New Board Members Bring Extensive And Diverse Aviation Community Backgrounds

Three aviators with extensive experience in diverse areas of the aviation community have joined the top leadership of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) as the newest members of the EAA Board of Directors. Dick VanGrunsven, Joe Brown and David Pasahow were invited to join the board during the group’s fall meeting on Nov. 14-15 at Oshkosh, WI. As Class III directors for EAA, they will each serve one-year renewable terms on the EAA board.

“Each of these three EAA members has a diverse aviation background and, more importantly, a longtime connection with our organization in multiple areas,” said Jack Pelton, EAA’s chairman of the board. “We are grateful that each of them has stepped forward to represent our membership and help lead the association as we pursue our mission of growing participation in aviation.”

VanGrunsven (EAA 3204), of Hillsboro, Oregon, is founder and CEO of Van’s Aircraft, which has become one of the largest kit aircraft manufacturers in the world with more than 8,500 airplanes completed worldwide.  An EAA member since 1964, VanGrunsven has received EAA’s Freedom of Flight Award and August Raspet Memorial Award, and is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He is also a founding member of the Aircraft Kit Manufacturers Association (AKIA), an industry group created in 2012, and an enthusiastic sailplane pilot.

Brown (EAA 795555), of Centerville, Ohio, is president of Hartzell Propeller and chief operating officer of Tailwind Technologies, a holding company that owns Hartzell and three other aviation businesses, including Hartzell Engine Technologies. Brown, a graduate of Middlebury College, is an instrument-rated pilot who flies diverse aircraft ranging from a Glasair Sportsman to a TBM 850.

Pasahow (EAA 269376), of Dallas, Texas, is founder of Blue Line Advisors, an executive search and leadership firm focused on the aerospace, transportation and other selected sectors. He also has more than 30 years of experience in executive and leadership consulting services. An EAA member since 1986, Pasahow is a pilot and homebuilder who previously served on EAA’s board from 1991-2009.

FMI: www.eaa.org