You know you're a modeler when ...
As I write this in the last full week in July, the summer is half gone and the National Aeromodeling Championships—or the Nats, as it is referred to at Headquarters—is past the midpoint.
Being a sport flier/builder, I never participated in any serious competition other than the fun-fly goofy stuff we would perform once a year at the field. We'd compete in things such as the shortest flight or attach Dixie cups to the fuselage with six beans in it and require the pilot to take off, do a loop—an inside loop—and land with all six beans still in the cup. That type of stuff is fun but not real competition in any measure of flying. This is my first Nats. I have had a number of members come up to me and say this was their ... year at the Nats and they had watched their own families as well as others grow up coming to the events.
Summer at the Nats
The Academy had an early start to the summer with the XFC (Extreme Flight Championships) in mid-June, followed the next week by hosting the World Championships F3D pylon races. Teams from the 16 countries that participated in the F3D event were not even home yet when the Nats pylon competition began, closing out the month of June. RC Scale Aerobatics took over the flying site after July 4.
During the week of July 8 the CL people had center stage—and most other fields on the site! In mid-July, RC Combat pilots filled the sky with wild bunches of airplanes that looked and sounded more like a swarm of mad hornets than something controlled by transmitters. Now the sailplanes, with their quiet and graceful flight, dominate the skies in full competition. The last week of July and the first of August we will welcome the RC Electrics and FF members back to the National Flying Site. August also brings the RC and CL Scale competition to end the Nats. The big finish for the summer is the IRCHA (International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association) Jamboree.
Walking the different fields and observing the staging of the events has truly driven home the fact that AMA is a volunteer membership organization. The individual Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that handle the various competitions during the National Championships represent the true strength of AMA. If it were not for the many volunteers who plan vacations around the Nats and provide the leadership and management of these events, none of this would happen.
Volunteers who make the Nats possible
Listing the people who volunteer to help stage the Nats is a no-win proposition, but at the risk of omitting someone I want to thank some of those who make the Nats possible. Since 1960, Ron and Jane Morgan have participated in the organization of the Nats. Ron is the director/manager of the Nats, which is to say he oversees all the field operations and coordination with the SIGs. This is no small task when you have the CDs and everyone else coming at you with their needs.
Wayne Yeager is our RC category director. Al (Handy Andy) Williamson is our RC category manager as well as the on-site "Mr. Fix-It," and Joe Vislay is the assistant RC director. Brenda Schuette is the CL manager and keeps everyone from getting tripped up during the summer. Phil Sullivan serves as FF category manager. These individuals and hundreds of others make the Nats possible.
While I was walking the flightline and parking lots with their assortment of trailers, trucks, cars, and campers, I found the number of ways we transport our aircraft amazing. From huge motor homes to compact cars that defy belief, every conceivable type of transportation was employed. The resourcefulness of our membership is also evident as you tour the site. It got me thinking about the comedian Jeff Foxworthy and his famous "You know you're a fill-in-the-blank when ..." line that has been used by so many throughout the years. I was wondering if anyone had ever put together a "You know you're a modeler when ..." litany? It could start out as You know you're a modeler when ...:
- You're as excited about the packing materials the box that new whatever came in because it will make great receiver padding in your next airplane.
- Every time you pass a golf course you think about how a great flying site was ruined with sand and trees.
- Everything you throw away is looked at with a "could I use this somewhere in my next project?" eye.
- Your spouse notices mood swings when it's a beautiful flying day and nothing you have is flyable.
- You speak in strange tongues and languages when you're around other modelers.
- You're as upset as your flying buddy is when his airplane goes in.
- You know never to ask another modeler how many airplanes he or she has in front of his or her spouse.
Well, you get the idea. How about it? What's your best "You know you're a modeler when ..." line? Send it in and I'll share the best ones in future ED columns.
In the spirit of flight.
Jim Cherry Executive Director [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
