Experimental Aircraft Association
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. -- (Oct. 22, 1999) -- Fifteen people who contributed greatly to the world of flight were honored as the newest members of Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)-affiliated Halls of Fame. The group was inducted on Friday, Oct. 22, during a program at the EAA Aviation Center at Oshkosh, Wis.
Chris Heintz, Richard Van Grunsven and the late Henri Mignet were inducted into the EAA Homebuilders' Hall of Fame. Henry Haigh became the newest member of the International Aerobatic Club (IAC) Hall of Fame. Two people &emdash; Richard Ervin and the late William Dodds &emdash; joined those in the EAA Warbirds of America Hall of Fame. Anders Christenson, Dale DeRemer and Verne Jobst were honored as inductees into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame, while Gene Chase, Tom Flock and Edward C. Wegner were placed in the Vintage Aircraft Association (formerly Antique/Classic) Hall of Fame. In addition, the new EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame welcomed Homer Kolb, Chuck Slusarczyk and John Moody as its inaugural members.
"All of these men have contributed much to the world of flight," said EAA President Tom Poberezny. "Each has carved a unique niche in aviation history. They represent the best that recreational aviation has to offer and serve as an example for everyone involved in flying. We are honored to welcome them as our newest inductees to the EAA Halls of Fame."
The inductees were nominated by members of EAA, EAA Divisions or the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). The final selection was made by the Board of Directors of each group. Nominees were considered for their contributions to the history, development and growth of a particular facet of sport aviation. The IAC Hall of Fame was founded in 1987, while the Homebuilders' Hall of Fame was founded in 1993, the Warbirds of America Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in 1997. The Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame was created in 1993, while this is the inaugural year for the Ultralight Hall of Fame.
EAA is the world's leading recreational aviation organization, with 170,000 members and more than 975 local Chapters. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or explore EAA's World Wide Web site (www.eaa.org).
HOMEBUILDERS' HALL OF FAME
· Chris Heintz: Heintz, of Midland, Ontario, has created more than a dozen aircraft designs, of which more than 800 examples are flying in excess of 50 nations. He is best known for his Zenair aircraft, which are straightforward sheet-metal designs.
· Richard Van Grunsven: Creator of one of the RV series, some world's most popular homebuilt aircraft kits. Van Grunsven, of North Plains, Oregon, has seen more than 8,000 of his kits purchased over the past 25 years, with over 2,250 aircraft completed and flown.
· Henri Mignet: The French-born Mignet, who died in 1965, was renowned for his "Flying Flea" design which was hugely popular during the 1930s among homebuilders. Mignet also designed 40 other aircraft through his more than five decades in aviation.
WARBIRDS HALL OF FAME
· William Dodds: Dodds, who died in 1997, was a renowned pilot of several Warbird aircraft. He flew various Warbirds in air show performances and was also a member of the Aerobatic Competency Examiner program as well as an FAA Designated Examiner.
· Richard Ervin: Ervin, of Fort Myers, Fla., is a past President of the Warbirds of America. He also served on numerous Warbirds committees as well as the EAA Board of Directors. Ervin was also a member of the group that led the fund drive for the EAA Aviation Center.
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME
· Gene Chase: Chase, an Oshkosh resident, was the long-time editor of Vintage Airplane magazine and a member of the EAA staff. He has piloted a multitude of vintage aircraft over more than 55 years of flying and his aircraft restorations have won awards at EAA AirVenture.
· Tom Flock: Flock, of Rockville, Ind., is regarded as one of the foremost restorers of Waco aircraft in the world. His abilities have brought numerous vintage aircraft back to life and back to flying status over the past two decades.
· Edward C. Wegner: The Plymouth, Wis., resident is a top aircraft restorer, having refurbished more than 15 airplanes. His restoration efforts include several airplanes that have won top awards at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, as well as several rare and unique aircraft.
INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB HALL OF FAME
· Henry Haigh: Haigh was the World Aerobatic Champion in 1988 and U.S. National Aerobatic Champion in 1979. He was also a member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team from 1974-1990 and won more than 60 International Aerobatic Club (IAC) competition titles.
