It was a big year for aviation in 1953. Among the milestone events, the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force aerial demonstration team, was activated. The USAF conducted the world’s first jet-to-jet aerial refueling when a Boeing KB-47 Stratojet tanker refueled a B-47 Stratojet, and most important of all—the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) was created.
EAA began 70 years ago as a gathering of three dozen Milwaukee, Wisconsin-area aviation enthusiasts. Led by former military aviator Paul Poberezny, these aviators, many of whom were designing and building their own airplanes, decided to start an airplane club. What started around a kitchen table on a cold winter night has grown into a worldwide organization with more than 270,000 members and 900 local chapters.
