Technical/Competitions
COMPETITION
By JC Zankl, AMA Competition and Technical Director | johnz@modelaircraft.org
Hello from your new AMA Competition and Technical Director.
My name is JC Zankl. My father got me flying models when I was 3 years old. My primary focus has been RC Helicopters. I competed in many AMA Nats between 2002 and 2009, the Extreme Flight Championships in 2009 and 2015, the International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Night-Fly, autorotation contests (I was twice the IRCHA Autorotation Champion), Align Competition Advanced Champion in 2009, and many Indoor 3D Helicopter events in the past 22 years.
International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) flying is another interest of mine. Although I have yet to officially compete, I have done some introductory contests with Toby Silhavy and Ben Batts.
I got into competing in 2002 at the AMA Nats held here at the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC). My reasoning was why not? I personally thought it would be very cool to say that not only did I attend the Nats, but that I also was able to compete in them. During that competition, I learned a ton from all of the pilots. They took me under their wings and showed me the ropes—people such as Alan Szabo Jr., Alan Szabo Sr., Tom Erb, Gordie Meade, Cliff Hiatt, Dwight Shilling, and Curtis Youngblood.
These pilots took time out of their day, round after round, to help me understand what I was doing right and more importantly, what I was doing wrong and how to fix it. These are some of the bests of the best. I would eventually finish second in Class II that year in my first-ever AMA Nats!
Competition is a healthy way to help you improve your flying skills. Everyone wants to become a better pilot. I hope everyone reading this will give competition a try, whatever the discipline.
It’s never too late to compete. Currently on-site at the IAC, we have Bob Petrenic, who is competing in the Pylon Racing Nats at 89 years young! In the pilots’ meeting, he said, “I plan to be back next year!”
When competing, you will find that the camaraderie is fantastic. I have met many lifelong friends from around the world.
New Records
Since becoming the new AMA Competition and Technical Director, I have processed more than 25 new national records and one new Fédération Aéronautique Internationale world record attempt! I would like to put these people in the spotlight.
From the 2024 Midwest Indoor Championships, held at the Kent State Field House in Kent, Ohio, we have the following new national record holders. These are all category II records, meaning it has a ceiling height between 26 feet, 3 inches and 49 feet, 2.5 inches (8 to 15 meters).
Adult (age 19 or older)
Hamish Christie, A-6, 9:08 minutes
Brett Sanborn, F1D, 25:29 minutes
Brett Sanborn, F1L, 17:03 minutes
Youth Senior (ages 15 to 18)
Guhyun Jeong, F1M, 9:54 minutes
Daniel Guo, F1D, 22:58 minutes
Ben Buxton, F1N, 42.5 seconds
Ben Buxton, HLG, 1:23.6 hours
Youth Junior (Ages 0-14)
Grace Jeong, LPP, 9:53 minutes
Grace Jeong, F1M, 9:53 minutes
Grace Jeong, Pennyplane, 9:53 minutes
Caleb Finn, F1D, 15:27 minutes
You can check out the latest national records on our website at www.modelaircraft.org/events/nationalrecords.
