SERIOUS FUN FOR EVERYONE
By Toby Silhavy, AMA Director of Competitions | tobys@modelaircraft.org
THE 2024 AMA National Fun Fly will take place on June 28-30 at the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) in Muncie, Indiana. This year will be bigger and better than ever. The National Fun Fly will focus on flying, fun, and education.
AMA invites pilots to Site 3 of the IAC for general fun-flying of all types. There will be no flying fees this year. Enjoy our 750-foot paved runway for three days of open flying.
Paramotoring will be on Site 4 of the IAC, and several other sites will be used for new pilot training, building and flying your own airplane and rocket, driving RC cars and boats, hearing guest speakers, experiencing Tiny Whoop racing, and witnessing 5-inch MultiGP racing. There will also be a swap shop, airplane pedal car racing for the kids, and much more!
EAA Young Eagle flights will be available at the nearby Reese Airport. Launched in 1992, the Young Eagles program has dedicated 30 years to giving youth ages 8 through 17 their first free ride in an airplane.
The IAC is also proud to offer open cockpit biplane rides from the famous Goodfolk & O’Ty mes Biplane Rides. Please see www.gobiplanerides.com for details and pricing.
The National Model Aviation Museum will be open at no cost to the public during the event. Transportation will be available to travel between the different venues that you might be interested in. The National Fun Fly is dedicated to AMA members and enjoying our hobby.
On Saturday, June 29, Papa Johns will provide a free pizza dinner for the first 100 registered pilots. Du-Bro will be on-site to showcase its latest modeling products and fishing demonstrations with Du-Bro baits and fishing accessories.
AMA could not plan and organize an event of this magnitude without all of the help and support of our sponsors:
- Du-Bro—Presenting Sponsor
- Hitec
- CalAire
- Valley View RC
- Innov8tive Designs
- Toledo RC Swap Meet & Expo
- Papa Johns
If you are interested in becoming an exhibitor, registering for a swap shop table, or obtaining sponsorship information, please visit www.modelaircraft.org/funfly.
THE AMA FOUNDATION TORCHBEARER PROGRAM
By Austin Perlee, AMA Digital Engagement and Development Specialist | austinp@modelaircraft.org
THE AMA FOUNDATION Torchbearer Program is an exclusive initiative crafted to honor and empower individuals who are dedicated to elevating the world of model aviation through philanthropy. As Torchbearers, our participants embody the spirit of leadership, innovation, and a profound commitment to advancing the art and science of model aeronautics.
Torchbearers can choose to support their favorite programs and initiatives: club grants, scholarships, the National Model Aviation Museum, the International Aeromodeling Center, the AMA Foundation Endowment, and so much more.
To become a Torchbearer, visit www.modelaircraft.org/donate, choose the fund of your choice, the “Give Monthly” option, the amount that you wish to give each month, and finish with your payment information. New Torchbearers will receive a welcome kit that is only for monthly donors: a Torchbearer magnet frame, a Torchbearer ceramic campfire mug, and special digital content delivered to your email inbox each month.
AMA Thanks Its Lifetime Supporters!
The Academy of Model Aeronautics recently welcomed Life Members Capt. Benjamin Gutierrez, Santa Maria TX; Aeryk S. Hurley, Vernal UT; Bryan L. Herde, Broken Arrow OK; and William A. Lott, Simi Valley CA.
For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (765) 287-1256, ext. 129.
—AMA Membership department
2024 EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
By Gwen Mathis, AMA Education Development Coordinator | gewnm@modelaircraft.org
THE AMA EDUCATION team has been busy attending various conferences to discuss AMA’s educational resources. These resources allow educators to introduce aviation, aerodynamic principles, and engaging STEAM projects into their educational spaces. We understand that model aviation is often the easiest and least expensive way to become involved in aviation, and AMA seeks to foster youth interest in our favorite hobby by providing free materials and curricula to educators and youth.
AMA Education Development Coordinator Gwen Mathis spoke to educators at the 2024 Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Inc. (HASTI) conference that was held in late February in Indianapolis. She gave a presentation titled, “Inspiring & Equipping a Love for Aviation.” Please note that although the presentation focused heavily on AMA’s free education materials, it did dive into some paid resources and contests.
