The American Model Airport Association was organized by a group of 10 people in 1965. The club was registered that year with the Academy of Model Aeronautics, AMA, the 13th club to do so.
These early founders of the club, then known as The Chino Flying Club, were interested in finding local flying sites suitable for their hobby. They originally flew their airplanes from an area within the Prado Park in south chino. Heavy rains in 1969 flooded the park and another site was found, with the help of Mr. Fred Roheler, at Boys Republic in Chino. The club used the baseball diamond at Boys Republic as a airstrip until 1971 when a lease with Union Pacific Railroad allowed the use of a nice piece of land at the corner of Yorba and Edison.
This site eventually had a paved runway, Three hundred feet in length, with paved taxiways, a nice shade area and plenty of parking. At this time, in 1971, the club name was changed from The Chino Flying Club to the American Model Airport Association.
In 1982 Union Pacific took back the site on the corner of Yorba and Edison so the club returned to the Prado Park field. In 1983 another agreement was established with Boys Republic to use the baseball diamond again.
In 1990 the club acquired an alternate site at Fisherman’s Retreat in Redlands then in the summer of 1992 a more permanent agreement was reached with Fisherman’s Retreat and this became the present home of the AMAA.
