EAA Sport Aviation - September 2010

E-mail: Membership@EAA.org Phone: 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN EAA) Online: www.EAA.org

FROM THE DESK OF... CHARLIE BECKER, DIRECTOR OF MEMBER PROGRAMS

Name: John Hopkins, EAA 763327 Position: Manager, Aircraft Maintenance

WHO’S WHO AT HQ

I HAVE COUNTLESS STORIES from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010 that I’d love to share with you, but space is limited.

One thing that stood out to me this year was the power of “Oshkosh” to inspire a worldwide audience. I gave a ride to Ken Gray from Australia, who came to Oshkosh about 18

years ago with no flying experience other than some paraglider flights.

He left Oshkosh completely inspired to pursue a career in aviation and now flies a helicopter for the TV show Survivor. He told me he owes it all to coming to Oshkosh.

I also met Veena Pillai from Michigan with roots in India. This was her second Oshkosh. She wants to start the first EAA chapter in India. Fast-forward 18 years, and who knows how many EAA chapters might exist in India with such an enthusiastic person leading the way. Again, it will all happen because of Oshkosh. I sometimes describe EAA as “inspiration and information.” We inspire one another to do greater things by showing what can be done and sharing all the knowledge and information we can to help our fellow members succeed. And Oshkosh is our worldwide stage.

What do you do? Provide aircraft
maintenance support for the
EAA AirVenture Museum flight
activities, and aircraft restoration
and preservation for the museum’s
collection.

Aviation introduction: By junior high, I had been reading a great deal about WWI and WWII aircraft and the pilots who flew them. I was fascinated by all the dogfights they had been in. I went to an air show in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and all the colors, shapes, and sizes just pushed me over the edge. I was hooked on airplanes from that point on.

Most unique airplanes you’ve worked on? Boeing B- 17, F4U- 4 Corsair, Spirit of St. Louis, and the Bleriot.

I would love to fly: Anything like a Waco or Stinson with crank-down side windows.

I would love to restore: A Ryan PT- 22. One of the most aesthetically pleasing aircraft I have ever seen.

Don’t Know Much About... EAA’S B- 17 ALUMINUM OVERCAST S

EAA’s restored World War II B- 17 bomber tours the United States throughout the year, starting on the West Coast and working its way east. This unique tour gives aviation enthusiasts the chance to experience Aluminum Overcast, one of a handful of B-17s left flying in the world, in the air or on the ground in a way no history book can reveal. EAA members receive discounts on the flight experience and ground tours.

And for those who want to dive in deeper, there’s the annual B- 17 Fantasy Flight Camp (December 2-5, 2010). EAA members also receive a discount to this weekend ground school that takes place at the EAA Aviation Center. The camp immerses participants in the history of the B- 17, including an audience with B- 17 veterans and a 20-minute flight experience.

Both flight experiences allow participants to walk about the aircraft and visit the various compartments, getting a glimpse of what it may have been like for the crew in WWII.

Proudest restoration: I was deeply involved with the restoration of the EAA Museum’s F4U- 4 Corsair. We poured our hearts into this project and the results really show.

Unique AirVenture experience: Putting Burt Rutan’s Voyager inside our maintenance hangar. We had to disconnect the landing gear scissor links and turn the wheels 90 degrees so that the plane could roll into the hangar sideways.