23 minute read
Volunteers
Helping the Cause
A look at a few of our favorite Volunteer Spotlights over the past year
BY SAM OLESON
Volunteers make EAA AirVenture Oshkosh — and just about everything else EAA does — possible. Over the past year or so, we’ve highlighted numerous volunteers in EAA Sport Aviation as part of the Volunteer Spotlight feature within the Member Central portion of the magazine. Sadly, this cannot capture all of the thousands of volunteers who give so much to the community every year. So, next time you see a volunteer at AirVenture or elsewhere, however they are pitching in to make EAA better, be sure to thank them for it. It’s the least we can do. If you know a volunteer you’d like to nominate for Volunteer Spotlight, please visit EAA.org/Submissions. Here are a few of our favorite Volunteer Spotlight profiles over the past 12 months.
Mike Dooley
MIKE DOOLEY
For the past decade, Mike Dooley, EAA 834638, has been a mainstay volunteer in the Homebuilts area of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, working primarily in homebuilt registration. While Mike has enjoyed aviation for basically his whole life, it wasn’t until he retired from the Army that he was able to fully invest in the hobby, joining EAA Chapter 91 in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and ordering an RV-8 kit. Attending AirVenture for the first time in 2007, Mike didn’t begin volunteering until 2010 but has been at it ever since.
As part of his volunteering duties, Mike arrives in Oshkosh in early July and stays until after the conclusion of AirVenture. Leading up to convention, Mike and a few other volunteers work together to get the Homebuilders Headquarters building ready after a year of disuse. Working with Charlie Becker, EAA director of chapters and homebuilding, Mike and a handful of others also assist with a variety of projects across the Homebuilts area of the AirVenture grounds. In addition, the team helps with the organization of golf carts just prior to the event.
On the Thursday prior to AirVenture, homebuilt registration opens, and Mike and his fellow volunteers are busy registering homebuilt aircraft as well as issuing wristbands and camping credentials to attendees, among numerous other tasks. Following AirVenture, Mike helps put everything away for the offseason.
Volunteering for close to a month every July for the past 10 years, Mike gives up a significant portion of his summer because he enjoys what he’s doing.
“I have fun doing it, or I wouldn’t do it,” Mike said. “I really enjoy the people that I work with, the other volunteers. They come from all over the U.S. and Canada, and it’s just an amazing group of people. We have fun together. We have inside jokes, and we socialize together. It’s just a good time, and I look forward to that every year.”
As someone who attended AirVenture for a few years without volunteering, Mike has learned that he’s gotten more enjoyment out of the event since he began helping out. He encourages anyone who attends AirVenture on a yearly basis to consider volunteering going forward.
“I would just encourage every AirVenture attendee to consider volunteering,” he said. “We do have volunteers that only work for a couple of hours. And then you have the crazy guys like me that work 14- to 16-hour days sometimes, and then everything in between. I don’t know anyone who’s volunteered that has regretted it. Take a look at the volunteer opportunities that are out there and find something that sounds like fun.”
ALPHA BRAVO COLLINS DELTA ECHO FOXTROT GOLF HOTEL INDIA JULIET
Come see us in hangar B, booth 2130 & 2162.
We are Collins Aerospace. With our customers we chart new journeys and reunite families. We protect nations and save lives. We fuse intelligence and partnership to tackle the toughest challenges in our industry. And every day, we imagine ways to make the skies and spaces we touch smarter, safer and more amazing than ever.
AEROSPACE REDEFINED
collinsaerospace.com
© 2021 Collins Aerospace. All rights reserved.
JAN STADT
Jan Stadt’s tenure as an EAA volunteer began back in the 1990s when her husband, Dave, was in the process of earning his pilot certificate. Jan, EAA 757702, spent a couple years selling admission tickets before moving over to KidVenture, where she’s been ever since.
“We knew [EAA Director and KidVenture Chairman] Dan Majka because he lived just a couple of towns over from us [in Illinois], and we’d been to a few meetings with him,” Jan explained. “When he started up KidVenture, I didn’t help the first year because I was selling admission tickets, but after that we started helping, and I just started getting more and more involved.”
A KidVenture co-chairman, Jan’s duties during the week of AirVenture include a number of administrative responsibilities such as checking volunteers in and out, handing out KidVenture shirts, caps, and pins, taking care of lunch and the daily drawing, and other miscellaneous tasks, along with about eight other women in the KidVenture office. Jan said that she enjoys volunteering at KidVenture because she knows it’s an important program to help influence kids to pursue aviation at a young age.
