Author: Holly Silvers

Edition: Model Aviation - 2026/06
Page Numbers: 14, 15, 16, 17
In the Air

Taking Off in the Hobby

Nats Rewind: The Navy Nats 1948-1972

By Holly Silvers, Associate Editor hollys@modelaircraft.org

No matter your skill level, model aviation is for everyone, and there’s always someone out there willing to show you the ropes. Photo by Bryce Hutchens.

The dream of flight usually starts small, with a gift, a teacher, a movie—but AMA is here to help you get airborne. Whether you’re looking for a local club, FAA registration help, or to compete in your first competition, we ensure that your introduction into the hobby is safe, educational, and, most importantly, fun.

Preparing for Takeoff

First, it’s important to make sure that the basics are covered before you get in the air. All AMA members are required to follow the AMA Safety Code, part of which includes:

  • Registering with the FAA and complying with Remote ID
  • Taking The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST)

AMA’s Government Affairs department is eager and ready to help. Take a look at the “AMA In Action” webpage, which can be found in “Sources,” to get an overview of the rules and regulations that AMA members must adhere to, to download the TRUST study guide, and more.

Suiting Up

With nearly 2,400 chartered clubs, finding a home field is easy. Visit AMA’s Club Finder tool (the link to which can be found in “Sources”) to find flying sites, club contact information, and more. If you’re flying solo without a club but still need a place to fly, the Club Finder tool can also be used to find FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) and Remote ID Exemption (RIDE) flying sites.

Gaining Focus

Stay sharp with AMA Flight School. The AMA Education department offers resources for all skill levels, including:

  • STEAM programs and scholarships
  • Model Aviation Student Clubs and University Model Aviation Student Clubs
  • Intro Pilot Ground School and UAS4STEM
  • Free DIY Quick Projects

Visit the AMA Flight School link in “Sources” to find all that the Education department has to offer.

Taking Off

Put your skills to the test by participating in a competition. Find sanctioned events (swap meets, fun-flys, etc.) in AMA’s Event Calendar. Our community is ready to help with any event and/or travel questions—don’t hesitate to call!

Off the Field

Enjoy the hobby off the field with Model Aviation magazine. Available in print and digital, it’s your source for build tips, aircraft reviews, and community news. Visit the website in “Sources” for a better look at what it has to offer.

The journey of a thousand flights begins with a single takeoff. Thank you for joining AMA; we’re happy to share the sky with you!

Editor’s note: The following article first appeared in the November 2011 issue of Model Aviation as part of the ongoing “History Preserved” series from the National Model Aviation Museum.

For 25 years, the National Model Airplane Meet, National A.M.A. Model Airplane Meet, or National Model Airplane Championships—now known simply as the Nats—was held in conjunction with the U.S. Navy, utilizing its staff, financial backing, and naval air stations (NAS) across the nation for modeling events. The Navy was rewarded with good advertising, goodwill, and influencing a new generation of model (and full-scale) aviation enthusiasts.

Station locations rotated every few years and included the following:

  • NAS Olathe, Kansas: 1948 - 1949, 1968
  • NAS Dallas, Texas: 1950-1951, 1956, 1960, 1964
  • NAS Los Alamitos, California: 1952, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1967
  • NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania: 1953, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1969
  • NAS Glenview, Illinois: 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970-1972
Participants in a UAS4STEM event at the 2024 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, in Oshkosh, Wis. Hutchens photo.
Participants in a UAS4STEM event at the 2024 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, in Oshkosh, Wis. Hutchens photo.

2026 Club Training Day Starter Kits

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

AMA was fortunate to have had the Navy’s backing for so long. As the 1970s loomed, the Navy’s budget for these types of activities dwindled. In fact, the 1972 Nats was in jeopardy!

According to an AMA announcement dated March 30, 1972, “Navy hosting of the Nats has hung by a slim thread for many years. Several times since about 1964 the Navy came close to dropping out of the Nats program. Each time there was a reprieve—usually at the last minute. AMA officers waited out very critical and trying delays in 1970 and 1971 as the Navy sought various ways to somehow retain the program despite severe shortages of funds, facilities, and manpower.”

