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.
,
Mike Hatfield: National Champion in Class II and Profile Nostalgia.
Paul Smith: National Champion in Class I and .15 Expert; third in Profile.
Bob Heywood: National Champion in .15 Sportsman; second in Profile.
,
The Nostalgia fliers brought out a variety of models that even included one MO-1, though it isn’t the MO-1 we normally see so prominently in the modern Navy Carrier event. Ron Duly flew a replica of the first MO-1 to fly in Carrier in the 1960s. It was a small, 28-inch wingspan MO-1 designed by Don Gerber for Class I. Though Ron missed both landings, his model was a joy to watch for those of us who have been going around in Carrier circles for a long time. He placed second with 465.92 points.
,
Paul Smith won .15 Expert with this Jr. Lightning Streak.
