That's a question that I've been mentally rasslin' with for a few years
now. Who **is** the reason for the EAA? Is it JUST Experimentals as the
name of the organization implies? Are the warbirds a part of it only
because the founder of EAA flew warbirds or are they an intrinsic part of
it due to the nature of keeping a beast flying for which there are no
readily available parts?

Jim, as you know, I tend to get emotional about EAA. I love the
organization with all my heart, but would gut parts of it with my bare
hands, if I could.

Without EAA it's doubtful that my life would have taken the turn(s) it
has -- all of them good. I've attended the fly-in for 23 consecutive years,
have visited the museum often, use their website weekly, read their email
updates every couple of days, and have belonged to two local chapters.

When I was a wannabe pilot (for, like, the first 35 years of my life) EAA
filled the void between "want" and "ability." I lived vicariously through
all the performers and exhibitors at OSH for all those years, and read the
magazine voraciously each month. EAA kept my dream of flight alive, when
nothing -- and no one, not even me -- believed that I would ever achieve it.
For that, I owe EAA my life -- almost literally.

On the other hand, from a business standpoint, they have repeatedly
disappointed me. They are completely inflexible with what is and isn't
allowed at the fly-in, to the detriment of their members, and what they
charge to get on the grounds prevents many small businesses from getting a
toe-hold. Their corporate side completely dissed us when we first opened,
when I contacted them about offering EAA members a discount at our aviation
theme hotel. They didn't even reply, at first -- and when they *did* reply
it was with almost complete and utter disdain. For some reason my
willingness to GIVE their members something was met with a "who gives a
****" attitude that has left a bad taste in my mouth to this day.

Although I continue to offer my fellow EAA brethren the discount, fool that
I am. :-)

Who is EAA? My God, if it had been limited to only home-builders, as some
here would suggest, I'd still be walking the streets instead of soaring in
the clouds. If the articles in Sport Aviation were all about bucking rivets
and building elevators, my interest would have faded away long ago. As
much as I love building things -- my main hobby before flying was
wood-working -- I have NO interest in spending the next 5 years of my life
in an unheated hangar every night, watching my friends flying off to their
weekend getaways. After wasting my first 35 years on the ground, looking
up, I have NO intention of spending any more time than necessary on terra
firma. Life is about flying for me, now.

So who is EAA? I suspect there are an awful lot of guys like me out there,
who love flying, owe EAA an un-repayable debt of gratitude -- yet will never
build an airplane. (And let's not forget the small -- but vocal! --
minority of women pilots out there. Mary would NEVER have learned to fly
without EAA's annual dose of Oshkosh excitement .) Should they be
excluded?

Perhaps the question isn't who is EAA, but rather, where do you want to take
it as a director? If you want EAA to grow and prosper, you're going to
have to take the "Big Tent" approach, IMHO, and welcome ALL aviation
enthusiasts. Each of us brings something to the table that can be used by
other members, whether it's extra hands at a fly-in breakfast, writing
articles for the newsletter, or the knowledge of how to install wing ribs
properly.

If, on the other hand, you want it to be exclusive -- literally -- to
homebuilders, be prepared for the organization to shrink dramatically. In
our chapter(s), only 10 - 20% of the members ever touched a tool, so the
clubhouse might get a bit lonely without the rest of us around.

Without that other 80%, could EAA support the museum? Could EAA support
Airventure? Clearly, I believe, the answer is "no" -- and I would hate to
see those two things go.

My children already dream about OSH every winter, Jim, just like we do --
and I want it to be there for them. Please be careful what you do with our
beloved organization. It's a living, breathing thing that could be easily
harmed -- or killed -- by taking the wrong approach.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"