Academy of Model Aeronautics Receives Bill Northrop's Plans Inventory

AMA Inherits Bill Northrop's Plans Service Inventory - Airplanes and RocketsAMA Plans Service has been bestowed the entire inventory of Bill Northrop's Plans Service, according to a story in the February 2015 edition of Model Aviation. Stretching back to Model Builder magazine's publication era (1971 through 1991), AMA Hall of Famer Bill Northrop amassed a collection of more than 800 plans, including free flight, radio control, and control line airplanes as well as a few boats. Bill's wife and business partner, Anita, was instrumental in making arrangements for the transfer, so thanks to her.

Photo of Bill Northrop from Model Aviation magazine - Airplanes and RocketsMany sources of 'free' versions of plans are available on the Internet while legitimate copies can still be purchased from the copyright owners. The plans I post here on Airplanes and Rockets were scanned from copies of magazines I own and are meant to be just detailed enough to determine whether you want to purchase a set of plans for your building project. I always provide a hyperlink to the AMA Plans Service website in an effort to promote the organization of which I have been a member since the early 1970s (AMA #92498). If nobody sells a legitimate copy of a plan, then I will offer so send my higher resolution scan version. I never charge for other people's work. Per the biography of Bill Northrop on the AMA website, "A year or so after we discontinued MB[*], we rescued all of the original MB plans from bankruptcy court (it wasn't cheap!) and started a new plans book, entitled 'Scratch Builder's Almanac.'" People deserve to be compensated for their time and materials.

 

* MB = Model Builder magazine.

 

 

Posted January 29, 2015