NATS COVERAGE
By Jay Smith, Executive Editor | jays@modelaircraft.org
ALTHOUGH WE TRY OUR BEST to provide equal coverage to all of the Special Interest Groups that are involved in the Nats, it is the most demanding article that appears in this publication each year. The biggest challenge is that the competition averages approximately five weeks long, with multiple events nearly every day.
Our main source of coverage is our paid contributors who attend the Nats. These reporters are a great resource because they are knowledgeable and passionate about the events they cover. In 2022, however, we were unable to find reporters for Control Line Combat or RC Aerobatics.
In the past, beyond our paid contributors, AMA staff would try to fill in when coverage was lacking. During the 2022 Nats, we were unable to do so. With the Nats article that was published in the November 2022 issue of Model Aviation, I included an editor’s note stating that we were unable to find anyone to cover those two events.
The amount of coverage from our paid contributors varies. One reporter might provide a page of text and a few photos, where another might provide four pages of text and dozens of photos. We take those reports and publish them in the magazine, with the goal of providing equal coverage to all.
We are beginning the planning process for the 2023 Nats, and I would enjoy hearing our readers’ thoughts about the Nats coverage in the magazine and what they might like to see in the future.
Our Nats coverage in the November issue spanned 14 pages. Since the issue was released, the feedback I have received is that people wanted to see even more coverage and more photos.
We are beginning the planning process for the 2023 Nats, and I would enjoy hearing our thoughts from our readers about the Nats coverage in the magazine and what they might like to see in the future. If anyone would be interested in contributing to our coverage of the 2023 Nats, please let me know.
