Author: Clarissa Poston

Edition: Model Aviation - 2026/05
Page Numbers: 14, 15, 16, 17
In the Air

Remembering Jean Pailet

Jean G. Pailet passed away on February 6 at the age of 94. He devoted more than 80 years to model aviation as a competitor, designer, contest official, and leader. Jean received the AMA Distinguished Service Award in 1970, and he was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2010.

Born May 21, 1931, and raised in Queens, New York, Jean began building models at just five years old and won his first contest in 1947 with a record-setting Control Line (CL) Speed flight of 96.5 mph using his own design. He attended his first AMA Nats in 1948 and went on to attend virtually every Nats from the 1960s through the early 2000s.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Jean competed in CL Stunt and had multiple airplane designs featured in publications such as Model Builder. He served for many years on the AMA CL Contest Board, ultimately as chairman, and helped draft long-standing contest procedures. He also founded and served as the longtime president of the Long Island Association of Model Airplane Clubs and conducted numerous AMA-sanctioned CL and Indoor Free Flight events.

Jean’s airplane designs include the Shuri-King, Genie Redux, Tow Soar Two, and the Classic 320. In 1994, the Shuri-King was named the National Free Flight Society’s Small Gas Model of the Year. In January 2002, Jean set the first national record in the AMA 1/2A Classic Power event with a time of 11:46, flying his Classic 320.

Jean served in the U.S. Air Force right out of high school, earned degrees, including a Master of Business Administration in engineering and business, and spent 38 years working at Grumman Aerospace (now Northrop Grumman), retiring in 1987. He and his wife, Doris, raised two sons, Bruce and Barry, in Brookeville, New York, where he designed, built, and landscaped his own home.

AMA and the modeling community thank Jean for his numerous contributions to the hobby and his decades of competition, innovation, and mentorship. His dedication, ingenuity, and sportsmanship will be remembered at flying fields across the country for years to come.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics recently welcomed Life Members Bryce Mannen, The Woodlands, Texas; Rodrigo Cortes, San Diego, Calif.; Larry Burns Sr., Youngstown, Fla.; Stephan Joshua, Snellville, Ga.; Daniel P. Reiss, Hood River, Ore.; and Brett Shoup, Armagh, Pa.

For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (765) 287-1256, ext. 129.

—AMA Membership department

AMA Plans Service now 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 Krier Great Lakes is a sport-scale biplane that captures the classic beauty of the 1930s-era original. Known for its compact proportions and aerobatic heritage, the design reflects the character of the full-scale aircraft while remaining practical for sport flying. Built primarily from balsa and plywood, the model features a fully sheeted fuselage, interplane struts, and a scale outline.

Typically designed for glow engines in the .60-size range, the Krier Great Lakes offers spirited performance with smooth, predictable handling. With adequate power, it is capable of classic aerobatic maneuvers while maintaining the vintage appeal that makes the Great Lakes a favorite among Scale enthusiasts.

Plans for the Krier Great Lakes, plans number 1081, can be ordered for $27 by visiting plans.modelaircraft.org or by calling the AMA Plans Service at (765) 287-1256, ext. 507.

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Honor a Loved One With a Discounted Walk of Fame Brick

Nats rewind: The Traveling Nats

By Clarissa Poston, AMA Foundation Chief Communications Officer clarissap@modelaircraft.org

By Holly Silvers, Associate Editor hollys@modelaircraft.org

Each year, the AMA Foundation holds various Walk of Fame brick sales, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to affordably engrave their legacy into the hobby of model aviation. These sales not only allow active AMA members to purchase a brick in their name, but they also provide the opportunity for members to purchase a brick in honor of a loved one who has passed.

One of these brick sales begins this month! Throughout the month of May, all Walk of Fame bricks will be 10% off in honor of Memorial Day, ensuring that our members have the opportunity to honor fellow hobbyists, friends, and/or family who have lost their lives in service.

This year’s Memorial Day Walk of Fame brick sale will be applicable from May 1-31. Walk of Fame bricks are available in various shapes, sizes, and materials, and they can be ordered by visiting AMA’s website. To receive your 10% off discount, use code “MemBrick” at checkout.

With more than 1,500 bricks already engraved and in place, the AMA Foundation looks forward to continuing to share the legacies of our hobbyists from across the globe. For any questions related to the Walk of Fame and brick options, contact AMA Foundation Deputy Director Rachelle Haughn.

