won the Grand Champion Gold Lindy award. Challenger
enthusiasts will celebrate the 30th anniversary with a flyin at the Erie Airpark in northern Illinois on September 20
to 22. A total of 65 Challenger aircraft attended the 25th
anniversary fly-in in 2008.
Lest We Forget – Frank Beagle
A ceremony was conducted on the Ultralight flightline at AirVenture 2013, dedicating the announcer's
tower to the memory of Frank Beagle, who passed
away earlier this year at the age of 69. Frank was an
early pioneer who served as the "voice of ultralights"
at Oshkosh for a quarter century. His booming voice,
boundless enthusiasm, and encyclopedic knowledge
of the aircraft and pilots made him a superb air show
announcer and commentator. He educated a whole
generation of pilots and newcomers to the light side of
aviation. Steve Krueger, president of EAA Chapter UL
75, presented the sign donated by his chapter, designating the announcer's tower as the "Beagle's Nest."
A recording was played of his voice from last year.
It sounded so real coming from the same PA system
where we heard him for so many years that many in
the assembled group were visibly moved. After the
formal speeches, the microphone was made available
to anyone who wanted to tell a story or share a recollection about Frank. The string of people who spoke
included longtime EAA editor and writer Mary Jones
and former EAA staff member Bob Warner. Learn more
about Frank and see archival pictures from the early
days of ultralights at FrankBeagle.blogspot.com while
it is still available. Listen to an EAA Radio interview
from 2012 with Frank Beagle here.
Please send your comments and suggestions about
this column to dgrunloh@illicom.net.
Dan Grunloh, EAA 173888, is a retired scientist who
began flying ultralights and light planes in 1982.
He won the 2002 and 2004 U.S. National Microlight
Championships in a trike and flew with the U.S. World
Team in two FAI World Microlight Championships.
Te announcer's tower at the Fun Fly Zone is now known as the "Beagle's Nest."
Photography by Dan Grunloh
EAA Experimenter
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