Issue No.48 - Part 1 - Story about AMLA airplane modeling

Oct 29, 2026

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Issue No.48, part 1, records first-person memories and historical context around the Airplane Model League of America (AMLA). It traces the author’s early life in the Chicago area, hands-on model building with limited tools, and later mentorship and judging influence from Arthur J. Cravens. The text explains how models and newsletters evolved into broader publications, how sourcing photographs and drawings became a difficult challenge, and how members shared craftsmanship through tools, tips, and images.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryComic

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

Issue No.48 ANILLUSTRATIVELIFE BY WILLIAM W. WYLAM and its promotion of skilled craftsmanship were accepted by allof its members.A large number of its“graduates”becameleaders in their major occupations.As a club,we shared ourviews,tips,tool use,photographs,drawings,etc.,which I was born in Chicago,Ilinois,1915,and my childhood wasspent in the Chicago area.At that time,my father was a civilianflight instructor of aviation cadets for the U.S.Signal Corps atRantoul Field,Rantoul,Illinois.After the Armistice,we lived IF THE wORDs SUBSCRIPTION EXPIRED APPEAR □N THE ADDRESS_PAGE,IT IS TIME TO RENEW.TO AVDID MISSING AN ISSUE,RENEW DN □R BY FEBRUARY 1,之005. developed in the formation of the AMLA newsletter.The originalnewsletters were ditto copies,and later J.L.Hudson Company near the Checkerboard Airport,which was at First Avenue andRoosevelt Road,Maywood,Illinois.It is now the site of the printed the newsletter. massive VA hospital. My own experience in craftsmanshipcame from my desire to be a winner at theAMLA national contest.Almost everyAMLA member,thanks to MerrillHamburg,had this goal.In 1929,I cameclose to the winning circle;Ilost by severalpoints to Lawrence McClellan's StinsonSM-2A model.He had an upholsteredcabin in his model;my model of theLockheed Vega had the best paint job witha painted interior.This Lockheed Vega,and several other models were donated tothe Smithsonian. I started modeling about 1924 and Ibuilt a number of twin pushers and singletractors.After several visits to scalemodelexhibits,Ibecame deeply interestedin this fascinating hobby.My source ofinformation was the aviation column ofthe Chicago Tribune.The building ofthese solid models,of different scales,provided a wealth of experience andeducation.Looking back,my earlymodels were crude and rough.The onlytools that I had were razor blades,knife,hand drill,and sandpaper block.The woodwas scraps from home construction sites. At the nationals,I was fortunate to meetArthur J.Cravens of La Porte,Indiana anda number of other top craftsmen.ArtCravens was one of the early judges at thenationals and he was one of the first scaleairplane modelers.He helped MerrillHamburg start the AMLA.In order tomake a living by building models,Artbecame involved in naval ship models andhe would bid on U.S.Navy ship modelcontracts.He never was out of work,evenduring the depression years.He would startthe project by constructing the hull,superstructures and cabins.All the rest of Later,my models became morerealistic.I used photographs to makecorrections and to add the details.Findingthese photographs was a great chore;theaviation editor of the Chicago Tribunewas of some help.More than once,Ihad aset of good drawings but no photographsor a set of photographs with poordrawings.The drawings in the ChicagoTribune were crude and the drawings inanother early publication were of betterquality.Believe it or not,this earlypublication (title is long forgotten)wassponsored by the Methodist Church of Illinois. the required assessories were built by eager volunteers.Arthurwas past 80 when he passed away in 1946;there were over 50 ormore modelers at his funeral. About 1925,Ijoined the AMLA(Airplane Model League ofAmerica)as one of its charter members.This club wassponsored by the J.L.Hudson Company,an upper classThe steady growth in the AMLA membership listdepartment store in Detroit.The managing director of theresulted in the creation of a newsletter.After Lindbergh’sAMLA was Merrill Hamburg,an avid modeler and a greatflight,the growth in membership was enormous and thepromoter.AMLA became very popular among those who wereAMLA news letter was expanded into a magazine format.already in the hobby.The rules during the early days of AMLA KAPA H0LL[(TOAIn 1928,the J.L.Hudson Company decided to disconti⁸-1 connection with the A MLA because of internal businessproblems.Shortly afterward,Bernarr McFadden ofMcFadden Enterprises,a New York publishing

FAQs

What organization is central to Issue No.48, part 1?

The Airplane Model League of America (AMLA) is repeatedly referenced as a club and driving force behind newsletters, magazines, and shared modeling activity.

How did the author develop early craftsmanship skills?

The author began modeling around 1924 using basic tools and wood scraps, then learned through model-building practice and exposure to aviation information from the Chicago Tribune.

Why were photographs and detailed drawings important, and what problem did modelers face?

Detailed drawings and photographs were needed to locate real airplanes, record measurements, and capture all details, but most modelers could not afford the special trips required.

Oct 29, 2026

Upload by asda1da