Paul Poberezny facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Poberezny
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Paul Poberezny dressed as Charles Lindbergh after flying a replica of the Spirit of St. Louis in 1977.
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| Born | September 14, 1921 |
| Died | August 22, 2013 (aged 91) |
| Resting place | Oshkosh, Wisconsin |
| Occupation | Military pilot, aviation leader, aircraft designer |
| Known for | Founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and AirVenture, pioneer of building your own airplanes |
| Spouse(s) | Audrey Poberezny |
| Children | Tom Poberezny Bonnie Poberezny |
| Parent(s) | Peter Poberezny Jettie Dowdy |
| Awards | See below |
Paul Howard Poberezny (born September 14, 1921 – died August 22, 2013) was an American pilot, leader, and airplane designer. He started the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in 1953. He spent most of his life helping people build their own airplanes at home.
Paul Poberezny is known for making aircraft homebuilding popular in the United States. Through the EAA and its big yearly event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, he inspired many people to get involved in aviation. Many believe he helped the US general aviation industry grow and stay strong. This was especially true in the late 1900s and early 2000s. For 20 years, from 1989 to 2009, he worked with his son, Tom Poberezny. Together, they made the EAA bigger and started new programs. These included an aviation education program for young people and the EAA Aviation Museum.
Paul was also a very experienced military pilot. He earned all seven types of pilot wings the military offered. He was also an instructor, air show pilot, air race pilot, and test pilot. He often tested his own airplane designs and other planes built by the EAA, like the EAA Biplane. He flew for over 70 years and piloted more than 500 different types of aircraft. In 1999, he joined the National Aviation Hall of Fame. He also received the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in 2002. Flying magazine ranked him fourth on their list of 51 Aviation Heroes. At that time, he was the highest-ranked living person on the list. Paul Poberezny passed away from cancer in 2013, at 91 years old.
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Paul's Early Life and First Flights
Paul Poberezny was the oldest of three children. His father, Peter, came from Ukraine. His mother, Jettie, was from the southern United States. Paul was born in Leavenworth County, Kansas. He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his family was not rich. He didn't have indoor plumbing until he went to school.
Paul became interested in airplanes when he was very young. He built model airplanes, which taught him about aircraft design. In high school, he learned to fly and fix planes. His first planes were a WACO Primary Glider and a Porterfield 35 monoplane. After high school, he flew an American Eagle biplane. Paul never went to college. He once said that learning to fly and fix the Eagle was like his college education.
Starting the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
Paul Poberezny started the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in 1953. He began it in the basement of his home in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. At first, it was mainly about people building their own airplanes. But later, it grew to include all parts of general aviation around the world.
Paul stopped being the EAA President in 1989. He stayed as the chairman of the group until 2009. By 2017, the EAA had about 200,000 members in over 100 countries.
In 1953, the EAA started a small newsletter called The Experimenter. Paul, his wife Audrey, and other volunteers wrote and published it. This newsletter later became Sport Aviation magazine. Today, it is a monthly magazine that focuses on homebuilt planes and other aviation topics. This includes old planes, warplanes, and classic aircraft.
EAA AirVenture: The World's Biggest Airshow
The EAA's big yearly event is now called EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. It takes place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This event brings in over 600,000 people, 10,000 aircraft, and 1,000 different talks and workshops every year. This makes it the largest event of its kind in the world.
The first EAA event was held in 1953 at Timmerman Field in Milwaukee. Only a few airplanes attended back then. By the late 1950s, the event became too big for Timmerman Field. It moved to Rockford, Illinois Municipal Airport. The crowds kept growing there too. So, in 1970, the event moved to Oshkosh's Wittman Regional Airport, where it is still held today.
Paul's son, Tom Poberezny, was a world champion aerobatic pilot. He led the annual EAA AirVenture Convention from 1977 to 2011. He was also the president of EAA from 1989 to 2010. In 2009, Paul stepped down as Chairman of EAA, and Tom took over those duties. Tom had a huge impact on the EAA's growth and the convention's expansion. He worked with his father for over two decades.
The EAA has created many aviation programs and activities. These include a technical counselor program and a flight advisor program. They also have the Young Eagles program, which introduces young people to aviation. The EAA and AirVenture have inspired other similar events and groups. For example, Tannkosh in Germany and Sun 'n Fun in Florida are similar airshows.
