Referring to my earlier email of this evening, and considering that the respondents thereof were unanimous in their view of the current threat to health, I am sending this notice out to state that although the anticipated contest would be a wonderful thing indeed, the risks to health is unacceptable.
The consensus of the McCook Field Aero Squadron is that the 6/7 June 2020 contest at Muncie IN must be postponed until the threat of disease is reduced to an acceptable level, if not cancelled altogether. Perhaps we will be lucky in the fall of this year.
Sorry that the Corona Virus 19 situation turned out this way, but it did.
So, stay in touch by all available media, keep on building and practicing in safety.
Just received word from Karl Hube of the Thermal Thumbers of Metro Atlanta (TTOMA) that the June 13-14 2020 Chattahoochee Challenge contest has be canceled.
“Because the Covid-19 threat continues to be strong, it has been decided that a two-day contest is not safe in the next few weeks. A two-day competition requires overnight accommodations and restaurants in the area and many of these facilities are not fully operational yet. Visitors may not feel that their health is safe staying overnight. Note that this contest will not be rescheduled. (Karl Hube)”
It is with great regret, that AMA and NFFS today announce that the
current COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of the Indoor NATs
scheduled for May 27-31, 2020 in Eagar Arizona. We do not anticipate
that there will be a rescheduling of this event in 2020. Anyone that had
already registered WILL be refunded 100% by AMA automatically.
Obviously, the health and safety of contestants is our primary concern
and we will absolutely abide by all federal, state and local guidelines.
Per AMA guidance, NFFS is continuing with PLANNING for the Outdoor Free
Flight NATs.
Outdoor FF NATs – July 27-31 at Muncie, Indiana
Muncie has a little more infrastructure and the date is far enough out
that we have some time to make the decision. That said, we know that
attendees need to make arrangements so we will make a GO / NO GO
decision on or before June 10th based on conditions and guidance from
all federal, state and local authorities.
We just don’t know the ultimate scope of this pandemic; however, we want
to let facts guide our decisions as best as possible. If you hope to
attend, I encourage you to monitor the current status at https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/nats/. If you think you will want to
attend, please feel free to register. In the event the NATs needs to be
cancelled, AMA has assured that all registration fees WILL be refunded.
We are trying to make the best decision possible for all concerned and
value your feedback. Please feel free to contact me directly at NFFSPresident@freeflight.org or call me at 312-804-5798.
With heavy heart, I’m formally declaring that the 2020 FAC Nats in Geneseo, NY are cancelled. At this time, we do not anticipate rescheduling the event for 2020.
New York has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. It appears highly unlikely that SUNY-Geneseo will be open over the summer; the National Warplane Museum is considering cancelling their July airshow. We can wait for our decisions to be made for us, or we can exercise good sense. Let’s be proactive, and do our part to stem this tide.
Does this mean Free Flight modeling stops for a year? Certainly not! We are a resourceful lot. For proof, check out the “1/2 No Cal—Home Front Corona Combat” postal contest George Bredehoft has cooked up over at Volare Products: https://volareproducts.com/blog/?p=5717 Now, I know for a FACT the rules of this thing are getting bent all over the place, as modelers get down and dirty with the realities of trying to make a mere snippet of a model airplane fly in their living room. It ain’t easy! For some of us, it MIGHT be impossible! So what? The point is, you gotta figure out ways to get your FREE FLIGHT FUN in, and we will do our best to help inspire you. For some of us, that will mean finishing up dormant projects (you’re going to have plenty of building time). Maybe it’s time to start that big project that you’ve always meant to get to. Some of us might actually *gulp* clean up our workshops….someday….
Well folks, I say that someday is NOW. Use the good wood. Take pictures of your projects and send them to your favorite newsletter editors, or post online. Fly locally, if, when and where you can—safely. Reconnect with the simple pleasures of a hand-wound flight in the yard. Support your friends and neighbors. Communicate. Give freely (psst—anybody got extra toilet paper?). Keep your eyes on the horizon. We’ll get through this.
THE KUDZU CLASSIC FREE FLIGHT contest, scheduled for May 16-17, 2020, in Raeford, N. C. has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus concerns. KUDZU is an annual contest sponsored by the D. C. MAXECUTERS and the CAROLINA AREA FREE FLIGHT ASSOCIATION. The organizers of the contest believe that this is the most sensible decision to make. Rescheduling has been discussed but the uncertainties of when it will be safe to travel and when group gatherings will be allowed again made setting a new date impossible. CAFFA will continue to make plans for the OCTOBER HURRICANE contest scheduled for October 17-18, 2020.
Jimmy Jordan, Secretary, Carolina Area Free Flight Association
The Cloudbusters Indoor Fling, scheduled for 03 May 2020 has been CANCELLED.
We are looking at a possible rescheduling for late October or early November, but this is entirely dependent on facility availability. Without the rescheduling, we will defer to the 2021 Indoor Fling.
Duke Horn and Rich Adams have rescheduled the Texas Scale champs from April to the 13th & 14th of June – AND – they changed the location to Hamilton Municipal Airport (TX). This will now be in conjunction with the Texas Cloud Climbers FF contest. The FAC Calendar has been updated.
NOTE: ALL Contest Directors should contact me for updates on your specific contests. Please let me know if they have had their dates changed – or if they have been canceled all together. I will update the FAC Contest Calendar
Let’s start the new year 2020 off with a HUGE BANG!
Pres Bruning has given us permission to share his plans on the Flying Aces site! It took a bit of time, but I now have them all (all that I have) on the site. This includes most of his “wildlife bostonians”.
You can find OVER 80 plans here (menu bar/Library/Plans – Page 2):
Just a note to let everyone know of new things on the site:
Kanones have been updated (after a couple months).
Newsletter back issues have been updated – now available through #280 (Nov/Dec 2014)
Don DeLoach and I added a new page – Sierra Hotel Jet Cat Pilots – for Official (CD verified) single Jet Cat flights over 1 minute. Find it on the menu bar under FAC Awards.
