A First for Joe Nall: Control Line
For more than 30 years, the annual event in South Carolina, known throughout the country as “the Joe Nall” (www.joenall.com), has attracted the who’s who of aeromodeling to a spectacular facility provided by Pat Hartness.
More than 1,000 RC pilots will attend this year’s event, May 12–19. Joining the lineup for the first time will be control-line (CL) circles. “I may not be the best Control Line pilot on the planet,” said Mark Weiss of the Starrliners CL Club from Whitehall, Maryland, “but I do know that grabbing a handle for the first time is a wonderful sensation and experience.”
Weiss, a 50-year aeromodeler who started in CL, moved to radio control (RC), and then came back to CL, will help attendees enjoy the fun of tethered aircraft, some of which will be hybrid CL/RC aircraft utilizing a transmitter.
—Chris Brooks Public Relations and Development Director
Children’s Museum Flight Adventures
While reflecting on the grand opening and the project, Bill said, “I was just very proud of the AMA and our opportunity to be a part of it.”
For more information, visit www.childrensmuseum.org/flightadventures.
—MA staff
AMA Flight School Wins Award
The advertising campaign for an AMA program designed to teach youngsters about flight has won two awards from the Indianapolis chapter of the American Advertising Federation. Basement Design + Motion received gold and silver ADDY Awards for the online program AMA Flight School.
“We are very much indebted to our creative partners, BasementTV, for developing such a vibrant and effective online teaching tool,” said Bill Pritchett, AMA’s education director and coproducer of the project. AMA new media/web designer Mark Benson also helped produce the program.
“We think the many thousands of youngsters who are sparked by aviation will really take to this technology,” Bill said.
The AMA Flight School campaign, which launched January 11, 2012, received a gold award for Advertising for the Arts—Interactive, and a silver award for Elements of Advertising—Illustration, Campaign. Basement Design + Motion, Indianapolis, received the awards at a February 24 ceremony.
AMA Flight School is narrated by AMA ambassador Robert “Hoot” Gibson and teaches lessons in aeronautics to children of early elementary school age. Colorful cartoon characters educate youngsters about lift, drag, thrust, and weight. AMA officials hope to continue to develop the program and make it also appropriate for older children.
The Indianapolis chapter of the Advertising Federation of America is the second-oldest chapter.
To check out AMA Flight School visit www.modelaircraft.org/education/amaflightschool/index.html.
—MA staff
In the Air - 2012/05
A letter from the manager of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), dated May 29, 1929, read:
"During the eighteen months since the League was organized by The American Boy, under National Aeronautic Association auspices, to further youthful interest in and knowledge of aviation, it has enrolled more than 300,000 members; it has distributed millions of plans for building scientific flying models; it has answered 400,000 letters from enthusiastic young model builders. It is conducting the national contests for the second time this year, and for the second time sending the winners to Europe, as well as offering more than 300 prizes in cash, medals, cups, trophies, scholarships, and other awards. It has the cooperation and backing of Commander [Richard] Byrd, William B. Stout, Clarence Chamberlin, William P. MacCracken, and other leading figures in 1929 aviation."
By 1930, membership was roughly a half-million youth. Merrill C. Hamburg, AMLA’s airplane model editor for The American Boy, wrote the AMLA Manual for Model Plane Builders. Sold to members for 5 cents, the manual explained tools and materials, how to construct models, diagrams of model parts for indoor tractor models and outdoor twin pushers, the flying sticks and scale models available, and what AMLA offered to help in the modeling process. Parts sold by 1929 included a Baby ROG kit for 65 cents and an Outdoor Twin Pusher for $3.
The First National Airplane Model League of America Contest, which was sanctioned by the NAA, had 300 fliers. The indoor and outdoor winners received trips to Europe, sponsored by The American Boy. The scale winner received a trip to the National Air Races in California, paid for by Aero Digest. By the second year of the competition, all first-place winners were sent to exhibit their airplanes in Paris and travel through Europe. We consider these contests to be the beginnings of today’s Nats.
By the third Airplane Model League of America National Championships, in 1930, NAA cosponsorship was needed to help cover rising costs. The fourth contest, conducted by AMLA and sponsored by George D. Wanner and Company, was held in Dayton, Ohio. In 1932, the AMLA contests were sponsored by Bamberger & Company department stores and held in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
However, by 1933, Charles Hampson Grant arranged for the events to be held in New York, cosponsored by Model Airplane News, and run by the NAA.
Sometime after 1932, the AMLA waned and disappeared. It was the Depression and money was tight. Other model airplane groups existed, but we still do not know what caused AMLA’s final demise.
We need to fill in some blanks. If you have papers concerning the AMLA you would like to donate, or have a story to tell, please let us know. Email [email protected], or call (765) 287-1256, ext. 511.
—National Model Aviation Museum Staff
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
