Academy of Model Aeronautics · National Model Aviation Museum
The people, clubs and companies that built model aviation, in their own words.
Search 1,062 biographies of modelers, designers and contest fliers, plus the histories of 62 clubs and 26 companies, preserved by the AMA History Project.
- Histories
- 1,150
- Pages
- 4,653
- Earliest birth
- 1850
People under P
1–24 of 57 entries ·
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1 page
Edward (Ed) T. Packard
1906–1999
Born Edward Thomas Pachasa in Newark, NJ, Ed has one of the more recognizable names in model aviation. Most know him as Ed Packard (surname changed in 1950) and most know the company he built from a home business: Cleveland Model and Supply Company. Moving to Cleveland, Ohio in his youth, Ed began a model airplane sales career early. He sold his…
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2 pages
George Augustus Page Jr.
Biography
George Augustus Page, Jr. December 13, 1892 - 1983 George A. Page’s interest in modeling began in his teens, with interest in model boating, airplanes, and kites. In 1908 at the age of 17, he built his first model airplane. He had noticed a science magazine competition on aviation safety, awarding the winner $25,000 for a design for an aircraft…
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6 pages
Jean G. Pailet
1931–2026 · AMA 2222
Career: Won his first contest in 1947 with a record-exceeding speed of 96.5 mph Placed first at the Philadelphia Flying Circus Attended virtually every Nationals from the 1960s through the present (2003) Competed in Control Line stunt in the 1960s and 1970s and had designs published in aeromodeling publications Served as chairman of the AMA’s…
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2 pages
Robert L. (Bob) Palmer
1918–2005
Known as “Smoothy” to his friends, Bob Palmer has a record of competing and helping people that anyone would be proud to know. He has been a member of U.S. FAI teams and competed in 1960 in CL Aerobatics. He won the CL Aerobatics event at the 1955 and 1959 Nats. As a Contest Director, he has given hundreds of hours to the sport for the benefit of…
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2 pages
Andy Panoncillo
Biography
Meet pilot Andy Panoncillo By Mark Fadely MDKJA@aol.com Hello, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to check out the “RC Helicopters” column. Heli pilots are often defined by their helpful nature. It takes more effort to master a whirlybird, so seasoned fliers are empathetic to the challenges newcomers face in this hobby. Most experienced pilots…
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8 pages
Harold (Hal) Parenti
1926–2022 · AMA L451
Career: Won first place in Radio Control events 15 times at the National Aeromodeling Championships (Nats) held in the U.S. (See spreadsheet at the end of this biography) 4 time U.S. F4C Scale Team Member District VI Associate Vice President starting in 1995 Numerous model designs kitted by model manufacturers Involved in Unmanned Air Vehicle…
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2 pages
Dallas Parker
Biography
Dallas Parker, from Northridge, California, is the recipient of a $4,000 Charles Hampson Grant scholarship and the beneficiary of the $2,230 proceeds of a raffle held at the 2005 AMA Convention. The son of Jim and Cathy Parker, Dallas had a 4.15 grade-point average at Advantage Preparatory Schools in Santa Clarita, California. He attended honors…
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3 pages Autobiography
Faust R. Parker Jr.
Autobiography
I was born in Graham, Texas in October of 1944 to Faust and Francis Parker. Dad was in the U.S. Air Force for 35 years and mom was an executive secretary at General Dynamics. My brother, Stephen, also flew model aircraft, and I have a sister, Laura. I received my undergraduate and master’s degrees from University of Texas at Arlington. I completed…
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4 pages
Julie Parker
Biography
Julie Parker - AMA Hall of Fame Nomination by Mike Fedor, NFFS Hall of Fame 2010, AMA HOF 2022 Julie is an AMA Contest Director (CD) and lifetime member of the National Free Flight Society (NFFS). Her first exposure to Free Flight began in 1983 in San Antonio, Texas where she and her future husband, Faust, joined the Tri-City Fliers model club.…
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6 pages Autobiography
Frank Parmenter
1922– · AMA 431
Career: 1938: Joined the AMA 1939: Won second place at a Brams Department Store contest in Gary, Indiana 1940: Discovered the effectiveness of stab title on a sailplane December 1941: Went to work for NACA at Langley Field, Virginia, building test model planes 1942: Organized the Brainbusters Model Club and became its first president 1943: Won…
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2 pages
Aaron J. Passey
Biography
Aaron J. Passey from Bothell, Washington, spent four hard-working years at Bothell High School. He has been awarded $4,000 to help him with his goal of a Physics Degree at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Aaron was in the National Honor Society/National Junior Honor Society for all four years of high school. He was designated Math…
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4 pages
Beth Paszkiewicz
Biography