As mentioned in the March “Nats Rewind” column, the first official Nats event took place in St. Louis as part of the 1923 International Air Races. Since then, the Nats has traveled across the country, from mountain valleys to desert fields and wide-open plains under a cloudless sky. Each location has offered its own challenges (and delights!), but the spirit of competition remains the same no matter what the weather or view the flightline has to offer.

As we inch toward the 100th Nats, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at where all of the Nats competitions have taken place throughout the past century.

1923 to 1939: The Early Years

  • 1923, 1935: St. Louis MO
  • 1924, 1931: Dayton OH
  • 1925: Long Island NY
  • 1926: Philadelphia PA
  • 1927: Memphis TN
  • 1928-1930, 1936-1939: Detroit MI
  • 1932: Atlantic City NJ
  • 1933: New York NY
  • 1934: Akron OH

1940 to 1959: Mid-Century Shifts

Through the Lens: Remembering the Mint Julep Scale Meets

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A2023.01.138a-b—(L-R): Mike Stott and Jim Van Loo at the 1967 Nats in Los Alamitos, Calif. Official United States Navy photograph.
A2023.01.138a-b—(L-R): Mike Stott and Jim Van Loo at the 1967 Nats in Los Alamitos, Calif. Official United States Navy photograph.

By Marissa Coleman, Image Digitizing Specialist marissac@modelaircraft.org

  • 1941: Chicago IL
  • 1943-1945: Canceled because of World War II
  • 1946: Wichita KS
  • 1947: Minneapolis MN; Monticello MO
  • 1948-1949 (start of the Navy Nats): Olathe KS (Outdoor); Kansas City MO (Indoor)
  • 1950-1951, 1956: Dallas/Fort Worth TX
  • 1952, 1955, 1959: Los Alamitos/Santa Ana/Long Beach CA
  • 1953, 1957: Willow Grove PA (Outdoor); Lakehurst NJ (Indoor)
  • 1954, 1958: Glenview (Outdoor)/Chicagoland airport (Indoor) IL

1960 to 1989: The Traveling Era

  • 1960, 1964: Dallas/Fort Worth TX
  • 1961, 1965, 1969: Willow Grove PA (Outdoor); Lakehurst NJ (Indoor)
  • 1962, 1966, 1970-1972: Glenview (Outdoor)/Chicagoland airport (Indoor) IL
  • 1963, 1967: Los Alamitos CA
  • 1968: Olathe, KS (Outdoor); Kansas City MO (Indoor)
  • 1973: Oshkosh WI (Outdoor); Chicago IL (Indoor)
  • 1974, 1975, 1978, 1986: Lake Charles/Sulphur/DeQuincy LA
  • 1976, 1980: Dayton/Wilmington/Springfield/Columbus/Cincinnati OH
  • 1977: Riverside/San Jacinto/San Bernardino CA
  • 1979, 1982, 1987: Lincoln NE
  • 1981: Seguin TX
  • 1983, 1985, 1992: Chicopee MA
  • 1984: Reno NV
  • 1988: Norfolk/Tidewater VA
  • 1989, 1995: Tri-Cities (Passo/Kennewick/Richland) WA

1990 to Present: The Home Base Era

  • 1990-1991, 1993: Lawrenceville IL
  • 1994: Lubbock TX
  • 1996-Present: Muncie IN (Outdoor)
  • Indoor Sites: Johnson City TN (1993, 1996-2012, 2025); Moscow ID (1995, 2014, 2023-2024); Champaign IL (2013); Colorado Springs CO (2015); Rantoul IL (2016-2019); Eager/Springville AZ (2019-2020, 2022); Blytheville AR (2017-2019); Pontiac MI (2021, 2026)

The list above represents a century of history, but the real story lies within the memories of those who were there. Do you have memories or photos you’d like to share of Nats past? Whether you have a story about your first time competing in an event or photos from your first trip to the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) in Muncie, Indiana, we’d like to hear from you! Send your story and/or photos to hollys@modelaircraft.org for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of Model Aviation.

The 2026 Outdoor Nats will be held in Muncie at the IAC from July 5 through August 5. Indoor events will be held at the UWM Sports Complex in Pontiac, Michigan, on July 10-13. We hope to see you there to make even more memories!

History Preserved

As a Kentuckian turned Hoosier, I can’t let this time of year pass without noting that the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby is upon us. For many, the Derby is as much about tradition as it is about racing. It also marks 89 years of the Mint Julep being served as the event’s signature drink, a fitting tribute to the Bluegrass State. After all, what better way to celebrate than by combining two of Kentucky’s best-known exports?

