The 1996 National Aeromodeling Championships
By Matthew Usher
BACK HOME AGAIN: In 1996 AMA celebrated its 60th anniversary with the 70th National Aeromodeling Championships, held July 7–August 3 — the first Nationals held almost entirely at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana.
"Everything went extremely well," said AMA president Dave Brown. "I'm really pleased with the results. Everyone put in a tremendous effort, and the competitors responded to that."
Most competitors and organizers felt the 1996 Nationals ran more smoothly than the 1995 event. The 1995 three-site Nationals had been hampered by last-minute site complications and presented logistical and organizational problems. Continuing a recent trend, 1996 attendance topped the previous year: more than 1,000 fliers participated in 1996 versus approximately 800 at the 1995 three-site event.
Event highlights and schedule
- Celebration of Eagles: July 6–7 — a nostalgic look at AMA history attended by more than 400 of AMA's most important and influential members. Events included a reception in the Frank V. Ehling Museum, a banquet, and flying.
- Nationals format: The month-long Nationals were staged at the 1,000-acre Muncie complex, the first site designed specifically for model-aircraft flying, with multiple flying sites.
- Event sequencing: Control Line, Helicopter, Pylon Racing, and RC Scale opened the championships; Pattern, Electric, Free Flight, and Soaring events followed in subsequent weeks.
- US Indoor Champs/Indoor Nats: Held at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, May 28–June 2.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and staffing
Brown credited AMA Special Interest Groups (SIGs) with a large part of the Nationals' success. Representatives and volunteers from 13 SIGs worked with AMA Competitions Director Steve Kaluf, Nats Manager Ron Morgan, and AMA staff to ensure the 104 official (and numerous unofficial) events ran smoothly.
"Steve and Ron deserve tremendous accolades," Brown said. "Steve's great at digging in and putting out the fires, and Ron brings a tremendous amount of experience. They make a good team." He also credited Acting Executive Director Joyce Hager with "keeping the rest of AMA running smoothly" during the month-long event.
Weather and competitor feedback
Weather cooperated for the most part. Despite occasional rain showers, the Midwest experienced unseasonably mild conditions that were ideal for the majority of flying.
One recurring complaint involved the month-long staggered-event schedule: some competitors missed the opportunity to spectate other events while they were competing in their own. The longer schedule was required to maximize site use and available RC frequencies. Brown summarized the tension between participant expectations: "Most of the old-school modelers want to see events other than their own. But most of the newer modelers want to fly in their own event, and that's all they're interested in." He hopes future schedules will strike a better balance.
Along with tightening the schedule, Brown wants to improve the event's social atmosphere by better utilizing onsite facilities. "I'd like to see a central gathering point, like the work hangars at the Navy Nats," he said. Expanded hours in the Frank V. Ehling Museum or Celebration-of-Eagles–style receptions could help restore that element of the Nats.
Facilities and Nats headquarters
A focal point of the Muncie Nats was the renovated Nats headquarters building: a converted and updated farmhouse centrally located on the site and staffed by the Competitions Department. The facility provided contestants a one-stop location for check-in, communications, scoring tabulation, and even a satellite weather system for up-to-the-minute weather information. A well-stocked hobby shop offered balsa, epoxy, covering materials, and supplies for in-field repairs and modifications. Daily issues of NatsNews reported the previous day's event results.
Registration for 1997 Nationals
- Registration forms will be automatically mailed to members who registered to compete in official AMA events at the 1995 or 1996 Nationals.
- Fliers who did not compete in those official events (or who competed only in unofficial SIG-sponsored events) should contact the AMA Competitions Department in January for registration forms.
1996 NATS — Photo captions
- Pennsylvania's Deanna Vignolini is all concentration.
- Body English, or sun shade? Terry Edmonds flies during soaring competition.
- Steve Gray (left) helps Scott Gray prepare for helicopter competition.
- Steve Stricker's Excalibur 2 pattern model glides in after a flight in FAI.
- Mike Gosson (left) flies in the Sportsman pattern event.
- Jack Iafret launches his sailplane.
- David Shulman (left) holds for Jason Shulman prior to Jason's pattern flight.
- Jim Sandquist entered his P-51D in RC Scale. (Troy photo.)
- Bill Logan and Frank Beatty discuss center of gravity. (Ehlen photo.)
- Improved pylon cages helped protect course workers.
- Austin (left) and Taylor Gunder help track a free flight model.
- New York's Bill Prensky launches his free flight nostalgia model.
- Tommy Brown (left) flew Frank Puleo's .21 Sport Speed model to second place. (Lee photo.)
- Roy, Utah's Carl Redlin launches his Korda Wakefield.
- Catapult glider contestant Nick Walton, from Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin.
- Brett Buck practices C/L stunt with his Imitation XL.
- Larry Norvall looks for thermals during F1B Wakefield.
- Open Mouse I winners (left to right): McIntyre, Manfredi, Smith, Goff, and MacCarthy.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
