Page 29 - Volumer 13 Number 7

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Paul Poberezny and his wife Audrey initially operated the EAA from the basement of their home in Milwaukee, but eventually relocated the organization’s headquarters to Hales Corners, a suburb of Milwaukee. (Courtesy EAA.org)
dedicated to fostering growth of the postwar amateur-built aircraft movement. That event grew into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
During his aviation career Poberezny flew more than 500 aircraft of various types and logged more than 30,000 hours in the air. He is remembered as an aviator whose constant goal was finding an affordable way for the common person to build and fly their own aircraft. His founding of EAA and the evolution of AirVenture paved the way for thousands of people to realize their dream of flying. Poberezny once summed up the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh experience this way: “Come to Oshkosh for the planes and come back for the people.”
During the next six years EAA members and their aircraft con- tinued to return. The original con- vention grew by leaps and bounds until, in 1958, the space allotted to EAA at Curtiss-Wright Field became inadequate. As a result, the fly-in was relocated to the municipal airport near Rockford, Illinois, where it remained for the next 10 years. It was during that time at Rockford that the “EAA Fly-In Convention established both its prominence as a homebuilder’s event and its friendly atmosphere that it has retained to this day,” said Jack Pelton, chairman
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of the board and CEO of EAA. In addition, an increasing number of amateur-built aircraft were joined on the airfield by a diverse group of “Warbirds” from World War II including the North American P-51 Mustang and F-86 Saber Jet, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Chance- Vought F4U Corsair, to name only a few. Antique aircraft from the early decades of aviation also were on display, and aerobatic performances became an integral part of the daily airshows.
By 1969, however, it was becom- ing obvious that the fly-in and con- vention had outgrown the facilities at Rockford. The EAA board of directors considered a number of new venues, including one suggested by famed air racing pilot and EAA member, Steve Wittman. He recommended the regional airport at Oshkosh, which featured an FAA control tower, room for future expansion, and east/west and north/south runways (without any intersections) that would facilitate the efficient movement of aircraft during the convention.
The only potential problem was the absence of infrastructure to construct a new convention site. Thanks to the massive efforts of EAA’s volunteer network, within six months facilities were deem- ed adequate for the upcoming