In the Air

Toledo Weak Signals members receiving the Legion of Honor award at an event.

In the Air

Membership news and updates
from AMA Headquarters

Club Honored

The Toledo Weak Signals club of Toledo, Ohio, has been honored for raising and donating money to the AMA scholarship program for many years.

The club was presented the AMA Legion of Honor award during its annual event, the Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo, held April 7-9, 2017. This year was the show’s 63rd anniversary.

“I gave the Legion of Honor award to the Toledo Weak Signals because no other organization has given so much, over so long a period, to benefit AMA and our youth,” wrote AMA Executive Vice President Gary Fitch. “Their generosity in giving annual scholarship money to AMA spans decades. This award is only a token of our appreciation, recognizing their efforts.”

The Toledo Weak Signals Club award is given each year to the top three AMA scholarship recipients. To learn more about AMA’s scholarship program, visit www.amaflightschool.org/programs/ama-scholarships.

Framed AMA Legion of Honor plaque for Toledo Weak Signals.

Hobby Hut Models

Congratulations to Hobby Hut Models! Located in Grand Junction, Colorado, Hobby Hut Models was 2016’s $1,000 AMA Retail Enrollment Program winner.

Annually, each retailer that participates in the program within a calendar year is entered in a drawing for $1,000. The drawing takes place December 31.

Do you own a hobby shop that is not participating in the AMA Hobby Shop Program? It’s so easy to join, and you get money for signing up members! Here are just a few ways that this program benefits the hobby shop:

The program is designed to reward hobby shop owners with $25 for each new Adult and $21 for a Senior member, $12 for each new Park Pilot Program member, and $6 for each Introductory Membership (Three-Month Trial).

Two men holding a large check outside a hobby shop.

Three men shaking hands and presenting a certificate in a hobby shop.

Annually, each store that participates in the program within a calendar year is entered in a drawing for $1,000. The drawing takes place December 31. This also includes any Youth Membership that is processed.
Each month, all new members, including Open, Senior, Park Pilot, Three-Month Trial, and Youth, will have one entry in a drawing for a $100 gift card to be spent at the store where they purchased their AMA membership. AMA will provide the $100 to each store; these gift certificates will not be redeemable for cash.
$100 gift certificate store winner will be featured in an email to AMA members within a 30-mile radius of your store.
Quarterly hobby shop newsletter.
Free membership materials shipped directly to you from AMA including applications, brochures, counter display, and general AMA information.
Free social media coverage upon joining the program via AMA blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.

The following is a list of the stores that won the monthly $100 gift certificates in 2016:

Friendly Hobbies, Las Vegas, Nevada
Dragonfly Drones, Sebring, Florida
Hobby Hangar, Chantilly, Virginia
Wheat State Hobbies, Derby, Kansas
HobbyTown USA, Fairfield, Connecticut
Turn 4 HobbyTown, West Boylston, Massachusetts
Hobby Hut, Audubon, Pennsylvania
HobbyForce, Mansfield, Ohio
Hobby Haven, Overland Park, Kansas
Dick Wetzel’s Hobbies, Bath, Pennsylvania
Cookeville Raceway & Hobbies, Cookeville, Tennessee
King RC Inc., King, North Carolina

What are you waiting for? Join today! For more information, contact Erin Dobbs at erind@modelaircraft.org or (765) 287-1256, ext. 272.

AMA Thanks Its Lifetime Supporters!

The Academy of Model Aeronautics recently welcomed Life Members Harry H. Strain III, Hereford AZ; Andrew S. Pees, Worthington OH; Lawrence F. Roper Jr., Lynnfield MA; Stanton H. Scott, Houston TX; Andrew J. Briggs, Mankato MN; Thomas W. Siler, New Albany OH; Gerald H. Bayless, College Park GA; Steven A. Holcomb, Jefferson OH; Chris M. Minello, Milan PA; John P. Zygadlo, Chicago IL; Bill Johnson, Spanaway WA; and Michael Manfredo, Ronkonkoma NY.

For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (800) 435-9262.

—AMA Membership Department

THE NORTHROP FILES

Black-and-white photograph of a model airplane marked 29.

AMA Plans Services houses all plans formerly sold through Model Builder magazine, Bill Northrop’s Plan Service, and the Scratch Builder’s Almanac. There are more than 1,000 plans in the collection.

The 50-inch Turner Special sport airplane is a 2:1 scale of Roscoe Turner’s famous Thompson Trophy-winning racer. The model, designed by Col. Bob Thacker, is 45 inches long, is powered by a .60 engine, and features fiberglass wheel pants.

