October 27, 2016 – Bill Wemhoff, EAA 1167924, of Herndon, Virginia, earned his pilot certificate nearly 35 years ago in Nebraska but hadn’t flown since. Life got in the way and flying was pushed to the side, although he never lost interest.
Now retired, Bill wanted to see if he could fulfill a lifelong dream of building his own plane, but he first needed to find out if he could still act as pilot in command.
He decided to join EAA and the local Chapter 186 in Manassas, where he met EAA board member Paul Schafer, EAA 202519, who serves as the chapter’s Eagle Flight coordinator.
Paul explained what the EAA Eagle Flights program is and Bill decided it was the perfect way to test the waters before making a significant commitment of buying a kit plane.
Paul made arrangements for Bill to take a flight with Chapter 186 member Jack McCombs, EAA 69122. The flight was exactly what he needed to help him move forward.
He has since joined a local flying club and is taking lessons to regain currency. He also has begun his build — a Van’s Aircraft RV-7A.
We at EAA were thrilled to hear of Bill’s success story and are excited to see where his flight journey takes him. Congratulations, Bill!