From: glt@genrad.com (Geoff L. Templeton)
Newsgroups: rec.models.rc
Subject: Re: Anyone make the Nats?
Summary: I am from Massachusetts and this is my first Nats
Date: 28 Jul 92 12:09:49 GMT
Organization: GenRad, Inc.

In article <BrFsB1.KJ1@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> you write:
>
>Hi there
>
>Anyone get to go to the Nats this year? Please post an account! Es-
>pecially if it was your first time there.
>

I live in Massachusetts and finally fulfilled a life time dream and went
to my first Nats.  I went four days of the week long event and had a 
GREAT time. 

I flew Control Line in the 50's and was surprised at the amount of control
line activity still going on.  The Control Line combat is a great
spectator sport and 5 out of every races ended in mid air collisions with
a shower of foam pieces.   I now understand why contestants brought 15-20
combat airplanes.  The final round of slow combat pitted a local from
Massachusetts and a a person from Texas.  They were both fantastic flyers
and stayed in one spot while the planes looped, dove and performed 
unbelievable manouvers in a 45 degree area of the circle.  The local flyer
won but it was a close finish.

I was amazed at the amount of people who like Control Line speed!  All week
long from down to dusk a constant scream of engines in two circles.  All
sizes of engines including DYNAJETS.  These jet engines are unthrottled
and the loadest noise you ever heard.  You could here them from 6 miles away!

In contrast the Control Line aerobatics were whisper quiet with planes that
were finished in dazzling colors and mirror finishes.

Control Line scale was well attended and I was surprise that they had 
throttle control, flaps and bomb drops with as many as six lines going 
to the planes.  There was a profile B17  that had four electric motors 
and 24 cells inside the wing.  A very strange sound on take off....sorta 
like the sound of an electric drill.

The Control Line Carrier event was interesting with the neat way you went
from high speed to low speed and the wires sliding toward the rear of
the wing to give a nose up attitude for landing.

Amazing those outdoor free flighters and the wind and thermals carried the
planes for long distances.  I can see why part of your field equipment is 
either a bicycle or small motorbike.

I spent some time in the indoor hanger where I saw indoor rubber flying.
Large fragile planes built with thin balsa sticks covered in mica film
with large fragile props slowly turning and these graceful flyers slowly
flying in large circles staying up for 15-30 minutes.  People walking
around with helium balloons tied to a fishpole to keep the planes from
hitting the ceiling rafters.

The R/C pylon racing was a constant running of races for seven days with
the Nelson engine the clear dominant engine...especially in the Formula 1.
One flyer said there were only two planes that did not have Nelson engines.

I was surprised that the window for pattern compitition was so HUGE!  The
planes performed their manauvers in a very wide and high almost out of sight
area.  I did see Chip Hyde and the USA team members.  Pattern planes were
beautiful and there certainly was a lot of dedicated flyers.

RC scale which is my interest was well attended....I counted 75 plus 
contestants.  Charlie Nelson was there with his beautiful Waco that won
the Top Gun earlier this year.  He even copied the paint chipping off
the tail area.  There was an even mix of WWI, WWII and civilian
planes.  There were 6 Sig Spacewalkers!  The first morning of flight
saw five planes including a jet return to kit form.  The largest was
a DC3 and a 10 foot Dornier bomber with 3 OS 120 engines.  I didn't
attend the final day of scale so I don't know who won.

All in all it was a great week.  The Westover base is huge and there was
no problem parking as a matter of fact the events were so far apart that
you needed to drive to each area.  The weekend R/C Scale was the most
attended of any event by far.  It will be interesting to see if the Nats
will ever be back in New England now that there is Muncie.