Back in May of 1955, a Corben Baby Ace graced the cover of Mechanix Illustrated magazine with a simple headline: “Build this plane for under $800 including engine!” The magazine introduced the first of a three-part article series written by EAA Founder Paul Poberezny that methodically stepped the reader through the building and flying of a homebuilt airplane.
Paul’s articles struck a chord with frustrated flyers across the country. To thousands of people, flying was unaffordable and inaccessible and then, almost instantaneously, it wasn’t. That series of articles put EAA on the map and changed sport aviation forever.
A half-century later, at age 89, Paul decided that it was time to build another one, a flying example that would help tell the story of the airplane and its impact on EAA. He got started in early 2011, and before long, the Aeroplane Factory was humming with activity as supplies were gathered, tubing was measured and cut, and construction began.
Paul and a group of volunteers, including Charlie Becker, EAA 515808 and director of chapters and homebuilding; Mike Hoy, EAA 505817; and Kurt Mehre, EAA 170963, worked on the project steadily for the next couple of years. By AirVenture Oshkosh 2013, the airframe was basically complete and the wings – thanks in part to members of Chapter 1311 in Danville, Indiana, who built the ribs – were largely assembled.
In August of 2013, we lost Paul; it was the end of an era. It was not, however, the end of the project. Everyone knew the Baby Ace deserved to be finished and flown to AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 as a tribute to Paul. Kurt was the family’s first choice to complete it.
The Baby Ace was moved from Oshkosh to Wausau in November of 2013, and the countdown to AirVenture began. Kurt began looking for volunteers and, while some came from the local chapter, many of them were locals who’d heard of the project mainly via social media. Finally, after years of effort, the second Mechanix Illustrated Baby Ace made its first flight on July 19, 2014, and made it to Oshkosh just nine days later.
Thousands of people got a good close look at the airplane at AirVenture Oshkosh 2014. Kurt and the other builders were surprised at the overwhelming amount of attention they got, but nobody else was. And there were more than a few tears in the crowd when the quiet, unassuming little red-orange airplane flew as a tribute to Paul during the afternoon air show.
The airplane was eventually sold to a new owner in Washington state, Chris Lehner, EAA Lifetime 170284, who graciously agreed to fly the airplane back to Oshkosh for AirVenture 2019, not only for the celebration of our 50th consecutive convention, but also the 90th anniversary of the original Baby Ace back in 1929.
“Very excited and looking forward to a great flight and week with family and friends,” Chris wrote, announcing the trip on the airplane’s Facebook page.
“We’re really grateful that Chris made the effort to fly the airplane all the way from Washington,” Charlie said. “It was really important to Paul that the Mechanix Illustrated Baby Ace replica keep flying, and keep telling the stories of EAA and homebuilding.”
The airplane will be on display throughout the week in the Homebuilders’ Hangar on the AirVenture convention grounds.