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Thread: What is the purpose of EAA?

  1. #1
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    What is the purpose of EAA?

    The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has grown and changed over the years, merged with other organizations, and certainly means different things to different people. Homebuilt, vintage, ultralight, aerobatic, and warbird enthusiasts all have their place.

    One thing that strikes me is that there seems to be less emphasis on homebuilding and restoration today then when I first became an EAA member 25 years ago. I don't want to rehash old threads about the spectacle of Airventure, the editorial line of Sport Aviation or the ups and downs of EAA chapters, but it seems clear that the organization's focus has changed.

    I recently contacted the EAA Library and asked for copies of the organization's charter. I received the original and revised articles of incorporation from 1955 and 2013. It's interesting to compare the two and see what EAA declared as its purpose then and now.

    1955
    Article 3. The purposes shall be
    (a) To encourage the development of any type of aircraft by individuals through experimentation and home engineering.
    (b) To foster closer fellowship through the exchange of idea of mutual interest, and to be fraternal in character.
    (c) To aid in reducing the cost of homebuilding and experimentation through cooperative buying.

    2013
    ARTICLE THREE. PURPOSES
    This corporation is organized and shall be operated exclusively for educational, scientific and/or charitable purposes and, to the extent consistent therewith, shall:
    (a) Cooperate with and assist governmental agencies in the development of programs relating to aviation activities.
    (b) Promote and encourage aviation safety in the design, construction and operation of all types of aircraft.
    (c) Promote and encourage grass roots efforts relating to aviation research and development.
    (d) Promote and encourage aviation.

    What do folks here, as EAA members, think of these changes to the stated purpose of EAA?

    Cheers,

    Matthew
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    In one of the 1970's Homebuilders column by Paul Poberezny, he said it simply:
    "Designing, building and flying for fun".

    The issue was that EAA was to promote flying for fun, not transportation.
    He didn't want fun flying rules and costs etc. all lumped in and associated with general aviation. That was the essence of EAA then.
    Todays EAA is fully general aviation.

  3. #3

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    Well, let's look at the size and scale of each organization then versus now:

    ARTICLE THREE. PURPOSES
    This corporation is organized and shall be operated exclusively for educational, scientific and/or charitable purposes and, to the extent consistent therewith, shall:
    (a) Cooperate with and assist governmental agencies in the development of programs relating to aviation activities.

    Paul and his merry band of airplane nuts in the basement would never have such hubris to write something down like that. But he didn't shy away from it once the organization had the size to get the moxie to walk into a Senator's office.

    And when it comes to developing regulations or rules impacting homebuilt aircraft, the EAA isn't just an organization to speak to with expertise, it is THE organization of expertise to involve.


    (b) Promote and encourage aviation safety in the design, construction and operation of all types of aircraft.

    As Experimental Aircraft became more popular and the numbers increased, the goal of just having folks build their own airplanes to having them build better ones was natural.

    (c) Promote and encourage grass roots efforts relating to aviation research and development.

    Yep. It's not the EAA in Oshkosh that make the EAA work. It's the local chapter. If the EAA is failing, we, the builders and members, are to blame. However, the big advances in E-AB's have been at the lowest levels, not some think tank workshop the EAA might try and develop.

    (d) Promote and encourage aviation.

    Don't see a problem with this. I don't know how many folks who fly spam-cans have told me that they'd consider building their own airplane after looking at mine and some others.

    So I don't have a problem with it.
    Last edited by Frank Giger; 05-18-2017 at 01:51 PM.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

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    Matthew and Bill have succinctly set out the EAA differences and purposes then and now. Organizations, like people, institutions and companies evolve and change to varying degrees over time in accordance with needs, requirements, partnerships, economic needs, societal changes and cultural shifts.

    What is also very interesting to observe is how Oshkosh has changed over the same period to be a reflection of the Articles then and now. From a personal anecdote, I first went in 1981 and my recollection is at least 80% all homebuilts and related. I am not a E-AB builder type but I went because I knew it was the place to be if you were a pilot and just loved being around airplanes. My memory says Cessna and Piper were the only conventional GA that had outdoor exhibits. There were very few true kit companies then exhibiting, primarily plans built with some prefab components available and lots of exhibitors selling everything aviation from soup to nuts. I remember vividly being quite impressed with the Christen Eagle airplane-in-a-box and all the components neatly organized, bagged and labelled and some vacuum sealed. My greatest moment that year was meeting and talking to Pappy Boyinton who had a hangar booth selling his book. All these many years later I must say that I enjoy the entire breadth of displayed aviation as constituted now from ultralights to warbirds. I also must say I don't need an air show every day.

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    I appreciate both of your comments and agree completely that the organization has to evolve over time. What concerns me most is that homebuilding has disappeared entirely from the 2013 articles. That seems very problematic for an organization that still calls itself the Experimental Aircraft Association. EAA can join other organizations like AOPA in promoting general aviation broadly (though that's not why I belong to EAA) but those other organizations do not focus on homebuilding. If EAA does not focus on promoting homebuilding as its primary mission, who will?
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    Quote Originally Posted by cluttonfred View Post
    ... What concerns me most is that homebuilding has disappeared entirely from the 2013 articles. That seems very problematic for an organization that still calls itself the Experimental Aircraft Association.... If EAA does not focus on promoting homebuilding as its primary mission, who will?
    Yep.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cluttonfred View Post
    I appreciate both of your comments and agree completely that the organization has to evolve over time. What concerns me most is that homebuilding has disappeared entirely from the 2013 articles. That seems very problematic for an organization that still calls itself the Experimental Aircraft Association. EAA can join other organizations like AOPA in promoting general aviation broadly (though that's not why I belong to EAA) but those other organizations do not focus on homebuilding. If EAA does not focus on promoting homebuilding as its primary mission, who will?
    Homebuilding has been a very small part of EAA’s Sport Aviation content since about 1970.
    I think it's up to you and me to design and bring homebuilts or ideas to Oshkosh. I was thinking of bringing my experimental engine that is mounted on my trailer. Seems like the EAA thing to do.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cluttonfred View Post
    What concerns me most is that homebuilding has disappeared entirely from the 2013 articles.
    Agreed specifically. But Article 3 (b) and (c), while not direct, specific, precise and pre-meditated, could be interpreted to be broad enough in scope to include homebuilding. At the same time, however, it certainly does raise the critical question why EAA chose to diliberately exclude any words or phrasing like homebuilding, experimental, and home engineering. At the end of the day, that's a question to be asked of and answered only by Jack Pelton.

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    The porpoise of EAA....


    Ron "Look, it's flying!" Wanttaja

  10. #10
    cluttonfred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rwanttaja View Post
    The porpoise of EAA....
    Ron "Look, it's flying!" Wanttaja
    OK, I'll bite, please explain the porpoise joke. And I think that's a dolphin.
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