Tue, Jul 29, 2003
Tom Poberezny Talks On The Eve Of Aviation's Greatest Week
By ANN Correspondent Rob Milford
EAA President Tom Poberezny
rushes around the field on a sunny Monday afternoon, his “Red
3” Volkswagen a familiar sight as the very last minute
preparations are finished for “AirVenture 2003.”
Poberezny took some time to chat with Aero-News on the state of
general aviation, and some of the highlights of the show.
With 4,500+ aircraft on the field… he says for airplane
lovers “This is THE candy store! It’s a delight to
watch people here for the first time.” He adds “We
continue to be the world standard for aviation events.”
The Centennial of Flight and the Wright brothers: “They were
not two lucky bicycle builders…they are the essence of what
the EAA is all about, innovators, and builders.” The
great-grand niece and great-grand nephew will be at
AirVenture. “Momentum for the centennial celebration
continues to
pick up, culminating at Kitty Hawk on December 17th.” A
traveling exhibit on the Wright Brothers, sponsored by Ford, has
already been to Dayton, Detroit, New York, and Lakeland,
Florida.
Charles Lindbergh: “The
Missouri Historical Society has loaned us hundreds of pieces from
the Lindbergh estate. They have developed a traveling exhibit, and
this is one of the first public displays. Eric Lindbergh
is here to help us celebrate his grandfather’s
life.”
Poberezny says that the 170,000 members of the EAA are a continuing
source of pride, how they continue to improve the craftsmanship of
new construction and renovation, coming up with new methods
Chuck Yeager, Neil Armstrong are here...”you can see these
guys just walking down the flight line, shoulder to
shoulder with people who and just aviation
enthusiasts.”
Poberezny cites Yeager’s leadership in the Young Eagles
program for the last nine years… and how the number of
flights flown is fast closing in on One Million. “When Chuck
took over the program, 42 thousand youngster had flown, now,
it’s 944,000! Chuck has invested his time and reputation and
his passion for aviation in the young people, who will be the next
leaders, flyers and innovators.”
On the strange, exotic and “Oh Wow”
aircraft on the ramp: “The Airbus Beluga, Hughes H-1 Racer,
and NASA aircraft lead the pack.” This is the first public
display of the huge Beluga in North America… a jet-powered
follow-up to the KC-97 “Guppy” and “Super
Guppy” aircraft from the 1960’s. “Some of the Oh
Wow” Poberezny says “Is just seeing the huge variety of
aircraft, from the warbirds to the homebuilts, to the classic
planes from the 30’s and 40’s.”
When it comes to how General Aviation is dealing with the TSA:
“It’s a real learning curve…everyone in the
aviation community is learning to work together and strike an
appropriate balance.” And about the new rash of
rules and regulations ? “We need to work through these
issues, and get back to where we were before… and I’m
optimistic as we celebrate the 100th
anniversary of flight.”
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