NEW E-NEWSLETTER LAUNCHES
AMA HAS LAUNCHED a new weekly e-newsletter called AMA This Week. Content that was formerly published in the biweekly e-newsletters AMA Today, Media Minute, and Rotor Report is now being migrated into AMA This Week. The first issue of AMA This Week was sent to subscribers via email on June 28, 2022.
What’s unique about AMA This Week is that parts of the newsletter are tailored to the reader’s interests. Those who have indicated in their AMA membership profiles that they are interested in Free Flight (FF), for example, will receive special FF content. The scenario is the same for Control Line, RC, etc.
If you have not recently updated your AMA membership profile, or your interests in the hobby have changed, you can do so by signing into your account online at www.modelaircraft.org.
To sign up to receive AMA This Week, visit www.modelaircraft.org/newsletters/ama-week.
Build a 1940 Nats Winner
AMA PLANS SERVICE houses all plans formerly sold through Model Builder magazine, Bill Northrop’s Plan Service, and the Scratch Builder’s Almanac. There are more than 18,000 plans in the collection.
The Lanzo Stick, a rubber-powered aircraft designed by Chet Lanzo, features a 54-inch wingspan. It won the 1940 Nats that was held in Chicago.
You can order plans for the Lanzo Stick, plans number 1174, at plans.modelaircraft.org for $14.
AMA Thanks Its Lifetime Supporters!
The Academy of Model Aeronautics recently welcomed Life Members Mark J. Senior, Fountain Lake, Egg Harbor Township NJ; Otto W. Dieffenbach, San Diego CA; Scott D. Marchant, Redlands CA; Trevor R. Strupp, Livingston MT; and Roberto Cortes, San Diego CA.
For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (800) 435-9262.
—AMA Membership Department
SCALE AEROMODELING AND THE NATIONAL AEROMODELING CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Michael Smith, National Model Aviation Museum Director
AMA MARKS 1923 as the beginning of the National Aeromodeling Championships (Nats). At first, it was a Free Flight (FF)-only contest; in time, RC and Control Line (CL) were added. Within each discipline, a variety of events emerged, but one that crossed all three disciplines was Scale, replicating a full-scale aircraft in miniature.
Scale models have been around almost from the beginning of the hobby. At first, they were known as fliers versus the A-Frame and T-Frame models called racers. Models were built of Wright biplanes, Nieuports, Blériots, Antoinettes, and even Langley’s Aerodrome. Too heavy to compete in the distance and duration contests of the day, they were built and flown for enjoyment. The first Nats to feature a Scale contest was in 1928, but it was for Static (non-flying) Scale. William Dennis won with a Curtiss Hawk.
In 1937, the first FF Scale flying event at the Nats was held. Leo Bailey, flying a
NEW LEADER CLUBS
THREE CLUBS HAVE BEEN selected as AMA Leader Clubs.
The Catalina RC Modelers, Inc., of Tucson, Arizona, has been named a Gold Leader Club. Selected as Silver Leader Clubs are the Cedar Rapids SkyHawks, Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the Bartow County Model Aviation club of Rydal, Georgia.
To become a Leader Club, an organization must have been chartered by AMA for at least five years and its membership must be open to all AMA members. The club must also develop and post safety and operational rules at its flying site, have a copy of those rules on file at AMA Headquarters, have the AMA Safety Code posted at the club field, and have separate areas for pilots and spectators at its flying site.
If your group is interested in becoming a Leader Club, a link to the online application can be found at www.modelaircraft.org/clubs/recognition-rewards/ama-leader-clubs. Contact Lois Mock with questions at (765) 287-1256, ext. 291, or loism@modelaircraft.org.
Corbin Super Ace, won and received the William O’Neal Trophy for Flying Scale. CL Scale appeared at the 1948 Nats. Notable CL Stunt modeler JC Yates won, flying a PT Stearman of his own design. It was built by another notable CL flier, Bob Palmer. JC wrote a construction article for the model that appeared in the April 1950 issue of Air Trails Pictorial.
In RC, 1957 was the first year for Scale events. George Kilbey won with a 1/5-scale WACO. When George passed away in 1992, his friend, George Bassett, was kind enough to store the model and it had been there since.
The museum discovered that the model still existed in February 2022. We are excited to announce that we acquired the model, transmitter, and first-place trophy from his son, Mark. The WACO will be placed on display as part of the new Scale exhibit.
