Organization Celebrates 51st Anniversary

On Monday, the EAA celebrated its 51st anniversary, recalling its first meeting in a wintry night in Milwaukee, Wis., in 1953.  The organization says its success would not be possible without the support and involvement of its hundreds of thousands of members through the years, and the 170,000 aviation enthusiasts who are current EAA members. 

On it's website, the organization revisited its founding over a half-century ago.

EAA had its start next to a half-built airplane in a garage in the Milwaukee area.  In the years after World War II, Paul Poberezny was continually working on airplane projects in his garage.  While he was in the process of rebuilding an old Taylorcraft, former members of the defunct Milwaukee Lightplane Club stopped by to help or just visit.  The garage became a place to chat about airplanes, and talk turned to forming a local club for amateur airplane designers and builders.  When Poberezny was called up for active duty in the Korean War, however, such talk went onto the back burner.

When Poberezny returned to his home in 1952, the talk turned to action.  On Jan. 26, 1953, fewer than three dozen aviation enthusiasts met at Curtiss-Wright Airport to discuss forming the club.  Those attending saw two great possibilities for such a club: While some looked for a local club as a social group as much as anything else, others saw the possibilities in uniting aviation enthusiasts who focused on design and construction of airplanes.

Eventually, the group’s name emerged as the “Experimental Aircraft Association,” pointing toward the Experimental classification used for homebuilt and modified airplanes by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (forerunner of today’s Federal Aviation Administration).  A newsletter called “The Experimenter” was published, although it was little more than a one-page mimeographed sheet.  It would eventually evolve into today’s full-color “Sport Aviation” magazine.

In September 1953, EAA held its first fly-in convention, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Air Pageant in Milwaukee.  Fewer than two dozen airplanes attended that first event and only about 150 people attended EAA’s banquet held as part of the fly-in.  Throughout the 1950s, membership grew from dozens to hundreds to several thousand as people found an aviation gathering place within the organization.  Several local EAA Chapters founded throughout the nation added support to the group.

There had also been changes as membership grew.  The annual fly-in had grown bigger than its Milwaukee site and had moved to Rockford, Ill., in 1959, where it would spend the next decade.  In 1964, the EAA office finally moved out of the Poberezny basement and into a new building in Franklin, Wis., another suburb of Milwaukee.  An adjacent structure, complete with the first EAA Air Museum, was added two years later.  While this new facility offered a truly professional office setting and support staff, the volunteer efforts of EAA members and their families continued to provide the bulk of the manpower that got things done.

That volunteer “can-do” attitude established in EAA’s early years have continued to be a hallmark of the organization, as those in EAA are active participants as well as members.  During the 1960s, programs such as “Project Schoolflight,” which brought aircraft building into high school vocational programs, and the “Designee” program, which provided no-cost advice from experienced airplane builders (and preceded today’s Technical Counselor program), allowed EAA members to be directly involved with opening the world of flight to others.

As EAA membership soared past 100,000 in the late 1980s, the organization found itself at unprecedented levels.  Government officials and industry leaders looked to EAA and its members for resources and guidance on a variety of issues.  The association that represented the individual’s access to the sky was now regarded as a major player in the aviation community.

I n 1989, Paul Poberezny retired as EAA President, succeeded by his son, Tom.  As the 1990s dawned, EAA members also began looking at what the future of recreational aviation would be as time and technology rolled on.

EAA has continued to grow, with a 70 percent increase in membership over the past 15 years.  The association continues to provide the information and support necessary for individuals to fulfill their own dreams of flight.

“Although there are literally thousands of individual interests within our membership, EAA remains dedicated to some simple tenets that apply to everyone who wishes to participate,” EAA President Tom Poberezny said.  “EAA will protect the right to fly; promote access to flight; preserve the heritage of aviation; and prepare for those who will carry the dream forward.

“For more than 50 years, EAA has represented the individual who wants to discover and explore aviation.  As individuals bonded by this common passion, EAA has been able to provide the support needed to fulfill thousands of dreams of flight.  It is that vision that will continue to carry us into the future.” 

FMI:  www.eaa.org