"Stuart & Kathryn Fields" wrote in message
.. .

"Vaughn Simon" wrote in message
...

"Reggie" wrote in message
...
Does anyone recall ANY experimental aeroplane built by the current
leader of the Experimental Aircraft Association????

The organization's name is Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), not
Homebuilt Aviation Association (HAA). Your point in regards to our
second-generation President may be well taken, I don't recall him having
the aviation background to match his father's; but there is more to
experimental aviation than homebuilding. Classics, warbirds & Light
Sport should come quickly to mind, but did you know that many gliders are
registered Experimental even though they may be factory made? Perhaps
that is why many of the glider pilots I have met over the years are
members of the EAA, even though they get precious little coverage in the
EAA magizine.

To me, the EAA has always represented the "little guy" in aviation
better and more directly than any other organization.

Vaughn

Vaughn:
I'm missing something. How does the word Experimental tie into Warbirds,
Classics, and Light Sport? What category do the factory built
"Experimental" gliders fall under? Exhibition?
It seems to me that EAA is really flying under false colors. A more
representative name eludes me but it sure wouldn't be Experimental based
on what I see in the magazine and the EAA video from Oshkosh as well as
the focus every year at show center. Indeed one year the EAA video did
not even mention the award winners, but did have Mooneys and Beechcraft
aircraft shown.
I do agree that EAA does the best job in defending us from our "Elected"
Representatives and because of that reason alone I maintain my membership.

Stu


I believe that you are missing two things:

1) Amateur Built is only the largest, and possibly the best known, sub
category of Experimental. IIRC, most of the the warbirds fall into
Exhibition. But, AFAIK, just about anything that is permitted to fly, and
does not quite fit any other category, is likely to be Experimental.

2) The chapters are a very big part of the EAA, and are home to a lot of
assistance and expertise--in addition to plain old encouragement and
comaraderie. They can also provide linkage to a lot of "home office"
expertise--and many maintain libraries of back issues and caches of tools,
clecos, etc.

BTW, there are also chapters of the IAC (International Aerobatic Club) and
also Warbird chapters which are also part of EAA, but not part of the basic
EAA chapter list.

So the "broader audience" part is far from being the whole story!

Peter