National Fun Fly
I’ve been “away” from the mainstream for a few years now and thoroughly
enjoyed getting back into the environment of the NATS this year - I
immediately realized how much I miss both that type of flying and now
more importantly, the people.
I was part of the group that helped run the NATS in the ‘90s from the
days of soaring down in Vincennes and Lawrenceville thru the transition
of SIGs to the LSF and their oversight and eventual move of the event to
Muncie. Along with Alden and others, we showed up a few days early to
gather everything together and have it in place and ready to use when
the events began. At times this was a really wild ride to get it all
together in time!
For those who both work and fly, it is a tough balancing act and it does
have an impact on how you fly. For those who collect wood and also work
day in and day out, congrats! I know what it is like and I have a higher
respect for you in doing that. Jim Thomas, Robin Meeks and others comes
to mind this year from my two days CDing Unlimited.
‘98 was a tough year for me in regards to how I saw what I was doing
with the NATS and whether it was all worth it. Frankly, I let a
relatively few whiners and moaners get to me over the week and along
with very few thank yous, I said enough is enough and chose not to go
back until this year. My thanks to Marc Gellart for “forcing” me to go
back and remember the good reasons for being there. In some ways, you
cannot explain to somebody who has not been there what it is like to be
part of it - they need to experience it themselves and decide if it is
worth it to them.
One of the things that really jumped out at me this year was the sincere
number of positive things said to those who were working to make the
NATS happen. I appreciated the many kind things said to me too - it sure
is nice to know the people in this soaring community and the long
memories they have about year’s past. I am surprised by the little good
things one does that are remembered (thanks for the kind words in your
post Dana). Lesson to all - you cannot say enough sincere THANKS to
those who work to make it happen. For those who moan, groan and whine
about things, either get involved, work and find out why it is run that
way (and usually there is a VERY good reason it is done that way) or be
quiet and/or choose not to come. I usually see most of those types as
being absent from the work part of the equation....
National Championship - the title applies because it is the AMA/LSF NATS
and it is on the National flying site. Whether you as an individual see
it as a “proper” title is up to you. I think it applies when you look at
how many classes are flown. That’s not to say that Visalia or other
events are not in their own right able to crown a “champion”. If someone
wants to be known as the best in the US of A, then they’ll go to all of
those premier events and make their mark or not. This is too big a
country geographically to go the route that other countries use to
determine a “champion”. Those that are driven to be recognized as such
will go to whatever lengths are necessary to make that happen. That’s
fine by me as it sets a standard for the rest to shoot for. It is great
to be in an environment such as the NATS to fly against some of the best
and see how you handle it. The first year we flew at Muncie I beat some
of the best in individual flight groups and took satisfaction from that.
I also lost out in other “no name” flight groups and was humbled by that
:-) All part of the learning/growing process!
For those who think a National Fun Fly will work, have at it and I wish
you the best. I look at how clubs I’ve been a member of over the years
work out and have doubts that the concept will pan out. Most people who
fly for fun will do so because they have easy access to where they fly
and likely would not even be flying if some “road blocks” were in the
way. Most clubs boil down to about 5 to 10 percent who fly
competitively, who put effort into the club and in some form lead. The
others tag along and fly with no real goal or effort in mind. Frankly,
that’s the way it is in about any aspect of life and not meant to be a
negative towards anybody. People will choose the events they wish to go
to. I am always amazed at those who take the time and funds to travel
from far away to attend any event! But like me, they get something from
it that makes it worth it to them and consequently, they set aside the
time and money to make it so. It’s never just the flying, it’s the
people too that draw someone to an event.
I love scale aerotow too. Yes, it is not a competitive event in terms of
target times, landing points and the like BUT there is the aspect of
showing off your building and flying skills (or how big your model is or
how much you’ve spent!). There’s also being around like minded
modelers/friends and enjoying their company and the flying.
For those who are not competitive minded, the Muncie site is open year
round and if there's not an event going on, they can fly in the wide
open spaces. Pretty cool if you ask me. If you're an AMA member, it is
partly yours....
Heck, I’ve used a year’s worth of bandwidth writing this up. I did not
write this to torque anyone off, just to express my views. As the
Montgomery Gentry song says, “you do your thing and I’ll do mine.....”
Find enjoyment in what you do and be sure to share that with others and
it will all work out just fine.
Good Health and Good Lift!
Mark Nankivil
St. Louis, Missouri
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