You can order the Turner Special, plans number 7791, for $22 by calling AMA Plans Service at (800) 435-9262, extension 507.

Printed model airplane plan sheet marked Turner Special.

Second printed model airplane plan sheet, overlapping the Turner Special drawing.

Fifty Years of Nats History

Fifty years ago this July—specifically July 24-30—was the 1967 National Model Airplane Championships (Nats), sponsored by the AMA and hosted by the U.S. Navy. Taking place at the Naval Air Station at Los Alamitos, California, this was one of 25 Nats hosted by the Navy.

Station locations rotated every few years. The Nats were held at the Los Alamitos station in 1952, 1955, 1959, 1963, and 1967. The contests were also held at air stations in Olathe, Kansas (1948-1949, and 1968); Dallas, Texas (1950-1951, 1956, 1960, and 1964); Glenview, Illinois (1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970-1972); and Willow Grove, Pennsylvania (1953, 1957, 1961, 1965, and 1969.)

In the National Model Aviation Museum archives, we have approximately a cubic foot of papers and photographs from the 1967 Nats, not including the objects we have in our permanent collection from that year’s competition.

Many of the photographs we have from the 1967 Nats were taken by Navy staff. The Navy’s professional photographers didn’t just take excellent photos, they also typed descriptions of the people and events they captured, which have proven to be highly useful for research. They’ve given us a glimpse into the contestants’ experiences during that splendid (and sometimes arduous) week of competition.

We have included a few photos of that busy week of competition with this article. All are official U.S. Navy photographs. More photos from the 1967 Nats will be posted on the museum’s blog.

Here are a few fun facts about the 1967 Nats:

This was the 20th consecutive year that the Navy hosted the Nats.
A final report stated that there were 868 total advance and late entries, and 183 total mechanic entries.

Black-and-white photograph of a young contestant beside his model airplane. — “The third contest flight proved disastrous for young [Ronald Freeman’s] model ... Ronald ... has four other models he has qualified for the contests, and although this one won’t fly again, Ronald will.” Release No. MM96/67. (Source: National Model Aviation Museum Archives, #0001 AMA Collection.)

Black-and-white photograph of Debbie Hannon receiving a trophy. — Debbie Hannon receives her trophy for second place in Junior Class B Speed. (Source: National Model Aviation Museum Archives, #0001 AMA Collection.)

More than 500 trophies and prizes were awarded at this Nats.
There were several “National Champion” categories.
Reid Simpson won the Grand National Champion and Open National Champion titles.
Bill Hunter was Senior National Champion.
Dan Wakerly was Junior National Champion.
The Oakland Cloud Dusters club was Club Team Champion.
The United States Air Force team was the National Team Champion.
Three official events were added to Control Line in this year, and one official and two unofficial events were added to Free Flight (FF). The number of RC events remained the same as the previous year.
The event with the most registered contestants was FF 1/2A Gas, with 289 entries and 182 pilots making official flights. A close second was A Gas, with 265 entries and 172 of those entrants making official flights.
Although the National Aeromodeling Championships is referred to as the Nats today, for many years some of the 1967 press materials also referred to it as the “world series” of model aviation.
ABC’s Wide World of Sports featured Nats competition as a segment in a program that aired in September 1967, according to papers in the museum’s archives. The Little League World Series was also featured on that episode.

—National Model Aviation Museum staff

Ed Keck beside his model airplane on the runway. — Ed Keck readies his airplane for takeoff. Source: National Model Aviation Museum Archives, #0001 AMA Collection.

Cliff Telford and Lt. Bob Violett with their airplane. — (L-R): Cliff Telford and Lt. Bob Violett pictured with their airplane. They competed as a team in Class B Speed. Source: National Model Aviation Museum Archives, #0001 AMA Collection.

A bird’s-eye view of a busy Nats registration area. — A bird’s-eye view of Nats registration. Source: National Model Aviation Museum Archives, #0001 AMA Collection.

Four members of the Valley Circle Burners with model aircraft. — Members of the Valley Circle Burners Source: National Model Aviation Museum Archives, #0001 AMA Collection.

Bonnie and Mike Olson holding their jet Speed models. — Married fliers, Bonnie and Mike Olson, with their jet Speed models. Source: National Model Aviation Museum Archives, #0001 AMA Collection.

Don Kinder helps young Wayne Friebis register for an event. — Navy personnel Don Kinder helps 8-year-old Wayne Friebis register for the Hand-Launch Glider event. Source: National Model Aviation Museum Archives, #0001 AMA Collection.