JOE NALL FLY-IN
Attendance up 30% at 16th annual fly-in
Hundreds of Giant Scale modelers and AMA members attended the 16th Joe Nall Fly-In May 14–17 at Hartness Field on the Hartness estate, Greenville, SC. The four-day event, privately hosted by Pat Hartness, was sponsored by the Confederate Air Farce and Chapter 94 of the International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA), with help from neighboring clubs.
I have attended this annual event for the past 10 years, and while crowds have grown dramatically since Joe Nall's early days, some things remain unchanged: the beautiful Hartness surroundings and the hospitality shown by the Hartness gang to every modeler who passes through the front gate.
This year there were roughly the same number of pilots as previous years but about 30% more spectators. Only AMA members were allowed in as spectators. Attendance included visitors from Germany, Spain, Pakistan, Canada, and Mexico—Joe Nall is becoming increasingly international.
Pilots began arriving the Saturday before the event in vans, campers, and motor homes. Many stayed a week, taking advantage of Pat’s facilities. By Monday the site looked ready for the meet, with many arrivals making it feel as if the event had already started.
Event schedule (typical day)
- Registration: 8:30 a.m.
- Pilots’ meeting: 9:00 a.m.
- Round One flying begins after transmitter impound
- Lunch break: noon, with demo flights until 1:00 p.m.
- Flight rounds resume in the afternoon
- Demo flights: 5:30 p.m.
- Open flying: 6:00 p.m.
Saturday schedule variation:
- At 2:00 p.m. all pilots and airplanes gather in the center of the runway for the aerial photo; spectators are allowed onto the runway for viewing and photography.
- Round flying continued until 4:00 p.m., followed by the trophy ceremonies.
Pilots flew from dawn until the formal start of the event and often continued into the evening, with many flying well after dark.
Highlights and demonstrations
- Mac Hodges (Andersonville, GA) flew a giant B-29 with a small scale X-1 mounted under the wing. The X-1 was released into powerless flight, then a rocket ignition sent it up in a spectacular display. On Friday the rocket failed to fire and the B-29 suffered a nose-wheel collapse that broke the fuselage aft of the wing. The model was repaired in the Hartness workshop and flew successfully the next day.
- Other demos included Bob Violett’s latest jet design, flybys by the Southern Scale Warbirds Association, and flights by top aerobatic pilots.
- Night flying and numerous AMA Cubs provided activity from dusk onward.
- A notable on-site moment: Mike Brown (Columbia, TN) brought a Lanier Stinger 120 kit and actually built it under a canopy at the event rather than just watching—an example of being productive while enjoying the meet.
Youth program
Friend Mike Stokes (AMA Education Coordinator) worked with several younger participants assembling models. Many fathers and sons participated. According to Mike, approximately 75 kits had been assembled during the event—an impressive hands-on program that even Pat Hartness stopped by to try.
Vendors and swap
- About 15 manufacturers had booths selling products; attendees could purchase almost anything model-airplane related.
- Significant buying, selling, and “horse trading” took place behind the flightline: finished and semi-finished airplanes, new and used engines, and hardware—similar to a back-of-the-flightline swap.
Awards and honors
- The Joe Nall Award was presented to Chaz Frey for exemplifying fairness, sharing, camaraderie, and the ideals of the R/C community.
- The Bob Smith Trophy was awarded to Doug Imes (Milwaukee, WI) for realistic and graceful warbird flying.
- Bob Dean (IMAA president) presented Pat Hartness a lifetime IMAA membership.
Social events and thanks
- The Saturday night barbecue was a highlight, attended by about a thousand people who filled the back yard of the Hartness mansion. A bluegrass band added to the festive atmosphere.
- Thanks to Pat Hartness, Kirby McKinney, Mike Gregory (event director), and all the Hartness gang and staff for planning and running a professional, friendly, and memorable event.
Future site
Mike Gregory noted that Pat Hartness has purchased a new flying site—still a few years from use—with a wide-open area, an extremely long runway, and a 60-acre lake nearby. A float-fly capability may be in the future.
Photo order
An 8 x 12-inch aerial photo of the Joe Nall Fly-In is available for $7, plus $1 postage, from: Jerry Smith 2416 Carina Ter. Acworth, GA 30101 E-mail: jerryfwiw@mindspring.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
