In the Air
As a staff member at the National Model Aviation Museum, I am frequently asked about the AMA, the museum, and general modeling history. However, there are a few questions that I am asked so often I thought I would write about them this month.
Q) When did I/my friend/my relative win the Nats?
A) This question is probably the most common one I receive. Museum Director Michael Smith started a project several years ago creating binders with various magazine articles about the Nats arranged by year. We refer to these often to answer this question.
- For some years, nearly everyone who competed in the Nats was listed; other years we only know who won the first three places in each event.
- There are nearly 85 boxes in the Archives regarding the Nats that are used for researching this question.
- We are also working on a spreadsheet of Nats winners, started by one of our summer interns, Kyle Huffman. It will take years to complete, but so far we have 1923–1941 and 1949–1970 done. As the years progressed, there were more events for people to compete in, which makes typing a slow process.
- The Competitions Department has recent Nats scores (1998–2012) online at www.modelaircraft.org/events/nats/scores.aspx.
All of our records are available for you to look through. Please contact me if you would like to stop in to see them.
Q) What was my old AMA number back in the day?
A) The Membership Department has records on microfilm of AMA numbers going back to the late 1970s. Membership records predating that were lost, misplaced, and/or destroyed.
Also complicating matters, as early as the 1940s the AMA allowed reassignment of numbers originally assigned to people who let their memberships lapse. Some AMA numbers have been assigned to several people throughout the years.
Sometimes we are lucky and find pictures in old magazines of people and their airplanes with their AMA numbers on the wings, but this is rare. If the individual was not a winner of a major contest, finding his or her picture is nearly impossible, but we are willing to try.
If you would like your previous AMA number back and have an old photo of yourself holding your model with that AMA number on the wing, send a copy to the Membership Department and they will be happy to change your number back to the old one, provided it has not been reassigned.
Q) How do I get in touch with an old buddy of mine?
A) AMA Headquarters personnel are unable to give out contact information about members, but district vice presidents (VPs) may be able to connect you to your friend. The district VPs have their contact information in their columns in the "AMA News" section of the magazine.
Q) I'm looking for an article about an airplane I'm building. Where can I get a copy of the article/whole issue?
A) We can help.
- Article reprints are $4 each for AMA members.
- If you are ordering plans from the AMA Plans Service Department, you may also be able to receive a construction article with your plans order, depending on availability.
- We have 486 magazine titles in our library.
- Complete back issues of Model Aviation magazine can be ordered ($5 for AMA members) through Sue Springer in the Membership Department at extension 294.
- Issues going back to 1975 can also be found online at www.ModelAviation.com.
As this issue goes to press, we learned that Sal Taibi passed away on December 15. Sal was a member of the Model Aviation Hall of Fame, an AMA Fellow, and a member of the National Free Flight Society Hall of Fame and the Society of Antique Modelers Hall of Fame. He was 92.
Sal joined AMA in 1936 and was a Life Member. To learn more about Sal Taibi, read next month's Model Aviation or view his biography at www.modelaircraft.org/museum/history.aspx.
—Jackie Shalberg, Archivist and Assistant Historian [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
