President’s Perspective
If you plan to visit this summer, why not bring along a model?
The outdoor flying season is in full swing and things are beginning to heat up at the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) in Muncie, Indiana. The Extreme Flight Championships (XFC) will once again be held June 13–15. The XFC is an intense, high-profile 3-D aerobatic competition that features some of the best RC fixed-wing and helicopter pilots in the world. The competition begins early Friday morning and runs through the final rounds Sunday afternoon.
During the Fourth of July weekend, the IAC will be open to the membership for a weekend of open flying. No formal events are scheduled, but the site will be open for any member who wants to visit, fly, and spend the weekend. This promises to be a great opportunity to renew old acquaintances and make new modeling friends in a relaxed flying environment. For those who wish to camp on-site, camping fees are waived for the weekend.
Monday, July 7, 2008, marks the beginning of the outdoor portion of the 82nd National Aeromodeling Championships (Nats). The Nats run for nearly six consecutive weeks. Competition in RC events includes:
- Scale Aerobatics
- Scale
- Combat
- Pylon Racing
- Soaring
- Helicopter
CL events consist of:
- Precision Aerobatics
- Scale
- Combat
- Speed
- Racing
The last week of the Nats—August 4–8—is dominated by the FF competition. A complete calendar of Nats events can be found on the AMA website at www.modelaircraft.org.
Immediately following the Nats is the annual International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association’s (IRCHA) Jamboree. IRCHA is an AMA Special Interest Group (SIG) and the Jamboree boasts the largest turnout of registered pilots at any modeling event in the world. At the 2007 IRCHA Jamboree, 712 registered helicopter pilots took part.
In addition to some outstanding flying, Vendor’s Row rivals that of any modeling event and offers visitors the chance to talk with most of the major players in the industry. Add to that the first-rate noontime demos, and the Jamboree becomes a must-see event even for those whose primary modeling interest may not be RC helicopters.
In early September, the IAC will host the 2008 Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) Championships. SAM is another AMA SIG. The September 8–12 event will attract members from across the country who will be on-site to participate in competition involving models designed during the Golden Era of model aviation (from the 1930s until the beginning of World War II).
Later in September, yet another AMA SIG—the Vintage R/C Society (VR/CS)—will hold its Annual Muncie Fly-In at the IAC. VR/CS is dedicated to flying models designed at least 35 years ago.
Along with the activities described above, the IAC hosts dozens of additional events throughout the summer. A visit on any weekend will find at least one modeling event taking place. The complete and up-to-date calendar of events is available on the AMA website or by calling AMA Headquarters at (765) 287-1256.
No trip to Muncie and the IAC is complete without visiting the National Model Aviation Museum located on-site. Arguably the largest and best museum in the world dedicated to model aviation, it contains artifacts representing many of the most significant historical achievements in model aviation. For those of you who haven’t visited the museum in the last couple of years, Museum Director Michael Smith has overseen some significant improvements to the facility. If you return for a visit, I’m sure you’ll be impressed with his efforts.
Museum hours during the summer months are:
- Weekdays: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Weekends: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Special hours will be in effect during the Nats:
- Weekdays: open until 6 p.m.
- Saturdays and Sundays: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visitors are free to explore the museum at their leisure, or guided tours are available for those who prefer one. If you’d like to preview some of the exhibits and special features in the National Model Aviation Museum, visit the AMA website and click on “Museum.”
Finally, if you visit the IAC, please take a moment to stop into the administration building to say hello and meet some of the AMA staff members who work hard to support our membership. The building is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. weekdays, and more often than not you’ll find some members of the staff there after normal business hours as well as on weekends. As in the museum, someone would be happy to take you through a tour of the building and introduce you to some of our staff members.
If you plan to visit this summer, why not bring along a model? While RC flying can be limited depending on what events are taking place and what frequencies are in use, those flying on 2.4 GHz should have no problem getting a flight or two in on the flying site.
See you next time ...
Dave Mathewson AMA President [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