A2020.10.1422—Modelers at the 1984 Nats, which was held in Reno, Nev., where the Sierra Nevada mountains provided a beautiful backdrop for the event.
A2020.10.1422—Modelers at the 1984 Nats, which was held in Reno, Nev., where the Sierra Nevada mountains provided a beautiful backdrop for the event.
A2017.20.208—A map for attendees of the 1967 Nats in California. Outdoor events were held at Naval Air Station Los Alamitos. Indoor events were held at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Ana.
A2017.20.208—A map for attendees of the 1967 Nats in California. Outdoor events were held at Naval Air Station Los Alamitos. Indoor events were held at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Ana.
A2022.25.1339—Signs for the 1974 Nats, which was held in Lake Charles, La.
A2022.25.1339—Signs for the 1974 Nats, which was held in Lake Charles, La.

When I relocated to Muncie, Indiana, and began work on the digitization grant project for the National Model Aviation Museum, I was amused to discover that the “Mint Julep” tradition extends beyond Churchill Downs. In the archives, I encountered numerous photographs referencing the Mint Julep Scale Meet, an annual model aviation event that carries a name as distinctly southern as the drink itself.

With next month marking the 55th Mint Julep Scale Meet and having recently finished uploading all of the slides from the Robert Henderson Munn and Wischer Family collections to the museum’s digital collections, now feels like the perfect moment to revisit a few of the meets that have been preserved in these images. For those who are interested in learning more, Stan Alexander’s “50th Annual Mint Julep Scale Contest” article in the October 2022 Model Aviation marked the event’s 50th anniversary and explored the early days of the Mint Julep Scale Meet. The link to the article can be found in “Sources.”

Robert “Bob” Henderson Munn attended the 1982 Mint Julep Scale Meet and captured the event through a series of vivid photographs. His images showcase a range of meticulously crafted models, including an F-4 Phantom and pilots proudly posing with their aircraft. Among them is Robert “Bob” Underwood, who, according to his AMA History Project biography, founded the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA), the AMA Special Interest Group that promotes various forms of Scale competition such as the Mint Julep, alongside his D-12 Wittman Bonzo model.

A few years later, dynamic duo Bob and Margaret “Dolly” Wischer documented the meet through their own lens. Working closely as a team during Bob’s 16-year tenure as an FAI Scale Subcommittee member, they captured not only the impressive lineup of models but also the vibrant crowd that gathered, participants chatting along the flightline and carefully preparing their aircraft, and members of the crowd snapping photos of their own. Frequently chronicling these events in writing, they also contributed articles and pictures both individually and collaboratively to Model Aviation’s “Radio Control: Scale” column.

According to his biography, Bob’s talent extended beyond documentation, earning first-place finishes at the 1988, 1994, and 1995 Mint Julep contests.

From the racetrack to the flying field, the Mint Julep tradition reflects a shared spirit of craftsmanship, camaraderie, and competition. If you’re interested in attending this year’s Mint Julep Scale Meet, be sure to visit the Rosewood RC Flyers’ website for more information; the link can be found in “Sources.”

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A2020.10.1385—A camouflage F-4 Phantom lands with its parachute deployed.
A2020.10.1385—A camouflage F-4 Phantom lands with its parachute deployed.
A2022.25.2526—Various models sit on the ground, including a blue-and-yellow Douglas A-4 Skyhawk in the paint scheme of the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels.
A2022.25.2526—Various models sit on the ground, including a blue-and-yellow Douglas A-4 Skyhawk in the paint scheme of the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels.
A2022.25.2528—A crowd of people surrounds various model airplanes indoors at the 1982 Mint Julep Scale Meet.
A2022.25.2528—A crowd of people surrounds various model airplanes indoors at the 1982 Mint Julep Scale Meet.

Photo captions

A2020.10.1378—Bob Underwood and his D-12 Wittman Bonzo.

A2022.25.2531—A green and white Cessna 182 Skylane in front of a booth for the RC Sky Knights Inc.

SOURCES

SOURCES

SOURCES

  • AMA Nats
    nats.modelaircraft.org
  • A2023.01.138a-b
    National Model Aviation Museum Digital Collections
  • A2022.25.1339
    Wischer Family Collection, #0031, Donated by William Wischer
    National Model Aviation Museum, Muncie, Ind.
  • A2017.20.208
    David and Walter Erbach Collection, #0417
    National Model Aviation Museum, Muncie, Ind.
  • A2020.10.1422
    Robert Henderson Munn Collection, #0488, From the Estate of Robert H. Munn
    National Model Aviation Museum, Muncie, Ind.

SOURCES