Several AMA clubs across the country celebrated National Model Aviation Day 2026 on August 22. Learn more about some of the clubs that celebrated below:
The Rosewood RC Flyers
The Rosewood RC Flyers hosted an all-day event in honor of National Model Aviation Day. The club provided a lunch of burgers and hot dogs, which were grilled by several club members. With more than 20-plus pilots in attendance, many Scale, Sport, and Turbine aircraft were seen in flight. John McDill, member of the Rosewood RC Flyers, wrote that club members agreed that they needed to host this event again, even suggesting an additional event—a chili cookout—be held in October!
The Laurel Highlands Model Airplane Club
The Laurel Highlands Model Airplane Club began flying at their National Model Aviation Day event at 10 a.m., encouraging club members to bring their oldest planes to the field! Club members shared stories and memories associated with their most tenured aircraft, and the club provided pizza for attendees around noon.
The Dare County Radio Control Flyers
Located near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Dare County Radio Control Flyers held a National Model Aviation Day event under a threatening sky. Though their plans to grill hotdogs for lunch were canceled due to the weather, the club's instructor pilots, Jim Davis and Stephen Yanacek, worked tirelessly with five new member student pilots and five guests to get them into the air and back onto the ground safely throughout the four hours of flying that the weather allowed.
Blacksheep RC Modelers
The Blacksheep RC Modelers held a National Model Aviation Day event on August 8, 2026. To start their event, three of the club's veterans raised the American flag while the National Anthem played. Their club's event was attended by many of their club member pilots, in addition to several pilots from neighboring clubs. Despite the muggy weather, the skies and winds were favorable for all of the planes that were flying and on display, including planes from small foamies to large warbirds and turbine-powered jets. Rege Hall, Blacksheep RC Modelers club member, wrote that the event's spectators enjoyed demo flights from turbine jets, 3D helicopters, and large warbirds. To the delight of youngsters in attendance, the club performed several candy and parachute drops, and each youth in attendance was able to take a parachute home. The club also had a flight simulator running and held several trainer flights for aspiring RC pilots. In total, the Blacksheep RC Modelers raised over $4,000 for the Hoosier Veterans Assistance by selling hotdog lunches and raffle tickets.
The Grassfield Radio Control Club
On August 22, the Grassfield Radio Control Club (AMA Club #1405) of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, hosted its second annual National Model Aviation Day event. The event was open to the public, with approximately 200 spectators attending throughout the day. Fifty club members filled the skies with flight demonstrations the entire day. AJ Aircraft team pilot Tim Kunath thrilled the crowd with his low-level extreme flying skills. Club member Bill Argyros, a commercial helicopter pilot, flew a Robinson R22 full-scale helicopter demo and landed at the field. Spectators were able to inspect the aircraft. The theme of the Grassfield RC Club's event was to demonstrate various aspects of model aviation—including foam trainers, scale warbirds, FPV demonstrations, extreme 3D flying, EDF and turbine-powered jets—and how the STEM aspects of model aviation can translate into technical careers across many industries, including full-scale aviation. View a video put together by Grassfield Radio Control Club President Charly Skalbeck here.
Did your club host a National Model Aviation Day event this year? We'd love to hear more about it! Send a write-up and photos to AMA Foundation Chief Communications Officer Clarissa Poston by emailing clarissap@modelaircraft.org for the chance to be featured on the AMA Foundation's website and social media.