This presentation covered AMA’s history and practices, The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST), AMA STEAM Quick Projects, our hands-on K-12 AeroLab curriculum, AMA Jr. Camp and Flight Kits, Model Aviation Student Clubs (MASCs), Know Before You Fly Student Drone Kits and curriculum, the Heavy Lift Challenge, UAS4STEM, and resources from some of our educational partners, including NASA, Civil Air Patrol, and the FAA’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Aviation and Space Education Program.
The team also attended the 2024 National Science Teaching Association conference that was held in Denver in March.
The AMA Education team spoke alongside NASA STEM Integration Lead April Lanotte about including NASA’s Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations project in the classroom. The NASA team generously offered some of its presentation time to AMA to discuss TRUST, MASCs, UAS4STEM, how to find local AMA clubs, and how to use resources from our educational partners.
The AMA Education team has been fortunate to have so many opportunities to share our efforts with passionate educators. We look forward to seeing where flight takes our members and learners!
BUNA ALLEN WALKER (1931-2024)
BUNA ALLEN “MICKEY” WALKER was born on September 30, 1931, and passed away on February 10, 2024. A modeler since 1936, Mickey’s contributions to model aviation were bountiful.
Mickey got his start in aeromodeling in 1936, when he was gifted a solid model of Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis airplane. A few years later, in 1941, Mickey received and built his first gas-powered model, a Stanzel Interceptor with an Ohlsson & Rice 23 engine.
In 1947, Mickey won first place in Class C Gas in his first contest, held in Griffin, Georgia. In 1954, he won third place in his first RC contest after learning to fly RC aircraft only two years before!
Mickey not only enjoyed the competitive side of the hobby, but he also enjoyed giving back to the community with his talents and knowledge. He built identification models for the government during World War II; these models were used to train pilots and antiaircraft gunners. From 1972 to 1978, Mickey opened and ran a hobby shop, Complete Model Supply, to ensure that modelers could continue to enjoy the hobby after a previous hobby shop had closed.
Numerous clubs and organizations have Mickey to thank for their creation. These clubs include, but are not limited to, the Tri County Radio Control Club, the Cobb County Radio Control Club, and the Cobb County Radio Control Competition Team. Mickey served as president for all of them. He founded the Senior Pattern Association (SPA) and served as president, newsletter editor, chairman of the board, and contest director (CD) for the SPA Masters Championships. Mickey also served as president of the Society of Antique Modelers Chapter 47, starting in 1994.
Mickey joined AMA in 1941 and eventually became an AMA CD and Leader Member. In 1998, he was awarded the AMA Pioneer Award and was inducted into the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame in 2002.
In addition to his success in competition, community outreach, and club building, Mickey found success in the building and designing portion of the hobby. He remanufactured the Cobey Waite engine after
Model Builder Plans
AMA PLANS SERVICE now houses all plans formerly sold through Model Builder, Bill Northrup’s Plan Service, and the Scratch Builder’s Almanac. There are more than 18,000 plans in the collection.
The Pee Wee, formerly known as the Shrimpo, is a Free Flight aircraft designed by Malcolm Abzug and drawn by Al Patterson. This aircraft was published in the May 1983 issue of Model Builder as the Old Timer Model of the Month! All parts of the Pee Wee are balsa, unless otherwise noted in the plans.
Malcolm’s Pee Wee has a 45-inch wingspan, 32-inch length, and 20-ounce weight. Plans for the Pee Wee, plans number 5830T, can be purchased for $8 by visiting https://plans.modelaircraft.org or calling the AMA Plans Service at (765) 287-1256, ext. 507.
History Preserved
New Additions to the Archives and Library
THIS MONTH, we will look at a few of the many materials that have been recently donated to the National Model Aviation Museum archives and Lee Renaud Memorial Library.
From July 2023 through February 2024, we added seven books and a whopping 434 periodicals (magazines, journals, and newsletters) from a dozen donations. Those numbers do not include library materials received by other means, such as subscriptions or internal transfers from other AMA departments. Our donors rock!
