By Holly Silvers, Associate Editor | hollys@modelaircraft.org
As seen in the July 2026 issue of Model Aviation.
A lot happened in 1976. The US celebrated its bicentennial, marking 200 years of independence; Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford for the US presidency; Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple; and the Concorde supersonic airliner made its first official flights, flying passengers from London to Bahrain and from Paris to Rio de Janeiro.
Meanwhile, in various cities across Ohio—which is often dubbed the “Birthplace of Aviation”—AMA celebrated 50 years of the Nats. This golden anniversary was commemorated by spreading the competition across three cities—Springfield, Dayton, and Columbus—to accommodate the large crowds of spectators and participants who gathered to honor half a century of aeromodeling competition, technological advancement, and camaraderie.
In Dayton, RC, Control Line (CL), and Free Flight (FF) events ran from July 31 through August 8 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the site where Wilbur and Orville Wright performed experimental test flights with the Wright Flyer III from 1904 to 1905, and where the Wright Company School of Aviation returned from 1910 to 1916 for use as a flying field.
At the Springfield Municipal Airport, FF and RC Soaring events took place from August 3-7. All Indoor events were held at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum (now known as Taft Coliseum) in Columbus on August 1-2.
The 50th Nats was a big event. For starters, the centennial celebration kicked off with a new official Nats event: Old-Timers. The event was previously held separately by the Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) but ran in conjunction with the 50th Nats for the first time ever on July 31 through August 2, 1976.
There was a total of 61 official events, three more than in previous years. There were nine Indoor events, 18 Outdoor FF, 11 RC, and 23 CL. Most of the events even included separate awards for Juniors (participants under 15 years old) and Seniors (participants between the ages of 15-18), which helped to bring the total number of awards handed out to a little more than 600, with an average of one award for every three participants.
The 100th Nats
Fifty years later, the world of model aviation has transformed in many ways, but the spirit of competition remains the same. AMA is excited and honored to celebrate the 100th official running of the Nats at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, in the coming weeks. We can’t wait to share that excitement with model aviation enthusiasts from around the globe! Thank you to the modeling community for helping us reach this incredible milestone!
SOURCES:
AMA Nats
nats.modelaircraft.org
A2026.02.02k
Collection #0001, Academy of Model Aeronautics
National Model Aviation Museum, Muncie, Ind.
Model Aviation, June 1976
library.modelaviation.com/edition/model-aviation-197606