HOMEBUILDERS
Five astronauts and the planes they built
BY JAMES WYNBRANDT
How do you get to outer space? It seems like one path leads through Oshkosh, given the number of space shuttle astronauts who are ardent EAA members and homebuilders. With the space shuttle’s final flight scheduled for April, we spoke about the shuttle program and careers in aviation
with five astronauts: Maj. Gen. Joe Engle, Capt. Robert “Hoot”
Gibson, Col. Scott Horowitz, Col. Charles “Charlie” Precourt, and
Col. James “Jim” Voss. All five are uniquely and exceptionally talented, and they share several common characteristics—aside from
their graduate degrees in aerospace engineering. The similarities
begin with the large role that building airplanes played in their
development as aviators. >>
VariEze
Charlie Precourt
Cassutt
Robert “Hoot” Gibson
Tri-Q200 (Quickie)
Scott Horowitz
Stits Flut-R-Bug
Joe Engle
Long-EZ
