Joe Nall
By Jerry Smith
Let's face it, Joe Nall is one of the prime events attracting modelers from around the world. It's the one that modelers look forward to each year and plan to attend without reservation. I have watched it grow throughout the years and what we have today is magnificent—and it keeps on getting better!
Thanks to Pat Hartness, whose forward thinking and passion for developing the Triple Tree Aerodrome has made it all possible. We, as modelers, can now come and reap the benefits he has so generously put in place. Hopefully we can look forward to the Nall for many years in the future.
Several changes in the past couple of years have benefited the Nall. The first was adding five venues instead of the one normal flying site. I overheard Pat talking about adding another venue in the future. Could it be clearing out the 10,000-square-foot hangar for indoor flying? Now wouldn't that be neat?
Hangar and Vendors Row
In the hangar is a museum of pictures and airplanes flown by those who are no longer with us. There is a BT-13 flown by Slick Larsen, a Waco YMF-5 and an Albatros flown by Aubrey Neighbors, a Sopwith Pup flown by former International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA) president Bob Dean, the Hartness B-25, and others. It's a fine tribute to remember them.
While you are there, you can take a look at Pat's restored Spartan Executive, a luxury in personal transportation. Roughly 30 are left in existence. The rebuild took much effort from the few who were involved.
Say hello to Mark Davidson, who has taken on the task of building a Carl Goldberg 20-foot-wingspan Valkyrie. Give him a hand so you can say you were part of it. I built a couple of ribs for the wing and it was fun. He had all the tools and supplies but still needs more help to complete it.
From the hangar, it is a short walk to Vendors Row where you can purchase nearly anything related to RC. More than 70 vendors—the ones you read about in the magazines—put up shop. It's great to talk to them about their products.
Main flightline
I headed out to the main flightline to watch the type of airplanes I like: warbirds, jets, and civilian aircraft that you don't see every day. This is where most of the activity takes place and where most of the spectators gather throughout the day. You can see a variety of different and beautiful aircraft as well as the noon demos each day beginning on Wednesday.
The main flightline stretches a quarter mile, with tents two and three deep in some places! This year the pilot registration was more than 900—roughly the same as last year. The economy seemed to have little effect on the attendance.
Electric flightline
The electric flightline was moved to a more accessible area and has taken time to grow. Some of the pilots flying there were very young. Manufacturer Precision Aerobatics staked out its tent to demonstrate models with their sponsored pilots, allowing prospective buyers to fly them.
The most popular attractions for spectators were the main and 3-D flightlines; however, this electric flightline will grow because electric airplanes are popular. Those who did fly there had it all to themselves.
Helicopter flightline
The helicopter flightline was located in the front by the gate, distant from the action. When I visited it, not a whole lot of flying was going on. Darrell Sprayberry was there with his 1/4-scale Jet Ranger, modeled after one in the Georgia State Patrol, which was very impressive.
According to Gene Strozier, a member of the Triple Tree Aeromodelers, they did spend some money and time improving the helicopter site. It should grow in size in future years.
Floatplane flightline
I can remember roughly 10 years ago, during the first Joe Nall at Triple Tree, I thought the lake venue would be a busy and great place to fly floatplanes. I was disappointed when only one or two pilots showed up. Only two channels on the 72 MHz band were allowed there, making it tough for many to fly and forcing pilots to take turns.
When it was opened up on the 2.4 GHz band, traffic picked up considerably. This year I counted more than 50 pilots. They finally found it, knew it was there, and made plans to use this wonderful site.
I did see some RC boats on the lake. One I want to tell you about is a 1/3-scale 1947 Chris-Craft built by Tom Drake. Tom let me take it for a spin around the lake a few times and what a thrill! It looked so real and was very easy to handle. Tom is also an excellent airplane builder—a first-class craftsman.
The lake also provides great fishing. Many RCers brought their fishing poles and fished in this well-stocked lake for pan fish.
3-D flightline
The 3-D flightline is where you can see some unbelievable action. These pilots are really good; especially the young dudes trying to outdo each other.
The lake at the end of the runway provides the biggest challenge and a few got them wet tail-dipping, thus winning an "I Dunked" sticker.
One pilot I noted, Joe Smith, is a rising 3-D star. He is right on the edge of every maneuver. He has plenty in his bag of tricks and I'm sure we will see and hear more about this young 3-D fanatic in the future. Seventeen-year-old Joe Smith flew his gas-powered Slick 540 in the noon demo; he has only flown for two and a half years.
The best way to enjoy the 3-D flightline is to camp out right there. There is plenty of room for RVs and tents. It also has a really great bathhouse to shower off the day's grime.
When nightfall arrives, the gazebo comes alive with music, food, karaoke, dancing, and even some night flying. This went on every night all week—party, party!
Have you ever seen a One Trick Contest? Each contestant is given one minute to do his or her best trick in the air. Some of the maneuvers were fantastic and some I had not seen before. The winner, Ralph Maxwell, having just completed building his airplane, was the last to step up. He performed a very low rolling circle over the water, touching his wing tips twice. The crowd went wild.
AMA meeting
Thursday night was the AMA Membership Meeting, which lasted slightly more than an hour. The FAA's Jim Sizemore and Lynn Spencer, and Rich Hanson, AMA's government relations person, held a question-and-answer session. Questions were taken from the audience; however, some of the answers were vague.
I didn't learn much about what to expect from the FAA. According to Rich, we won't know what it intends to come up with and how it will affect us until the spring of 2012, so stay tuned to Model Aviation (MA).
The famous Triple Tree barbecue, held on Friday night, is great. More than 1,200 people attended. There was barbecued pork and chicken, beans, coleslaw, and oh how I loved those king-size shrimp. It all ended with some wonderful lip-smacking cookies.
The musical entertainment for the night was the Nallman Brothers Band. They sounded great! The band included Peter Bergstrom (keyboards); Jim Bourke, RC Groups owner (guitar); Jim "Billy Hell" Graham (guitar); Chris Hinson of Extreme Flight RC (guitar); Peter Goldsmith of Horizon Hobby (bass); and drummer Blain Rittenhouser of Extreme Flight RC. The vocals were handled by John Diniz of Horizon Hobby. It went on well into the night.
I always come away from the Nall with a feeling of having had a great time. Meeting all my friends again, taking in the magic, and watching the fun and friendship between those attending will soon get to you.
What a great feeling to hold you over until next year!
Sources
- Joe Nall — www.joenall.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
