THE BEST
OF THE
BEST
By Chad Budreau, AMA Executive Director
chadb@modelaircraft.org
AEROMODELING CONTESTS BEGAN almost as soon as two people could fly a model airplane. In 1907 and 1908, early model aviation clubs formed and began hosting regional competitions. Those contests grew into national competitions and eventually evolved into the Nats.
As you’ll read in this issue, members continue this century-old tradition of celebrating our great hobby while challenging each other to be the best during the Nats. This competition is a time to build new friendships, get reacquainted with old ones, and inspire the next generation of hobbyists. Many consider the Nats as our hobby’s Olympics. Even if you are not a competitor in the hobby, we can all appreciate and celebrate the skills, commitment, and efforts of our fellow members.
I am fortunate that most of the Nats takes place here at the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) in Muncie, Indiana. With most of the events being held in my backyard, I committed to attend at least one pilots’ meeting for each discipline and spend free lunch hours watching and engaging with the competitors. I sometimes invited staff to join me on-site to learn more about the Nats and talk with our members.
Excluding 2020, a year in which many Nats events and competitions were canceled or had limited participation because of COVID-19, we have continued the trend of increasing Nats competitors. For the past 5 years, we have increased participation through additional marketing and incentives for first-time participants. In 2021, 809 contestants competed to be the best of the best. In fact, Control Line had more participants this year than in nearly two decades!
The Nats is only made possible through the combination of hard work by staff and members. The AMA maintenance crew works almost nonstop, moving and resetting tents, refilling water coolers, and grooming the flightlines. Countless hours of volunteer work by Special Interest Groups, members, and their families, go into each event. And, of course, the Nats wouldn’t exist without members practicing and making the investment to compete. It takes an army to make the Nats possible. Thank you all!
In addition to the coverage in this issue, visit www.modelaircraft.org/nats to learn more about the Nats. There you can see scores, browse photos, and read the NatsNews, our blogs celebrating each event.
I also encourage you to watch the Nats videos, where we not only highlight the competition but share some great human-interest stories and provide a behind-the-scenes look at many of the disciplines.
Of course, the best way to learn more about the Nats is to attend in person either as a spectator or a participant at the IAC in 2022.
I hope to see you next year at the Nats. If you do visit, be sure to stop at AMA Headquarters. We’d be happy to give you a tour of the building. You should also check out the National Model Aviation Museum. We continually rotate exhibits and recently completed a remodeling project to allow for more artifacts.
Congratulations to everyone who competed this year in the Nats and we look forward to hosting it again next year.
Stay safe. AMA
DISCOVER MORE CONTENT!
Watch Chad’s weekly View From HQ videos at www.modelaircraft.org/viewfromhq.
