MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES
By Rob Kurek, AMA Communications Director | rkurek@modelaircraft.org
DO MILESTONE anniversaries matter? Why should they? To see where you are going, you sometimes must first look back to where you have been.
Just to name a few, in our personal lives, we have birthdays and wedding anniversaries that tell the story of our journey. Many AMA chartered clubs have celebrated 50th and even 75th anniversaries, a testament that model aviation is not just about the airplanes; it’s the camaraderie of flying with friends that endures. In the business world, the same rules apply, and they too become reasons to celebrate.
In this issue, we celebrate AMA’s 90th anniversary as a nonprofit organization, founded by—and for—you, the member. However, for those who believe that model aviation began with AMA, think again. We’re also celebrating Paul K. Guillow Inc.’s 100th anniversary, a legacy manufacturer that has evolved with the hobby and remains strong and relevant in 2026. We want to congratulate Guillow’s and what it has given model aviation: products that stand the test of time and changing cultures.
As I write this, we are one month away from the 100th running of the Nats, sponsored by Du-Bro. AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, will come alive with dozens of RC, Control Line, and Free Flight events, many of them simultaneously. Where else can you go to see such a diverse array of model aviation competitions taking place at one time? The answer is here, in the cornfields of Indiana.
For fun, I pulled the November 1976 Model Aviation issue, which celebrated the 50th Nats and coincided with the United States Bicentennial. The last line of an article in it that talked about the Nats stated, “We’re done with the first 50 years, now on to the next 50.”
For AMA, the countdown to its 100th anniversary, which will take place in 2036, has officially begun! What might seem like a long way off will be here in the time it takes your son or daughter to go from kindergarten to high school. For those of us with children, we know how fast that journey feels as parents.
