EAA Sport Aviation - March 2012

Okay, let’s ponder this chapter’s longevity for a minute. The chapter was first chartered in 1961. The charter document was signed by the young, strong hand of one Paul H. Poberezny. I read all the members’ names on the original charter. The list of past presidents of the chapter read like a who’s who in Pacific Northwest aviation history. The chapter president in 1965 was—drum roll please—Dick VanGrunsven. Ever heard of him? You might just know him as Van. (Folks, he’s been a passionate crusader for experimental aviation for a long time!)

Chapter 105 members didn’t just start their celebration with a banquet; they made a day of it! Starting in the early afternoon, they had two different presentation “tracks.” Track 2 was a flying companion seminar presented by the Oregon Pines Ninety-Nines. Track 1 was about Oregon and Chapter 105 aviation history: “Pre-

Ron, the chapter president, played a tape
made by Paul Poberezny especially for the
event. The room went silent.

Outlaws, George Bogardus and the American Airman’s Association, Chapter 105—The First 15 Years, Chapter 105—The Most Recent 15 Years, Future of Light Plane Design.” You’re getting the feel of it now, right? This was an event honoring the people, airplanes, and passion of the last 50 years.

Then came the banquet. The food was good, but these things are seldom about the food, are they? They’re about the people. Ron, the chapter president, played a tape made by Paul Poberezny especially for the event. The room went silent. That was a special touch and was much appreciated by the crowd. Then they asked me to say a few words (because, as my friend Nel told me later, “Daffy Duck wasn’t available.”). So, of course, I worked in a couple stories about Nel. And another about my other buddy, Jerry VanGrunsven (Van’s brother). And, no, I don’t just talk about the screwups of others; I talk about my own, too. I told them about the one time, in my 26-year airline career, that I taxied to the wrong gate. (You haven’t heard these stories? Not to worry. I’ll tell ’em again at the Speaker Showcase at AirVenture this summer.)