Saturday is a rain out.

IT'S ON! Joe Nall 2013 is here!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Absolutely bird egg blue skies prevail and it's forecast to stay that way!

Today saw lots of incredible action on all flight lines. We'll have pictures soon but suffice it to say that many of the world's most beautiful scale, 3D, electrics and helicopters were flying all day today at Joe Nall 2013. Attendance is up and everyone is having a great time. The lake is busy with seaplanes too! 

The recent lower men's bath house addition has been getting rave reviews from the campers as has the installation of the large commercial sink (campers dish cleanup) and the washer and dryer. The flyers are loving the roomier flight line area and the removal of the trees near the gazebo. 

It's not too late............get your planes and head to Triple Tree Aerodrome for Joe Nall 2013!!!

Register at the welcome center at the event.

As you’ve probably seen, our website now combines full-scale and modeling, because that’s what Triple Tree is all about. We think that makes us unique. Accordingly, we’ve made the last change to the name of our club. Now called the Triple Tree Aviators, we’re one, unified group.

WHAT’S NEW FOR THE NALL THIS YEAR: Holy cow, Pat and the boys have been busier than ever! First off, for those who fly at the main flight line, it’s what you won’t see that’s important: the tree line along the runway! Those 60 foot plane-grabbers are gonzos! This will help to insure passes down the main runway will be a lot less intimidating. And it also makes recovery of planes that head to terra firma a lot easier (some TTA fliers have already confirmed this attribute.☺) Trees are still there, of course, but they’re out several hundred yards now. Hurray for Pat and his big machinery. The lack of  trees allowed us to move the fence line out further for considerably more spectator space and better flight line viewing at show central. What’s more, we will now have pilot tents in front of the fence line (more on that later…)

Here’s a partial list of other improvements the staff and volunteers have been busy with:
- Tifway 419 Bermuda at the 3D is maturing nicely (tons of fertilizer has helped)
- New 120 foot control line circles have been graded to within 1 inch side to side. New grass has
been planted and permanent irrigation installed.

- Permanent AC power has been added to the electric flight line
- Significant new expansion of the men's 3D bath facilities
- New Welcome Center “fork” access road will help ease congestion during peak hours – those
registering will divert to the new road, those with passes will stream though the main road.

GATES OPEN FRIDAY MAY 10th, 5pm. PLEASE READ! As many know, we’ve been flexible on the startup time of the ‘Nall, but the event has grown so much, it’s stretched our capabilities. Remember, the guys mowing, prepping the grounds are all volunteers, taking time off their work or busy days. So to respect their efforts, we are taking a hard line on the opening of the event: You’re invited to enter starting Friday, May 10th at 5pm. Vendors will be allowed for set-up earlier, but Flying will commence when the gates open, at Friday at 5pm. Please respect the efforts of the guys getting the grounds prepped and the TTA tents up. There are campgrounds in the area if you decide to come earlier than this time. Thanks for your cooperation.

Let’s make this the quietest Nall ever: It’s pretty easy to make the Nall quieter, isn’t it? Just bring your quiet airplanes! If your plane is noisy, either get going and add canisters and quiet props, or bring a plane that is quiet. There were a few guys last year that didn’t have respect for other fliers and had to be asked to land. That’s not the kind of fun we want to have. Now, with the property being in the Trust, we hope now, more than ever, that everyone understands that noise is our enemy #1. We’re working on developing noise measuring systems to quantify what constitutes a noisy plane, but we’d rather see everyone just use common sense to reduce noise.

NEW, FOUR AVAILABLE 20x20 “CLUB TENTS” NEAR SHOW CENTRAL: We’re always trying something new, and this year with the new expanded flight line, we’ll have the pilot tents in front of the tree line! As a service to fliers, we thought some clubs might like to reserve a spot for their club tent on the main flight line. We will only have four tents available, but will provide:
- 20x20 tent, already set up upon arrival
- Reserved parking spot for one model trailer (up to 40 foot length)
To reserve a tent, send us a check confirming your interest. If we have more than four parties, on March 1st we’ll hold a drawing of all interested parties. Cost of the club tent rental will be $1000. Clubs and Pilots only, sorry, no manufacturers or team pilots. Other pilots will be to your sides, but your spot will be reserved, and your tent provided.

Flight Lines, 2.4 Operations: 2.4 changed the Nall, and as everyone knows we’re a “2.4 only” meet. Things worked well last year, so we’re sticking with what worked. Please note that in keeping with industry norms, our goal is to have 2.4 transmitters operating at pilot stations only. The reason for this is to keep the “noise floor” of 2.4ghz radios low enough to allow secure operation of all equipment.
- Main Flight Line: 7 pilot stations
- 3D flight line: 5 pilot stations
- Float flight line: 5 pilot stations
- Heli flight line: 7 pilot stations
- Electric flight line: 5 pilot stations

Control line youth challenge:  We encourage everyone to check out control line flying and give it a try. We have 15 trainer planes of different skill levels and a host of volunteers to give you a hand.  For all  the youth that participate in a training flight we have a special Joe Nall memento to give each one of them.  Click here for more info.

The Nitro Grass Bluegrass band, Thursday night: This year, after the AMA meeting, the bluegrass band Nitro Grass will be entertaining all. The band will include 2-time national banjo champion Charles Woods. Nothing like a super-duper banjo picker to make the night complete!
The "World Famous" Triple Tree BBQ: Words can't do justice to the delights that await you, Friday night, at our biggest party of the year! BBQ pork and chicken (cooked on site!), "peel 'n eat" chilled shrimp, coleslaw, beans and all the "fixins". All this, while being entertained by the Spartanburg Jazz Orchestra makes this the social highlight of the week! Don't miss it...ask anyone!

Bring a buddy! And his buddy! This year, we’ll have more room for more spectators, with enhanced
views at show central. Why not encourage your buddies – those who’ve never experienced the Nall, to give it a try. You’ll be doing everyone a favor. You can tell your buddy that the few dollars spent on entrance fees and parking goes directly into funding the operation of the field. Your buddy will be better off for the experience, and you’ll have helped sustain the property.

A word about our friends, the IMAA: While we don’t require IMAA membership, we highly encourage it! The IMAA is sponsoring our main and 3D flight lines, and they’re a great organization to support. You get a great magazine, and your needs are represented in the AMA. Please support the IMAA and join at the show if you haven’t already. They’ll have a booth there as usual.

Speaking of Support: Here’s something to chew on… while the income derived from event entrance fees, parking etc. is considerable, it still isn’t nearly enough to keep the place running. Can you imagine buying fertilizer for your lawn – by the truckload? That’s what Triple Tree does. Our mower is 36 feet across. Everything is king-sized at Triple Tree, including the operating expenses.

As a 501(3)c non-profit organization, you can make a donation to Triple Tree and it is fully tax deductible. Your donation will help sustain the dream that Pat had – to provide a place where aviators could gather to share their passion for aviation, and fellowship with one another.
It’s a noble goal, and we thank you for considering gifting Triple Tree Aerodrome at some time.

Triple Tree was featured on the aviation television series, "The Aviators". Following are two links to those shows featuring Triple Tree. 

Joe Nall: http://youtu.be/Vb42IOe6vEg

Triple Tree: http://youtu.be/n76L9icJwWY