W h a t o ur M e m b e r s a r e B uil d in g
The Airplanes of the EAA
Homebuilt Aircraft Council
What they've built or are building
What better way to get to know the members of EAA's
Homebuilt Aircraft Council than to see photos of the airplanes
they've built or are building? Here, in their own words, the
council members share their building experiences.
Gary Baker, Medina, Ohio
My first airplane project was a Pedal Eagle that I built
about 20 years ago for my first son, Brian. At the time, a
company offered precut pieces of wood and hardware, so
this was one of the first kit airplanes. Not having worked
with wood previously, it took me approximately 100 hours
to build it. The plane is covered with decals, also offered
by a company at the time. I believe the company was Aviation Products, which still sells the products. Incidentally,
Brian proposed to his now wife, Amy, while flying on the
Zeppelin at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. It was Amy's
birthday and also her first visit to anything aviation.
Gary's son Brian in the Christen Eagle Pedal Plane.
Gary works on an access panel for the RV-6.
Currently, I'm building an RV-6. I started this odyssey
back in 1996, but did not make great strides in the progress until 2008, when I moved the project about 15 miles
closer to home. I am currently working on the engine
installation. You can read all about my project on my
building blog.
Joe Gauthier, Cromwell, Connecticut
My first homebuilt was a Bede BD-4. It was built in my basement between January 1969 and 1973. I made it's maiden
flight on July 3,1973. There were very few homebuilts around
our area at that time, and I made many trips to the FBO's
maintenance shop to see airplanes undergoing maintenance
just to see "how things were done." There were no Bingelis
26
Vol.2 N o.1 / January 2013
books or the Internet. I learned a lot with that airplane. I flew
it for 425 hours before selling it in 1977 to start my Thorp.
Between 1977 and 1980 a group of us built a Davis DA2A,
which we flew for well more than 1,200 hours until it was sold
in 2010...more than 30 years with a string of partners. A good