Rachelle Haughn interviews Beth Paszkiewicz If you asked Beth Paszkiewicz whether you should join an AMA club, her answer would likely be an enthusiastic yes. Having been through two floods with both of her clubs and endured the loss of her husband, she has witnessed first-hand how an AMA club can come together in the difficult times and how its…
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2 pages
George P. Patson
1922–
Information submitted by GP (2005); Written, Edited, and Formatted by JS (10/2010) The following was written from information obtained from George P. Patson in 2005. Portions were first printed in the Fall 2010 issue of Cloud9, the official newsletter of the National Model Aviation Museum. This newsletter is printed exclusively for Museum Patrons.…
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3 pages
John Edward Patton
1916–2005 · AMA 17
John Patton – In Memoriam: 1916-2005 John Edward “Pat” Patton – the 17th AMA president (1969-70) and Model Aviation Hall of Fame member – died at his home in Frederick, Maryland, October 11, 2005, at the age of 89. Among his many achievements in the past six decades of involvement with the Academy, John has been Free Flight Contest Board Chairman…
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1 page
James Z. Paysen
Biography
James Z. Paysen has never established any AMA records but he has come close many a time. He is a member of the Contest Board from AMA District IX and he, his wife, and four children live at 1519 N. Battin, Wichita 14, Kansas. Jim is an aeronautical engineer. Jim was treasurer in 1953 and president in 1954 of the “Y” Wichihawks Model Airplane Club…
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3 pages
Bob Peck
Biography
Bob Peck – A Study in Courage On Monday, January 7, 1991, at approximately 11:30am, Bob Peck passed away after a short illness. He would have celebrated his 57th birthday soon. He was a highly respected and admired modeler and manufacturer. Bob was best known for his innovative firm, Peck-Polymers, of Santee, California, which he and his wife…
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2 pages Autobiography
Don Peck
1941–
I began this wonderful hobby in Athens, Alabama, flying 1/2A U-Control and Free Flight, then advancing to the Top Flite Ringmaster powered by Fox and K&B .35 engines. I built my first Radio Control transmitter in 1955. My mentor, Ed Stone, assisted me in the Babcock rubber band escapement and forty-eight volt vacuum tube receiver, which flew the…
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1 page
Jill Peck
Biography
Jill Peck of San Diego, California entered the University of California, Los Angeles in September 1980 where she will major in Graphic Arts. With a full schedule of High School activities and community involvement, Jill also found time to be a very active modeler, entering national and international (by proxy) contests. During her years of…
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5 pages
James Ernest Pelly-Fry
1911–1994
Career: Flew his own designs on Wimbledon Common Served as a council member for the Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers (SMAE) Appointed Air Equerry to Britain’s King George VI in 1943 Owned and operated a delicatessen in the mid-1960s and sold it in the early 1970s Wrote an autobiography called Heavenly Days that was published in December…
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8 pages
Charles Alphonse Penaud
1850–1880
Pénaud Planophores Little known and little remembered today, this early French pioneer of flying models opened doors to both modeling and full-size aviation. His story still makes fascinating reading today. By Bill Hannan The story of Charles Alphonse Pénaud (pronounced pay-know), an early pioneer of model airplanes, deserves to be better known.…
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2 pages
Jim Perdue
Biography
JIM PERDUE AMA District V Vice-President (Tennessee, Missisippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida) James H. Perdue is a very enthusiastic 39-year-old “Southern Gentleman” with a big hospitable grin that would be hard to ignore. Home for Jim and his wife, Bobbie Sue (Suzy), and 10-yearold son, Bob, is in Athens, Alabama. Athens is near the…
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5 pages
Daryl Perkins
Biography
Interview with Daryl Perkins by Lee Estingoy Daryl Perkins is one of the top Radio Control Soaring pilots in the US. He has won almost every contest, multiple times. A list of his accomplishments would take most of this column space, so following are the highlights. Four-time world F3B (FAI RC Soaring) Five-time Visalia Fall Soaring Festival…
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2 pages Autobiography
Dick Perry
Autobiography
Dick Perry Dick’s “CL Navy Carrier” column runs quarterly in the January, April, July, and October issues of Model Aviation. His email address is tailhooker@comcast.net. My modeling started in Southern Indiana around half a century ago with a Ringmaster (rekitted on the first flight). A Guillow’s Rat Racer with a 3/4-inch plank wing was up to the…
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1 page
John Perry
1920–1991
John Perry was born in Rhode Island in 1920. He moved away from home as a youth of 15 to New York. By age 17, he already owned his own machine shop. John’s business began with developing a completely new type of door lock. Four years later, he was picking up defense contracts for the war effort in Europe. It was not until after World War II that…