AMA Nats 1985: Overview and Convention
John Worth
The Super Nats
Many said it was the best ever. That might be going too far, considering that few people could compare all the National Championships over the past 50 years. Still, it was certainly one of the best, at least from the viewpoint of minimum complaints.
The weather wasn't perfect—one day of rain and the following day of wind—but the other six days were great. Instead of the usual high summer heat and humidity, this Nats had lower-than-normal temperatures and was generally drier. It was mostly pleasant with beautiful skies.
Engines ran well and planes flew beautifully. A National Geographic writer/photographer team was on hand to record the week of super-model flying activity, so millions who weren't there may soon be able to share the 1985 Nats experience.
Attendance and entries
Attendance was high—comparable to the last time the Nats were in Chicopee (1983)—with over a thousand contestants registered. Radio Control Sailplane events again had the largest total number of entries, with over 300.
Notable entry totals:
- Unlimited Sailplanes: 120 registered
- Combined Standard and Modified Standard classes: 107
- Two-Meter class: 95
- 1/2A Gas (Free Flight): 92
- P-30 Rubber (Free Flight): 100
- Hand-Launched Glider (Free Flight): 91
- A Gas (Free Flight): 70
Control Line:
- Precision Aerobatics: 70 entries (compared with 49 in 1984)
Radio Control:
- Speed: 165 entries across eight events
- Combat: 176 entries across four events
- Racing: five events with a total of 100 entries
Facilities and support
A new Nats special information tent provided results, information, souvenirs, radio interviews, and maps. Big special field-layout maps and daily schedule boards helped spectators and participants locate event sites and times.
The hardest-working pair of Nats volunteers were Bob Landry and Dick Sherman; they worked before, during, and after the Nats doing everything imaginable—trash cleanup, field setup, and dozens of other chores.
AMA souvenir sales provided a major source of income to help offset Nats operating costs. Among workers:
- Rae Underwood
- Velma Teubner
- Elsie Abel
- Joan Grigg
- Barbara McGinnis
- Jane Morgan
- Cathy Anne Underwood
- Eva Biddie
- Vicki Anderson
Westover Air Force Base hangar and on-base support
Our Air Force hosts again provided great facilities for the Nationals. They even removed hanging lights in the indoor site (instead of just raising them) to reduce the probability of models getting hung. More ground space was provided for Control Line, and a separate off-base site was provided for RC Helicopter events.
Base Commanding Officer Colonel James H. Handy and his staff were tremendously cooperative and helpful, not only in letting us use the airfield but in assisting with logistics and setup.
Indoor events
Indoor events were up considerably over 1984, helped by a ceiling height almost double that of the previous year:
- Pennyplane: 42 entries
- Easy B: 52 entries
- Manhattan Cabin: 21 entries (vs. 7 in 1984)
- AMA Scale: increased entries
One of the great displays was Ken Flaglor's Gee Bee Model Y Senior Sportster—the 1985 Nats theme airplane—which flew in and was parked in the Nats area all week long. Thousands of pictures were taken of it; the display was especially appropriate since nearby Springfield was home to the Gee Bee racers in the 1930s.
Soaring and helicopter events
In contrast to 1983, when RC Sailplanes flew almost trouble-free over four days, the 1985 soaring scene had a few problems:
- Local paging-system interference shut down one retrieval.
- One day of rain and one day of wind hampered flying.
Regardless, a tremendous amount of flying was done. The Davey retrieval winches—blamed by some for launching problems in 1984—performed beautifully in 1985 and removed the need for the usual line-retrieval vehicles and manpower.
Providing separate sites for RC Sailplanes and Helicopters helped both events get in more flying than would otherwise have been possible. The helicopter events, directed by Horace Hagen, recruited a good crew and completed the schedule despite some rain and wind. Soaring Event Director Jeff Troy also recruited a large crew and ran his events in excellent fashion.
Weather, Free Flight, and perseverance
Most amazing on the one rain day was to see Free Flight events proceed as scheduled while Control Line and RC events at Westover shut down. FF Scale continued flying; Wakefield models even achieved maximum-duration flights in the rain. Although some complained about continuing in the downpour, most took it in stride. FF Scale contestants were asked if they wanted to quit or continue—they agreed to keep flying.
Aside from the midweek weather problems, flying conditions were mostly great. The Nats started on the first Sunday morning with RC International class Pylon Racing and finished early a week later with RC Scale on Sunday afternoon. Because the Westover site permits Free Flight, Control Line, and Radio Control events within an area less than a mile square, the skies were generally full of models and the sound of engines—like a 10-ring circus, with activity everywhere.
Public information and scoring improvements
Adding to the carnival-like atmosphere was the big yellow-and-white information tent and many concession stands offering a wide variety of food and refreshments. (The remote Helicopter and Soaring sites did not have equivalent facilities.)
More was done this year to inform everyone what was happening:
- Many more score displays were provided and updated more regularly.
- A huge map of field event locations and a big daily event schedule board (provided by AMA volunteer Dolly Wischer, Delafield, WI) helped identify event sites and routes.
A new computer operation by the AMA HQ staff, aided by field computer operations for RC Pattern, Pylon, and Soaring, handled all registration activities without a hitch and produced scoring results more timely than previously. Credit goes primarily to Bob Voss of the HQ staff, along with Gisele Jackson, Joyce Hager, and Lou Ward.
New touches and schedule changes
There were new touches to the Nats this year:
- Instead of ending with a full-scale air show (as the old Navy-hosted Nats often did), this year opened with an air show. An AMA Air Show Team—the RC Propbusters of Connecticut—performed for approximately 100,000 spectators.
- One day was added to the schedule, extending the Nats to eight days rather than seven.
- RC transmitter processing, a source of many complaints in 1984, was spread over the first three days and went smoothly.
- Delta Dart programs, designed to introduce area youngsters to modeling, operated for several days at the beginning of the Nats instead of for one day at the end.
- RC Scale benefited from the extra day, getting enough time to fly and enjoying a more relaxed pace; Scale concluded the week with the whole Westover scene to itself on the final day.
Acknowledgments and looking ahead
After the event there was a feeling of gratitude to all who made it possible:
- Brigadier General Jack P. Ferguson, Wing Commander at Westover AFB
- The Chicopee Chamber of Commerce and its president John Frymoyer
- Chicopee Mayor Richard S. Lack
- Chicopee Police Department
- Our Lady of the Elms College (for dormitory use)
- Sue Carrion and her staff at the Quality Inn (Nats Headquarters hotel)
- The Firehall community promotion club
- Many people at city and state levels who helped behind the scenes
AMA's own membership provided incredible support: over 500 officials and volunteers were registered. In total, more than 2,000 people from the community, military, contestants, helpers, officials, volunteers, and AMA HQ staff were directly involved. It was a tremendous group effort and a memorable part of model aviation history. The 1985 National Model Airplane Championships set a standard that will be hard to beat.
Plans were already underway for the 1986 event, scheduled for July 27–August 3 at Lake Charles, Louisiana (site of the 1974, 1975, and 1978 Nats). A special schedule was being considered to help celebrate AMA's 50th anniversary, possibly inserting two or three days of fun flying on the middle weekend to expand participation to more of AMA's non-competitive membership. More details were promised later. For now, as we enjoy the glow of 1985's success, preparations begin for a bigger and better 1986.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
