By Holly Silvers | hollys@modelaircraft.org
IN THE EARLY DAYS of model aviation, competitions were regional affairs. Exchange clubs, parks, businesses, and organizations such as the YMCA sponsored many of the events. It wasn’t until 1915 that the Aero Science Club of America sponsored the first national aeromodeling contest.
The contest was divided into three separate events. One was held each month beginning in August, with local full-scale aero clubs acting as judges. Cash prizes were awarded to the individuals who achieved the best scores. The Henry S. Villard trophy was awarded to the club whose members had the highest collective scores.
The first event was distance-launching by hand, the second was duration-launching by water, and the third was duration-launching by land. The contest was repeated in 1916 but was then canceled until 1919 because of World War I. The Illinois Model Aero Club (IMAC) won all three years of the contest’s run. The Henry S. Villard trophy was retired in 1919, ending the nation’s only national aeromodeling event.
The very first official Nats event took place in 1923 as part of the full-scale International Air Races in St. Louis. Bernard Mulvihill, who was the vice president of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) at the time, agreed to offer a $300 cash prize and trophy to the winner of Event No. 6, the Mulvihill Trophy Duration Race for Model Airplanes. Aircraft were to be handlaunched, rubber-powered, and not more than 40 inches in their wingspan. Charles Dickinson, then-president of the IMAC, provided his converted WW I Breguet bomber to fly a committee of modelers to St. Louis to compete in the event. In total, 12 participants competed. Sixteen-year-old Edward Lange, from Chicago, was the very first winner of the event, finishing with a time of 4 minutes and 22.6 seconds with his twin pusher.
There have been many more winners and records set in various Nats events since 1923. Visit the websites listed below for a closer look:
- Detailed look at Nats scores from 1998 to 2018: modelaircraft.org/natsscores
- List of current national record holders: modelaircraft.org/events/nationalrecords
- Nats top scores, separated by decade: modelaircraft.org/museum/history-recognition/ama-history-project. Scroll down to the “National Aeromodeling Championship (Nats) Top Scores”heading.
SOURCES:
A2024.10.21
William (Bill) Henry Chaffee Collection, #0529
Credit: Donated by Bill Chaffee’s children—Ellen, Henry, and Clark
National Model Aviation Museum, Muncie IN
A2018.24.154
Illinois Model Aero Club Collection, #0452
Credit: Funds raised by the AMA Foundation for purchase
National Model Aviation Museum, Muncie IN