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 runs
for nearly six consecutive weeks. Competition in RC events
includes Scale Aerobatics, Scale, Combat, Pylon Racing,
Soaring, and Helicopter. CL events consist of Precision
Aerobatics, Scale, Combat, Speed, and 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 Web
site 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. In 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 play host to 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 this 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 I've described, 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 Web site 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 much
of model aviation's most historical achievements.
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 8 a.m. until 4:30
p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on weekends. Special
hours will be in effect during the Nats. Weekdays the museum
will remain open until 6 p.m. and hours will be 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
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 Web site 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 so 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 the weekends. As in the museum, if you'd like,
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. MA
See you next time ...
Dave Mathewson, AMA president
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