Paul's Military Career
Paul Poberezny served 30 years in the Wisconsin Air National Guard and the United States Air Force. He was on active duty during World War II and the Korean War. He retired as a lieutenant colonel. He earned all seven types of aviation wings offered by the military. These included glider pilot, service pilot, rated pilot, liaison pilot, senior pilot, Army aviator, and command pilot.
Flying Many Airplanes
Paul Poberezny flew over 500 different types of aircraft. This included more than 170 planes he built himself. He started flying in 1936 at age 16. He received a damaged WACO Primary Glider as a gift. He rebuilt it and taught himself to fly. A high school teacher owned the glider and paid Paul to fix it. He took it to his father's garage and used books to learn how to build and fix planes.
Soon after, he finished fixing it. A friend used his car to pull the glider into the air with Paul flying it. It went about a hundred feet high. Paul then let go of the rope and landed gently in a field. A year later, at age 17, Paul flew alone for the first time in a 1935 Porterfield. Soon after, he co-owned an American Eagle biplane.
After World War II, Paul could not afford to buy his own airplane. So, he decided to build one. In 1955, he wrote articles for Mechanix Illustrated magazine. He explained how someone could buy plans and build an airplane at home. The magazine also showed photos of him building the Baby Ace. This was an amateur-built aircraft, and the first to be sold as a "homebuilt" plane. He had bought the rights to it for $200 a few years before. These articles became very popular and made homebuilding famous worldwide.
Paul designed, changed, and built several home-built aircraft. He flew for more than 30,000 hours in his career. Some of the aircraft he designed and built include:
- Acro Sport I & II
- "Little Audrey"
- Poberezny P-5 Pober Sport
- Pober Jr Ace
- Pober Pixie
- Pober Super Ace
In 1971, Paul Poberezny made the first test flight of the EAA Biplane called Parkside Eagle. Students from Parkside High School in Michigan built this plane.
His 1944 North American F-51D Mustang plane, named Paul I, is now on display. He flew this plane at air shows and races from 1977 to 2003. You can see it at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh.
Paul's Family and Later Life
In 1996, Paul Poberezny worked with his daughter Bonnie, her husband Chuck Parnall, and Bill Blake. They wrote a book called Poberezny: The Story Begins. This book told the story of Paul and Audrey's early years, including how they started the EAA.
Paul Poberezny passed away from cancer on August 22, 2013, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He was 91 years old. His home in Oshkosh is now looked after by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co.. It opened for public tours in the summer of 2017. Audrey Poberezny, his wife, passed away on November 1, 2020, at age 95. Their son, Tom Poberezny, died on July 25, 2022, at age 75. Their deaths meant that the direct link between the EAA and the Poberezny family who founded it was gone.
Awards and Amazing Achievements
Paul Poberezny received many awards for his work in aviation:
- In 1971, he was the first person to receive the Duane and Judy Cole Award. This award honors people who promote sport aviation.
- In 1978, he was named an honorary fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
- In 1986, he joined the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame.
- In 1987, the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) gave him the Elder Statesman of Aviation award.
- In 1997, he joined the International Air & Space Hall of Fame.
- In 1999, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio.
- He received the NBAA's 2001 Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation.
- In 2002, he received the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy.
- In 2008, the Wisconsin Historical Society called him a "Wisconsin History Maker." This recognized his special contributions to the state's history.
- Flying Magazine ranked Paul Poberezny at number 4 on their 2013 list of the 51 Heroes of Aviation. This put him ahead of famous pilots like Bob Hoover, Amelia Earhart, Jimmy Doolittle, and even Chuck Yeager. When the list came out, just one month before he died, Paul was the highest-ranked living person on it.
Many important people in aviation have said that Paul Poberezny's work was very important for the growth of the general aviation industry. Radio newscaster and pilot Paul Harvey said Paul Poberezny "fought strongly against those who would limit the sky." Airshow pilot Julie Clark said Paul inspired her and "countless thousands of others to get involved in aviation." The two brothers who started Cirrus Aircraft also said Paul Poberezny and the EAA were key to their success.
The EAA has been the main force for keeping and growing the excitement of aviation. Without the excitement and passion for this industry, we would not have seen the great growth of general aviation in the 60s and 70s. I believe general aviation might not have even survived the late 80s and 90s. Paul created a group that allowed, supported, and promoted creativity and determination for aviation. The EAA allowed [Alan and me] to dream of something different, and then showed us a way forward for that dream.
See Also
- One Six Right (2005 documentary about an airport)
- Project Schoolflight (a program for students to build planes)
- Timothy Prince
- Burt Rutan (another famous aircraft designer)
- Steve Wittman (a racing pilot and designer)
