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Member Stories

Home » Member Stories

August 15, 2019November 5, 2025

What Our Members Are Building/Restoring: Arkansas Piper J-3 Cub

Member Stories, Vintage

This story started in August 1938 on a 40-acre cotton field near the Hempstead County line in Southwest Arkansas.

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August 14, 2019November 7, 2025

Visiting the Museum of Flight

Member Stories

EAA staffer Christina Basken recently visited one of the world’s largest aviation museums, and came back with a great story and a lot of photos.

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August 14, 2019October 28, 2025

Our Hike Into the British Columbia Bush to the Canso Bomber Wreckage

EAA Canada, Member Stories
At 2300 on the night of February 10, 1945, a Royal Canadian Air Force Consolidated PBV-1A* Catalina serial No. 11007, also known as the Canso, took off from RCAF Tofino ... Read more
August 14, 2019October 17, 2025

A Non-Pilot Spouse’s Perspective on Oshkosh

AirVenture, Member Stories

It has been more than 15 years since my husband, Jack, started attending EAA AirVenture Oshkosh — the largest air show in the world!

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August 8, 2019October 20, 2025

Bob Became a Private Pilot at 55 Years Old

Homebuilding, Member Stories

Bob and Jean Porter came into aviation a bit later in life. At 55, Bob decided to become a private pilot.

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July 27, 2019October 20, 2025

An RV-7 Love Story ⁠⁠— Douglas Taylor’s N610TW

Member Stories
“It’s painted by John Stahr. I provided the canvas, the bodywork, and my life with my wife, Nan Wu, provided the inspiration,” Douglas Taylor said. “It’s based on our past ... Read more
July 27, 2019October 20, 2025

Championship Drone Racer — From Learning RC at Oshkosh to Professional Drone Racing

Member Stories, Youth Outreach
19-year-old Alex Vanover got his start in RC here at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and is now winning world championships racing drones. “It’s a dream come true . ... Read more
July 26, 2019October 20, 2025

Back in the Family ⁠— A Glasair With History Returns to the Fold

Member Stories, Why We Fly
By Barbara A. Schmitz Austin Bowman, then 14, recalled being upset, even mad, when his parents sold the family’s Glasair in 2000 that his dad, Skip, had built soon after ... Read more
July 26, 2019October 17, 2025

Here for Them All ⁠— 50 Years of Volunteering in Oshkosh

Member Stories, Volunteers
By Barbara A. Schmitz Bob Herman has been attending the EAA fly-in convention for 51 years, and volunteering for 50 of those years. “But I didn’t realize I was volunteering ... Read more
July 25, 2019October 20, 2025

Bowers Fly Baby Makes First Oshkosh Trip Since 1970

AirVenture, Member Stories
Charlie and Steve Gay’s 1965 Bowers Fly Baby 608X has returned to Oshkosh for the first time since 1970. The Fly Baby is a single-seat, folding-wing monoplane, originally designed in ... Read more
July 25, 2019October 20, 2025

Whirling Around the World — Taking a Gyroplane on a Worldwide Journey

Member Stories, Why We Fly
In 2003, Norman Surplus, then 40, was diagnosed with bowel cancer. The prognosis wasn’t good. “They gave me a 40 percent chance to live 18 months,” he recalled. As he ... Read more
July 24, 2019October 17, 2025

A Special AirVenture Surprise — A South African T-6 With Family Ties

AirVenture, Member Stories
By Kayla Floyd Johan Guyt stood along the flightline on Sunday, July 21, when an airplane in the markings of his homeland, South Africa, touched down on the runway. As ... Read more
July 24, 2019November 5, 2025

Ercoupe Couple Shows Spirit of AirVenture

Member Stories, Vintage, Youth Outreach
By John W. Conrad When Bob and Jean Porter of Batavia, Illinois, attended their first EAA air show at Oshkosh, they didn’t have an airplane, but they had a dream. ... Read more
July 23, 2019November 3, 2025

A Homebuilder’s Dream Flight: From Germany to Oshkosh — Meet Hermann Schiele

AirVenture, Member Stories
By Kayla Floyd Over in homebuilt camping, a grey RV-8 might have caught some attention. Whether it was the German registration, the German flag on the tail, or the combination ... Read more
July 22, 2019October 20, 2025

Sneaking in, Safely — A Soggy Saturday Didn’t Stop One Cirrus From Arriving

AirVenture, Member Stories
By John W. Conrad The skies had barely lifted and thunder still rumbled in the distance when the Cirrus SR22, piloted by 22-year-old Steven Noonan of Western Michigan University, entered ... Read more
July 17, 2019November 3, 2025

Stories of Oshkosh — Nicole Pierce

AirVenture, Member Stories, Volunteers

Nicole Pierce, EAA 559033, shares her Story of Oshkosh.

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July 10, 2019November 3, 2025

Stories of Oshkosh — Judie Ohm

AirVenture, Member Stories

My book, Turret Tales, would never have been written if it hadn’t been for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2010.

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July 9, 2019November 7, 2025

Aero Camping Expo at Brampton, Ontario

EAA Canada, Member Stories

Visitors were amazed at the amount of stuff we could shoehorn into the Cessna 177 Cardinal or the GlaStar, next door. Aero camping can be very comfortable.

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July 2, 2019November 3, 2025

Stories of Oshkosh — John Puent

AirVenture, Member Stories

John Puent, EAA 43711, has attended every EAA fly-in convention since 1970 and doesn’t plan on breaking his streak.

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June 25, 2019November 3, 2025

Stories of Oshkosh — Tony Wall

AirVenture, Member Stories

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh can be inspiring to many people for many reasons. For Tony Wall, EAA 1226290, AirVenture 2016 inspired him to fulfill his dream of purchasing his first airplane.

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