Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/96284
Having retired a couple of times from different aviation and space careers (and as a builder), I felt it was time for me to pay back to the aviation community for all the great fun I've had along the way. The interview process was quite interesting and comprehensive. Pretty much what you would expect if you were applying for a high-level position in a company. The requirements, among many other issues, were to be a builder and a pilot and to have knowledge of the FAA and its rulemaking process. Fred Keip and I were selected to the council after AirVenture 2009. Shortly thereafter, I was selected to be the chairman after the outgoing chairman, my good friend Doug Kelly. In the fall of 2009 I became a member of the EAA Board of Directors. The only reason for telling you this is so you know that those of us on the HAC are builders, members like yourselves, and volunteers. We come directly from the EAA membership. The HAC provides advice and counsel to the staff on all subjects related to the activities of the homebuilt aircraft community. In 2011 history repeated, and the HAC again placed a call in the pages of Sport Aviation for members to self-nominate for four open positions, and 78 members answered that call. The then-current HAC members—Joe Gauthier from Connecticut, an experienced builder and pilot of many experimental aircraft and an outstanding designated airworthiness representative (DAR), along with Fred Keip of Wisconsin, an experienced chapter leader, plans builder, and the HAC-designated "voice" of the Homebuilts in Review program—and I caucused for quite a few months until we narrowed the field to the six best candidates from the 78 excellent resumes we reviewed. We all agreed the talent pool within EAA is incredibly outstanding, and that made every decision much more difficult. We invited the "final six" to join us the Sunday before AirVenture 2012 for personal interviews. Everyone was exceptional. Joe, Fred, and I then selected the final four to form our chartered seven members of the HAC. In no particular order, they are: Dave Prizio from southern California; Keith Phillips from Port Orange, Florida; Gary Baker from Cleveland, Ohio; and Randy Hooper from Nashville, Tennessee. All of them are experienced builders with outstanding resumes and a passion to make EAA the best organization possible to serve and represent the members. To be clear, despite what you may have read on any forum discussions, EAA staff and management left the process and selection to the three of us on the HAC. EAA had no input into the selection procedures, thus making this process a truly member-centric function. Every one of us on the HAC is a volunteer and not beholden to anyone except you, the members. If you sat in on our meetings you would know this to be true. This past AirVenture was one of the most "interesting" events ever. All of us on the HAC talked to hundreds of members, volunteers, and visitors to get their opinions about different things. We learned what was liked or disliked. If have read the threads on the Internet or heard EAA EXPERIM ENTER 47