EAA Hall of Fame Inductees
EAA inducted five new members into the Sport Aviation Hall
of Fame during its annual induction dinner held in the museum's Founders' Wing in Oshkosh on November 15, 2012.
Inductees include (click on names for special video bios) Wes
Schmid (Homebuilders), Clyde Smith Jr. (Vintage), Taras Kiceniuk (Ultralight), Giles Henderson (Aerobatic), and Preston
"Pete" Parish (Warbirds). EAA congratulates our new hall of
famers and thanks them for their many contributions to EAA
and to aviation.
An active EAA member since 1956, Wes Schmid, EAA 3113,
was involved in the preparation of Experimenter and redesigning the Sport Aviation magazine in 1958. He also prepared EAA's advertising programs and developed a variety
of special publications such as data books, how-to manuals,
brochures, and other educational and promotional materials.
In 1959, EAA Founder Paul Poberezny appointed Wes to the
position of forums chairman, which he held until 2009. During
those years, the forums grew from the one tent at the Rockford, Illinois, fly-in convention to the 11 buildings currently
used at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He continues to
volunteer with the forums operations to this day. More than
500 educational forums are scheduled during AirVenture,
some of which include aviation's most knowledgeable designers, builders, and engineers.
Wes had been a member of the EAA Board of Directors for 33
years, serving as the association's secretary. He is co-author
of the Golden Age of Air Racing, which has been considered
the bible for pre-World War II air racing fans. It won the Clifford W. Henderson Achievement Award in 1992.
Wes has owned a Meyer Little Toot and is a co-builder of a
scratchbuilt Steen Skybolt.
Owner and founder of Icarus Engineering since 1971, Taras
Kiceniuk Jr. of Los Angeles, California, has designed and built
several ultralight gliders over the decades, a few of which
broke world records and have been held in high honor.
In 1971, Taras created the Icarus II biplane glider that set
the world duration flight record of one hour and 11 minutes. Two years later, his Icarus V set the world duration
record for high-performance hang gliders at two hours
and 30 minutes. Additionally, in 1975, Taras' Icarus HPA-1
became the first powered plane to make unassisted flights
in the United States.
As the chief engineer on the Gossamer Albatross project for
human-powered flight across the English Channel, Taras was
awarded a medal in 1979 by England's Prince Charles for his
work. More recently, Taras was project director for Reginator,
a manufacturer of electric- and wind-powered hybrid aircraft,
from 2007 to 2009 and demonstrated the first atmospheric
energy-gathering flight on May 31, 2007.
Also credited for several patented product designs and engineering positions with companies like General Motors, Taras
holds three private pilot ratings: glider, single-engine land,
and instrument.
SportAir Workshops to Implement New Model in 2013
Since first offering courses in the early 2000s, EAA's
SportAir Workshops have been traveling around the
country to help educate homebuilders. The workshops
provide the guidance to increase confidence and skills
for attendees to take home and put to use.
In 2013, starting with the workshops slated for EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh in January, eight to twelve strategically located regional sites will be established around
the country, allowing courses to be offered on a more
regular basis. These regional facilities should also lead
to expanding both the frequency and course offerings
throughout the year. The TIG welding course will con-
tinue to be held exclusively at Atlanta Aerospace Composites, Griffin, Georgia.
Each regional location will be equipped to offer fabric
covering, sheet metal, and composites instruction as
well as electrical systems and avionics courses. As
EAA SportAir Workshops evolve, workshop attendees
can expect to see expanded course offerings, more
advanced skills workshops, improved quality, and
other enhancements.
EAA will provide more information soon, including selected
regional locations and course schedules/offerings.
EAA Experimenter
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