EAA Sport Aviation - April 2012

my 9-year-old heart skipped a beat at the sight of such magnificent machines. In that picture pulled from memory, hanging around their streamlined noses behind the big paddle-like propellers, were hand-printed “For Sale” signs. The price? $19,000 apiece!

I had been to the first EAA museum in Hales Corners many times. My recollection was of a cramped facility with the aircraft carefully placed like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle to maximize the display space in the small building. Nevertheless the museum had to have been a huge accomplishment for Paul Poberezny and EAA at the time. To make something out of nothing is the most difficult task of all.

The memory of the Hales Corners museum certainly is in contrast to the commanding EAA museum campus that we think of as the home of our organization today. Tom Poberezny both envisioned the museum campus and shepherded it to fruition with his leadership and business acumen, all the while growing the Oshkosh fly-in into AirVenture by creating the finest and most varied aviation celebration in the world.

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Today, our organization has embarked on the third chapter of its existence under Rod Hightower and, as throughout EAA’s 59-year history, the only constant is change. I am indeed fortunate to be part of that journey. Who would have thought that 43 years after seeing those P-51s lined up at Rockford, I would have the privilege of not only serving the EAA membership by working in this beautiful museum complex, but also writing for EAA’s flagship publication, Sport Aviation.

However, the EAA is not the only organization of which I am a member. I’m also a member of AOPA, AAA, VAA, MAAC, NWC, AWC, and the International Cessna 195 Club. The 195 guys don’t seem to have an acronym.

It sure would be easier on me if I could
re-up them all at once, but, alas, they each
require an individual renewal and a unique

stamp and envelope–except for EAA,
where I am a lifetime member.

Each of these organizations serves a different meaning and purpose for me. The National Waco Club (NWC) and the American Waco Club (AWC) are type clubs serving my interest in a specific manufacture of aircraft. Obviously, most of the members of the NWC and AWC either own or have an interest in antique Wacos, but I’m happy that at least one active member owns one of the new “Classic Wacos” built in Michigan. Not only is Ernie a great guy, but he also has a lovely granddaughter, Allison, who is learning to fly. The three of us, and the hundreds of other NWC and AWC members, share the same interest in these grand airplanes, and it shouldn’t matter if your Waco was manufactured in 1935 or 2005.

It is not solely about
antiques and homebuilders,
or warbirds and ultralights.

In fact, it’s not even about
who we are today; it’s about
who we want to be.

Some type clubs are specific to make and model, like the International Cessna 195 Club. I really like 195s because they look sleek and fast, and the Cessna 195 guys tolerate my presence in their midst because there are those who own and those who dream of owning, and just like the Waco clubs, the dream of ownership is sufficient for admittance.

The next three acronyms are all about
my favorite segment of the aviation com-
munity—antiques. The Antique Airplane
Association (AAA) has its annual fly-in at
Blakesburg, Iowa. Blakesburg has long been
a mecca for antique airplane aficionados.
There is always a large number of Wacos in
attendance at Blakesburg, but I enjoy view-
ing and talking to the owners of any aircraft
present. The barriers to entry in the AAA
are low. The membership page on the AAA
website begins with, “You are invited to
join us.”
The Vintage Aircraft Association (VAA),
as a division of EAA, produces a monthly
publication about antique aircraft. On the
EAA AirVenture grounds, the VAA has
made a home for antiquers at the Red Barn
just to the south of ConocoPhillips Plaza.
The “Who We Are” section of Vintage’s
website starts out, “The Vintage Aircraft
Association brings together people from
around the world who share an interest in
the aircraft of yesterday.” Sounds like a
pretty inclusive bunch.