2018 Pattern NATS
Would like to congratulate all the winners at the NATS and thank the contest management- Al Glenn, Peter Vogel, Tim Jesky, both Jeff's, Monty and so many others that made the NATS a success.
Steve Maxwell came by - so nice to see Steve after all these years. I thanked him for giving Joseph that DLG some 10 years ago. Joseph got so much flying out of that plane! After talking to Steve, I was inspired to write down some thoughts about attending the NATS.
Challenge.
Challenge motivates focused activity in order to meet set goals. By participating in the NATS this year, I have been reminded how focused preparation for the NATS increases flying skills. This spills over to others we come in contact with as well. Coaching sessions at the local flying fields. It spreads. It was fun seeing some of the local modelers bring out their old pattern planes (talking Kaos and Summit vintage) after watching, talking, coaching and helping me with my preparations for the NATS. The result is local clubs having "club class" events this fall. Talk of attending future NATS is often the topic of conversation at these sessions. Someone once told me that flying at the NATS (and the preparation leading up to) advanced their flying skills significantly.
Memories and nostalgia.
This one hit me hard this year as I was packing up the plane upon completion of practice just before sunset on Tuesday evening. The air was perfectly calm and the sun was setting. It was beautiful weather. It's more than just a tradition of going to the NATS. The memories- particularly of site 1 and all those FAI finals over the years... all the U.S. teams that were selected at this site....standing next to Michael Rommel at Site 1 as he watched one of the flights at the 2011 World Championships-- as he was admiring one of the flights that day with the new Contra system... . Site 4 and the memories there of so many pilots that started in Intermediate and Advanced and are now top level FAI and Masters pilots...the potato guns, the Cajun meals, the ice cream, pictionary games using an i-phone, the unknowns selections at the FARM house... the museum and all the history there. Took a step into the Lee Renaud library. Randomly pulled a red hard-bound book off the second shelf from the top, flipping open to mid-1960s section. Noticed the cover picture of Ralph Brooks and his wife. Read the article, round by round articulate account- and how Ralph Brooks nailed the tail slide and came out on top of that F3A worlds.
New friendships and rekindling old ones.
I got to meet several pilots for the first time. As I drove up to site 4 last Sunday I met Forrest. He is pretty excited about pattern and showed his flying skills by winning Advanced. He was gracious enough to call for me during the prelims. There was another pilot, an intermediate pilot, I had not seen him in years. We had met briefly at the Sayre contest in 2001 when I brought the big CAP out of the back of the Ford Taurus and proceeded to do a demo flight. He remembered all those details that from that contest that took place 17 years ago. Rekindling friendships and talking about some of those past contests was fun. It was REALLY cool getting to see Ivan Kristensen. I remember the first NATS I attended in 1983 when Ivan and Dave Brown were battling it out for the win. It was great that Ivan is back into Pattern again and seeing him compete at the NATS. So many others.
The adrenaline.
Competing at the NATS just steps up the game. It came back again- how to suppress the butterflies- the nerves- and transform that into quiet confidence. All the pilots have to go through that same feeling. The NATS brought back those feelings and the competitiveness to fly at an absolute best. It's just plain exciting to be flying in the same field with many of the best pilots in the country and in fact, the world.
The banquet and socials.
The banquet was awesome. The tribute to Ron Van Putte was so nice. His family was there to hear some of the stories. I never knew he was a Doctor-- a PhD. Pretty cool. I remember how he always used to tell the story about that Augusta, GA contest in 1990 when he came so close to "beating Don Szczur". It came down to the last round- it was a great competition but I was somehow able to beat Ron in the last round. He loved to tell that story. I also recall the Model Aviation articles from the 1970's and 1980's that shaped me as a pattern pilot. Yes, I did follow his advice and get a Kaos as my first pattern plane. Thanks John Fuqua for the presentation. The auction was well administered by Mark- short and productive. I came so close to bidding on that Brio, but how many more planes could I fit in the station wagon? (no Dave, it's a newer Taurus than the one I had 18 years ago at Sayre). The BBQ at the Wed evening social. I did NOT REALIZE that BBQ was flown in by Al Glenn (Memphis BBQ?) - it was awesome!
Technology. I finally got on the computer today to check the websites, emails and facebook posts after being away for a week. It may be time to replace my 10 year old tracfone. One must be connected to keep up with the happenings. The successful part about staying away from technology is that I was able to stay focused on flying at the NATS, but the trend is that the NATS will continually evolve into a technology driven operation. This is a new technology driven experience. With wifi perhaps I can use the Spektrum ix-12 transmitter to get app and email updates in the future.
Kal and Tom. Welcome to the pattern community and congratulations on the junior team slot. Looks like Kal is flying very well in FAI. Good luck at the IMAC worlds. For those who got to witness Kal demonstrate the unknowns on Thursday, of the many words I heard, the one word I heard most was "wow". I was talking earlier in the week to Mike Wickizer. I noted how Brett moved from Advanced straight to FAI and how, in his first NATS, made the finals. But that was not it. I told him how after watching him do those first rolling circles in the first unknown, that Brett would be a world class competitor. That was back in the mid- 2000's. I say the same comment about Kal now.
Congratulations to Andrew, Jason and Brett as the U.S. F3A team in Italy.