A letter from the Department of the Navy, dated March 27, 1972, stated, “We do not have the men or resources to continue to support your program or others like it ... We regret the necessity to terminate Navy sponsorship of the National Championships this year ... ”
With AMA providing more financial and staff assistance than ever before, and still with the possibility that the whole thing would be canceled at the last minute, the Navy and AMA were able to squeeze out one more year for a 25-year run.

The 1972 Nats was held July 24-30 at NAS Glenview, near Chicago. Despite heavy rain the first day, the event went well and more than 2,000 registered participants attended.

The Navy had professional photographers on hand at the events. Because of this, the National Model Aviation Museum’s archives include quite a few boxes of great photographs from various Navy Nats.

The staff photographers documented their photos with lengthy descriptions of the subjects. Few photos from previous or post-Navy Nats are as well documented.

—Jackie Shalberg, Museum Archivist
jackies@modelaircraft.org

because of the success of last year’s inaugural Club Training Day Starter Kit initiative, the AMA Foundation is excited to once again offer them to AMA Introductory Pilot Program (IPP) clubs across the country!

This year, IPP clubs have two opportunities to receive a kit and strengthen their training efforts in their local communities. The first kits, which focused on Free Flight, were awarded in April, and the second kits, which focus on aircraft building, will launch toward the end of 2026. The AMA Foundation is proud to continue supporting IPP clubs with resources to help expand training efforts, host events, and introduce new people to the world of model aviation.

With a total of 165 Club Training Day Starter Kits being distributed throughout the year, IPP clubs are aptly prepared to welcome newcomers to their flying fields, provide unintimidating introductions to model aviation, and serve as mentors to prospective hobbyists. All IPP clubs are great resources—not only those that are awarded Club Training Day Starter Kits!

The AMA Foundation encourages you to reach out to local IPP clubs to receive flight training and helpful information. Whether you choose to spectate, buddy-box, or learn transmitter basics, you won’t leave disappointed! To find an IPP club near you, utilize AMA’s online Club Finder tool. To learn which IPP clubs in your area were awarded a Club Training Day Starter Kit, visit the AMA Foundation website, listed in “Sources.”

A2017.20.113—An identification tag from the first Navy Nats in 1948. At the bottom of the tag, it states, “In co-operation with U.S. Naval Air Station.”
A2017.20.113—An identification tag from the first Navy Nats in 1948. At the bottom of the tag, it states, “In co-operation with U.S. Naval Air Station.”
2012.17.20—A button that was used by John Worth, former AMA executive director from 1964-1991, at the second-to-last Navy Nats in 1971.
2012.17.20—A button that was used by John Worth, former AMA executive director from 1964-1991, at the second-to-last Navy Nats in 1971.
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More Nats Materials in THE Digital Collections

By Jackie Shalberg, National Model Aviation Museum Archivist and Historian jackies@modelaircraft.org

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.

First appearing in the pages of the February 1986 issue of Model Builder, the Square Trainer is a stable, high-wing aircraft that was designed specifically for newcomers. The model prioritizes simplicity and features a sheet balsa fuselage and a Clark Y-type airfoil.

The Square Trainer’s long tail moment and reliable stability allow it to return to level flight automatically, making it an ideal first project for scratch builders. It has excellent ground handling and provides steady performance for beginners who need to build confidence while flying.

Plans for the Square Trainer, plans number MB2861, can be ordered for $18 by visiting plans.modelaircraft.org or by calling the AMA Plans Service at (765) 1256, ext. 507.

History Preserved

For the last few years, I’ve ramped up the addition of Nats materials to our Digital Collections in anticipation of this year’s 100th running of the event. As I write this, I’m in the middle of adding a group of approximately 50 photo contact sheets that contain pictures taken by a past AMA employee, Carl Wheeley, of the 1978 Nats, from the Academy of Model Aeronautics Collection #0001. Most of the contact sheets contain 12 images.

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The 1978 Nats were held at three Louisiana locations: Chennault Air Force Base in Lake Charles (Outdoor events), Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles (Indoor events), and the Lake Charles Radio Kontrol Society (LARKS) field near Sulphur (RC Helicopter and Soaring events).