Roughly half of the periodicals donated were issues of The “Monthly” Bat Sheet newsletters from the 1970s through the 2000s (LIB2023.15), which was a publication of the Washington State-based Strat-O-Bats model airplane club. Our in-person visitors this summer will find those issues available on our library shelves. The image here includes one issue from each decade: December 1973, January 1985, June 1991, and July 2005.
Throughout 2023, we also received quite a few archives donations from more than a dozen donors that included photographs, scrapbooks, instruction booklets/manuals, film, clippings, and more. The following are a few of the many items added to the archives.
- According to the cover of this 1930s reprint booklet of the Junior Birdmen Air Course, it was prepared for the Junior Birdmen of America (JBA) by the U.S. Bureau of Air Commerce. It contains 26 lessons about full-scale aviation divided into three parts: “History of Aviation,” “Airplane Mechanics,” and “Piloting an Aircraft.” Tucked inside is a flyer from the same time period for ordering JBA handbooks (marked as only 10¢ each) and sweater emblems (advertised at only 25¢ each). You can’t find prices like that anymore. These were included with a collection of Chicago-based newspaper clippings from 1935, all originally collected by Solange D’Hooghe. (A2023.13, Solange D’Hooghe Collection.) Solange held both private and commercial pilot licenses and served as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) during World War II. To learn more about the JBA, read the “History Preserved” article in the July 2011 issue of Model Aviation, available in the Model Aviation Digital Archive/Library (https://library.ModelAviation.com).
- Included in a collection of films and photographic material are the film reel box and three canisters pictured. These particular films are marked as holding footage from the 1966 Nats, 1975 Nats, 1964 King Orange International (KOI), and flying in Nashville, circa 1962-1963 (also marked “K.O.I. 12/63,” so we believe that it includes 1963 KOI footage as well; A2023.11, donated in memory of Frank Schwartz—AMA 123). You can read about the history of the KOI in Brian Malin’s January 2015 article in Model Aviation titled “King Orange International: A Look Back at 60 Years of Competition.” As of this writing, Brian’s article was available to read on the Model Aviation website at www.ModelAviation.com/kingorange. The January 2015 issue is also available in the Model Aviation Digital Library (https://library.ModelAviation.com).
- Included with a donation of plans, library, and archives materials were handy guides, such as this 1983 building and flying instruction booklet for Sig Manufacturing’s Radio Control Astro-Hog (kit number RC-55), an undated operating manual for an Airtronics RD6000 radio system, and an undated assembly manual for a Seagull Models AT-6 Texan ARF model. (A2023.09.02, donated by Paul A. Moorman—AMA L25202.)
- Two scrapbooks donated by Mel Santmyers contain photographic prints, clippings, writings, and other memorabilia. In Mel’s own words from the inside cover of his scrapbook labeled “1” (pictured here), these books represent more than six decades of his aeromodeling life: “Lotsa years. Lotsa planes. Lotsa miles. Lotsa Fun.” (A2023.07, donated by Mel Santmyers). We also have Mel’s autobiography in the AMA History Project at www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/SantmyersMelW.pdf.
Thank you to all of our donors. We appreciate your generosity!
Would you like to donate your collection of aeromodeling-related papers, photos, or audiovisual materials to our archives? Are you looking to pass along some books, magazines, or newsletters for our library? Give us a call or send us a message so that we can discuss our current library and archives needs. Call (765) 287-1256, ext. 511, or email us at museumarchives@modelaircraft.org. Our donation process can be found at www.modelaircraft.org/museum/donate/museum-donation-guide. Also, check out our National Model Aviation Museum wish list at www.modelaircraft.org/museum/donate/museum-wish-list for a list of items that we’re especially looking for. We can mail you printouts of our donation guide or wish list upon request.
Do you want to see more of our collections online? We keep adding to our Digital Collection website at https://modelaircraft.pastperfectonline.com.
Do you want to visit the museum in person? If you missed our special open days for the solar eclipse, we’ll be open to the public again starting Monday, May 6. Our full 2024 schedule is on our website at www.modelaircraft.org/museum/museum-info.
