EAA founder and chairman emeritus Paul H. Poberezny turned 91 on Sept. 14, celebrating nearly six decades with the organization that has helped introduce millions of people to the wonders of aviation.
Dozens of fans have posted well wishes on EAA’s Facebook page over the last few days, many of them keying in on Poberezny’s fondness for the North American P-51 Mustang. Poberezny served in the military for nearly 30 years as a pilot during World War II and the Korean war. He taught himself how to fly at the age of 16 in a Waco glider he restored, and since then has logged more than 30,000 hours of flight time in nearly 500 different types of aircraft, including more than 170 amateur‐built airplanes.
Poberezny is a 1999 inductee to the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio, and in 2002 received the prestigious Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy from the National Aeronautic Association. In April of this year, Flying published an article, “Paul Poberezny’s Three Great Accomplishments,” noting how Poberezny still spends several hours per day in his home workshop, keeping busy working on airplanes. He lives near EAA headquarters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with his wife, Audrey Louise Ruesch.
