Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc.
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
former F- 4 pilot. You know what they did in January…
the Miracle on the Hudson. In some ways they have
done more for aviation since the day when they saved
hundreds of lives. They have been outstanding ambassadors for all of us. They were cool, collected, and confident under stress. They have developed a relationship
that has grown with time. This was Sully’s first visit to
Oshkosh.
“One of the most emotional stories was shared by
Jessica Cox, a 25-year-old young lady from Tucson, Arizona, who flew into Oshkosh in an Ercoupe. When she
arrived on Saturday, I greeted her and asked, ‘Why did
you learn to fly?’ It was because she had a fear of flying.
The quickest way to overcome those fears was to learn
to fly. For those of you who have met Jessica, you know
she was born without arms. A tremendous challenge to
overcome, but her passion for flight and her positive
attitude served as motivation for her and now to thousands of other people.
“EAA serves three constituencies. It’s important to
understand this as part of our mission. We must fully
endorse and support this direction. Our audiences includes craftsman, the people who build, restore, design,
and innovate. The craftsman community is a core constituency of EAA. Number two is the pilot community,
the people who fly all types of airplanes from home-
builts, antiques, and warbirds to certificated planes and
ultralights. The third is the enthusiast community, individuals who have a dream of flying and becoming a
pilot. They want to become engaged but don’t know
how. They are looking for the path that brings them
into aviation. That path can be provided by EAA.
“EAA and AOPA signed a memorandum of understanding, highlighting future collaboration and cooperation. The memorandum solidified a direction and
a level of cooperation that will ensure that the staffs,
members, and volunteers understand the working relationship between EAA and AOPA.
“Yesterday, EAA made an announcement, introducing International Learn to Fly Day, which will be May
15, 2010. This concept has been extremely successful
for Young Eagles, where tens of thousands of kids have
been given the opportunity to experience flight. International Learn to Fly Day will have the same focus.
NAFI flight instructors and EAA chapters around the
country and world will encourage and bring people to
the airport, to gain a better understanding of the process and requirements to learn how to fly. This will include a flight experience.
“These are tough economic times. Hopefully we
have hit bottom and can start to move forward. People
are making choices as to what they can and cannot do.