ULTRALIGHTS HALL OF FAME
· John Moody: Regarded as the father of the modern ultralight, Moody created the first foot-launched ultralight aircraft in 1975. The Brandon, Fla., resident's invention sparked an entirely new segment of aviation now enjoyed by thousands of people worldwide.
· Homer Kolb: Kolb, of Phoenixville, Pa., developed numerous light plane designs that have become popular over the past 30 years. His designs were precursors to the ultralight era and he has been widely recognized as an innovative designer of easy to build and fly aircraft.
· Chuck Slusarczyk: Slusarczyk, already a member of the Hang Gilder Hall of Fame, opened ultralight flight to more people by developing the reduction drive for ultralight engines. He also accomplished a number of firsts in ultralights, including the world's first indoor flight.
FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS HALL OF FAME
· Anders Christenson: Christenson, of Bloomington, Minn., has logged more than 27,000 hours of flight time, including more than 23,000 as a flight instructor. He was a high school teacher who also became an outstanding instructor of student pilots and other flight instructors.
· Dale DeRemer: DeRemer, of Grand Forks, N.D., resident, became a professor at University of North Dakota's aerospace program after careers in science and as a corporate pilot. He has also written several books used in collegiate aviation departments through the country.
· Verne Jobst: Jobst, of McHenry, Ill., has flown aircraft from B-17 bombers to 747 transports, as well as balloons and gliders. More than 11,500 instructional hours in his 40,000 logged flight hours, he has contributed to aviation instruction and safety for both general aviation and airlines.
INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC HALL OF FAME
(established 1987)
1987: Jose Luis Aresti, Duane Cole, Curtis Pitts, Frank Price
1988: Marion Cole, Mike Murphy, Betty Skelton
1989: Robert L. Heuer, Beverly "Bevo" Howard, Harold Krier
1990: Lincoln Beachey, Bob Herendeen, Charlie Hillard, Art Scholl
1993: Neil Williams, Clint McHenry
1998: Bill Barber, Rodney Jocelyn, Harold Neumann, Tom Poberezny, Tex Rankin
1999: Henry Haigh
EAA HOMEBUILDERS HALL OF FAME
(established 1993 - yearly induction)
1993: Paul Poberezny, S.J. "Steve" Wittman, George Bogardus
1994: Bernie Pietenpol, Bob Burbick, Ray Stits
1995: Tony Bingelis, Molt Taylor, John Thorp
1996: Sam Burgess, Nick D'Apuzzo, Ed Heath, Volmer Jensen
1997: Ladislao Pazmany, William Ghan, Harold Best-Devereux
1998: Curtis Pitts, Burt Rutan, Bill Warwick
1999: Henri Mignet, Richard Van Grunsven, Chris Heintz
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME
(established 1993 - inducts new members every two years)
1993: E.E. "Buck" Hilbert, George York
1995: Cole Palen, Kelly Viets, Joe Juptner
1997: Paul Poberezny, Ann Pellegreno, Jim Younkin, Harold Armstrong
1999: Gene Chase, Edward C. Wegner, Tom Flock
EAA WARBIRDS OF AMERICA HALL OF FAME
(established 1995)
1995: Paul Poberezny, Walt Ohlrich, John Baugh, Bill Harrison, Jerry Walbrun
1996: Dick Dieter, Charlie Nogle
1997: Sue Parish, Rudy Frasca, Jeff Ethell
1998: John Ellis, Randy Sohn
1999: William Dodds, Richard Ervin
FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS HALL OF FAME
(established 1997)
1997: Bernie Geier, Evelyn Bryan Johnson, James W. "Pete" Campbell
1998: Joe Vorbeck, Marvin Easter, Bill Kershner
1999: Anders Christenson, Dale DeRemer, Verne Jobst
EAA ULTRALIGHT HALL OF FAME
(established 1999)
1999: Homer Kolb, John Moody, Chuck Slusarczyk