists Paul Smith as he prepares his MO-1 for a flight in the internal combustion Profile event.
On July 11, 2023, pilots competed at the CL Navy Carrier. Pete Mazur led the Electric event with a Grumman Guardian, while Melvin Schuette took second place with a Japanese Zero. The wind caused issues for some pilots, including Melvin and Mike Hatfield.
Jul 12, 2023
Slow Rat AMA Model Sport Goodyear
Mason and Tristan Mayer had uneventful races with the AMA Goodyear models. Bob Oge won the Open heat, while Bill Lee took the lead in the AMA Slow Rat event. The Sport Goodyear and NCLRA Quickie Rat events will be held on Wednesday.
Jul 12, 2023
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Control Line Racing results from July 10, 2023 include a junior racing event, Open Mouse Race with poor final standings, F2C Team Trials with practice times, and B-Team Race with Bill Bischoff winning.
Jul 11, 2023

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