This piece originally ran in the July 2025 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
Flight tour season at EAA takes our 1929 Ford Tri-Motor to airports across the country to give people a taste of the golden age of aviation. And that tour brings Anita Heinzelman, EAA 1175748, one of the dedicated tour coordinators who makes sure each stop is a success.
When Anita and her husband, Jim, EAA 1175747, retired to the Oshkosh area in 2013, their lifelong love for aviation inspired them to respond to EAA’s search for help in the EAA Aviation Museum. “We retired here in the Winnebago area, and then I saw they were looking for docents, and so I thought it would be a cool volunteer job, and [Jim] was thrilled to be able to do that,” she said.
Volunteering in the museum has allowed Anita to meet all sorts of people.
“And then I also volunteer at Pioneer Airport, and that’s where they give rides to Young Eagles, and people can go up in a biplane there, too,” she said. “The people are just amazing, and the smiles that are on their faces makes it worthwhile.”
It was her role at Pioneer Airport that introduced her to the Tri-Motor tour crew. When they noticed her great work, they asked if she’d be interested in helping on the tour. “And I was like, ‘Yep, who do I have to see?’” she said. “So, yeah, my husband and I have enjoyed it. And part of the reason that is so amazing is the chapters, the camaraderie. It’s just been fantastic.”
Another great part of being a tour coordinator is the collection of stories she brings home. Like when the entire airplane was booked for a 10-year-old’s birthday party, “It was so cool because some of these kids had never flown,” she said. “And I said, this is the best birthday party, [and one] that these kids will never forget.”
She’s also gotten to meet those who have flown on the Tri-Motor in its heyday.
“We met the guys that used to be the fire jumpers, and they were in their 90s, and they were thrilled to be able to fly on that plane again,” she said. “And another lady, she was 82 and brought the original ticket she had from when she was 2 years old when her father took her for a ride. She was like a celebrity; people were just thrilled to see that she flew on it 80 years ago. So, it’s just the people you meet. There are so many stories.
“Most of the time, everybody comes off the plane smiling. That is one of the main reasons why I love it. You just never know what each chapter is going to bring and the people you’re going to meet,” she said. “I do volunteering lots of places — at church, at the PAC — but this is my favorite. They say it’s a family, and it truly is.”
Volunteers make EAA AirVenture Oshkosh — and just about everything else EAA does — possible. This space in EAA Sport Aviation is dedicated to thanking and shining the spotlight on volunteers from the community. Sadly, it cannot capture all of the thousands of volunteers who give so much to the community every year. So, next time you see a volunteer at AirVenture or elsewhere, however they are pitching in to make EAA better, be sure to thank them for it. It’s the least we can do. Do you know a volunteer you’d like to nominate for Volunteer Spotlight? Visit EAA.org/Submissions.