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You're right of course HW - the NATO alphabet is in Chambers listed with the words as headers rather than the letters (which is what I looked for). Not surprising you know these things with a user name like yours!

So now we have cogent suggestions for a line drawing, a 2-D outline or filling the entire blank space to show the letter. Anyone going to open a book on which is right?

Given the plausibility of the suggested different ways of completing the final instruction I think it's fair to say it's not the clearest end game. I'd hope this ambiguity would allow differing ways of completion as to the end solution for those who submit entries. That's not the way it should be is it? A pity, as it was an infrequent visit to the rarefied cruciverbal world of The Listener for me and I really enjoyed the puzzle otherwise.

Ref Chambers :-
draw (vt) to construct in linear lines; to make a picture by drawing lines
drawing (n) the art of representing objects or forms by lines drawn, shading etc.

So as the instruction refers to the verb, surely drawing lines is the only correct interpretation?

..........then again, the thickness of the lines is not specified. I would be as mad as a hare if either choice is considered incorrrect. And yes, I am still irritated by that bloody hare.

..." drawing a large symbol in the 78 resulting blank cells".

But drawing lines where if all 78 cells are to be included?!

I really must learn the NATO phonetic alphabet! I know most of them but it did not occur to me that I would find the last line of the poem there; so that's one of my problems with the endgame solved.
I woke up this morning ruminating on how to complete the puzzle — that can't be healthy... I realised that an outline of the letter, while fitting in with "drawing" would not fill all 78 blank cells.
Plan B was to refill each of the blank cells with the letter. I was happy to go with that until I reread the preamble and found that I should be "drawing a LARGE symbol in the 78... blank cells"!
Plan C is to draw an outline, then fill it in with a highlighter.
(I submit the puzzle regularly, mainly to see how I did in John Greene's stats. Having completed a numerical Listener for the very first time last week, I was looking forward to the possibility of my longest successful run ever. Fingers crossed that I make the right choice this week.)

gitto, your quoted definition from Chambers includes "shading" as well as "lines drawn". To me, that doesn't rule out using a highlighter.

I haven't got anywhere near attempting the end part, still struggling with the grid. I seem to have a bunch in the NE and SW, then a big diagonal stretch of not much. Maybe I could have some hints for 1a and 1d then I can try to do that corner!