Not only do the photos taken by Carl show Nats event action in these locations, but they also show the setup and behind-the-scenes work by AMA workers, Nats officials, volunteers, and contestants. There are also photos of a Nats officials’ party and kids building and flying Delta Dart stick-and-tissue models.

I’ve included two of these contact sheets with this article. Images in these two contact sheets include Nats registration (from both the contestants’ and workers’ viewpoints); the hobby shop, t-shirt, and trophy tables; and Nats signage, decorations, and construction preparation.

I also included two pages from Carl’s notebook, where he briefly described the photos. The notebook was not just helpful for Carl and Model Aviation staff back in 1978; it continues to be of great assistance to me nearly five decades later as I attempt to accurately identify and describe the photos. It will also continue to be of help far into the future for our staff and researchers.

Some of the photos marked with handwritten checks and rectangles made their way into Model Aviation. For example, the photo in the upper right corner of one of the contact sheets shows several people building wood-framed, chain-link fencing and can be found on page 23 of the November 1978 issue of Model Aviation in the “Nats ’78” article. The caption reads, “Construction of safety screens was a necessary chore on the weekend prior to start of the Nats. Twenty such screens were built, to serve both Control Line Speed and Radio Control Pylon events.”

Further information can be gleaned from page one of Carl’s notebook, particularly who is in the photo: “12 - worker - [?] George Seiley - Guy Richardson Dan Garfinkel.” I’ll continue to piece together information from these kinds of resources to build the context of these wonderful 48-year-old images.

You can find these contact sheets—and additional Nats material—in the museum’s Digital Collections; the link is in “Sources.” Search for “Nats” or “National Aeromodeling Championships (Nats)” in the keyword search (include quotation marks).

Some Nats materials are also linked with search terms using the year of the Nats. For example, the search term that links items from the Nats held in 1978 is “1978 Nats.” Not all Nats records are linked in this way yet, but I’m working on adding more Nats keywords to records as time allows.

You can read the November 1978 issue of Model Aviation in the Model Aviation Archive Library, which is linked in “Sources.” Read more about Carl’s work with AMA as the publisher of Model Aviation—and so much more—on the AMA History Project website, which is also listed in “Sources.”

Other Nats Resources Online

Did you know that we have more resources about the Nats available online beyond the museum’s Digital Collections? On the main AMA History Project website, we have a section titled, “AMA and Aeromodeling History Hub.” As the name suggests, this is a hub of links to all kinds of historical reference material: some from the museum’s collections, some produced by AMA, and a few from other sources. You can find the website address in “Sources.”

Some of the Nats resource materials linked there include:

  • A list of past Nats locations and dates starting with the 1923 Nats.
  • The “History Preserved” article from the October 2018 issue of Model Aviation about Nats posters in the museum archives.
  • A 2017 video from the museum’s Fly By series about the Mulvihill Trophy (which continues to be awarded at the Nats).
  • A Model Aviation video about the Navy Nats, featuring an interview with Museum Director Michael Smith.
  • Past issues of Nats News from 2008 to the late 2010s.
  • Spreadsheets of the Nats top scorers going back to 1923 (several different links, organized by decade).
  • The “History Preserved” article from the March 2024 Model Aviation issue about the word “Nats.”
  • A Model Aviation celebratory article from 2016 about 90 years of competition.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics recently welcomed Life Members James J. Berriman, Boston, Mass.; Aaron L. Johnson, Odenton, Md.; Tyler S. Kastens, Holland, Mich.; Dale C. Walker, Webberville, Mich.; and Peter Walker, Roanoke, Texas.

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

—AMA Membership department

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SOURCES

SOURCES

  • Model Aviation , November 2011
    library.modelaviation.com/edition/model-aviation-201111
  • A2017.20.113
    David and Walter Erbach Collection, #0417
    Donated by the Erbach family
    National Model Aviation Museum, Muncie, Ind.
  • 2012.17.20
    From the estate of John Worth
    National Model Aviation Museum, Muncie, Ind.

SOURCES

SOURCES