“It’s such a fun area to volunteer at because the kids are all excited, and I think it’s important for kids to get some hands-on experience and get exposed to aviation,” she said. “My husband never had that opportunity. There was no outlet for him to do that when he was younger. At KidVenture there’s the pilot’s side of the hangar and the A&P side, and there’s a hangar that focuses on spaceflight. It’s really exciting for me to see how happy the kids are to learn something.”
Jan has enjoyed volunteering for EAA so much that she, along with husband, Dave, has also volunteered during the winter months in numerous capacities, including at the print/mail center, convention headquarters, and the Kermit Weeks Hangar.
With over two decades of volunteer experience, Jan is still enthusiastic about giving up a portion of her free time for two primary reasons.
“First, I feel like it’s important to make sure that there’s an activity or area for kids to come and have hands-on experience pertaining to aviation [during AirVenture],” she said. “The second thing I would say is the people I encounter and have become friends with both at EAA and at KidVenture volunteering. It’s fun, so I keep coming back!”
Jan Stadt
The Future of Aviation Education
Visit us at the EAA Member Center, KidVenture®, EAA Aviation Museum™, or the Blue Barn to learn more about this exciting free program and enroll to receive your free gift!
Visit our website AeroEducate.org or scan the QR code to enroll on your mobile device.
Our partners:
MARK SPANG
Mark Spang’s interest in aviation began at a young age. When he was just a kid, Mark, EAA 129553, would help his father, who was an Air Force mechanic in South Dakota, perform preflight inspections on DC-3s and DC-4s.
“On more than one occasion, he would take me into the cockpit and talk me through things,” Mark said. “I remember a lot of that. My first airplane ride was when I was 7 [years old], and it was in a Taylorcraft. When I was 13, I got a ride in a Republic Seabee seaplane. I was hooked. I didn’t know what I was going to do for a career, but I knew I wanted it to be something in aviation.”
Coming from a mechanically inclined family, Mark spent 20 years in the military, 12 as an aircraft maintenance instructor for the legendary Lockheed U-2 “Dragon Lady,” before moving on to civilian work as an A&P/IA mechanic. While aviation became his line of work for many years, Mark was also involved with EAA, attending his first Oshkosh convention when he was 16. Heading into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021, Mark will be making his 38th trip to Oshkosh and has spent 22 of them as a volunteer.
Starting out as a flightline volunteer in the Ultralights area, Mark eventually became the Ultralights flightline safety chairman after a few years.
“I started out on the flightline, and with my experience in the military, I knew all the international hand signals and I was able to help standardize the signals we use down there,” Mark said. “With people visiting the world’s biggest air show and coming from all parts of the United States and some from overseas, they had a basic understanding, but they didn’t have a common standard. … We also do the spotting and observing for the pilots to launch them safely from the runway because the pilots can’t see over the trees for other airplanes.
“I helped get some of the training and some of the organization into a smoother operation. I’ve worked everything from inspecting the airplanes to launching the airplanes to helping the
1 2 3 4 5
Young Eagles Flight EAA Student Membership Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course First Flight Lesson EAA Scholarships
The Young Eagles Flight Plan
Your route from Young Eagle to licensed pilot
Visit EAA.org/YoungEagles for more information.
EAA Young Eagles Presenting Sponsor
Official Airline of EAA Young Eagles
EAA Young Eagles Flight Plan Partners
EAA Young Eagles Supporting Sponsors
pilots get lined up and spaced properly so they’d be ready to go. There are times when it gets to become like an aircraft carrier. … After three or four years, they asked me to be the safety officer. Part of that involves doing the morning and afternoon pilot briefings. The challenge we have is getting all of these pilots with different backgrounds and perceptions to the same level so we can operate safely. After that, I get to be the eyes and ears for the safety of the entire operation at the Ultralights field.”
Like many volunteers, Mark loves AirVenture and aviation in general, but it’s the people he meets in the Ultralights area and his fellow volunteers that keep him coming back to Oshkosh each and every summer.
“I love being involved with the people. That’s part of what it is. I go because of the airplanes, but the people keep me coming back. That’s the fun part. I just love it,” he said. “We’ve got a nice little clique up there [in Ultralights], and the same people have been there for a lot of years. We get to know each other.”
Mark Spang
Kathy Frey
KATHY FREY
Starting in 1998, Kathy Frey, EAA 1069808, has been a mainstay in Camp Scholler, assisting campers in finding suitable camping sites and helping out with just about anything else that might come up during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
“I got involved [with EAA] through my husband [Larry],” Kathy explained. “He volunteered on the flightline and attended forums. We parked in the pets section, so volunteering was an easy step for me because I could be near the pets, my two dogs, and still be able to help and do something productive.”
At Camp Scholler, Kathy’s primary duty is to assist with any camper looking for a site, but it certainly doesn’t end there, with days usually lasting around 12 hours.
“Helping campers find a camping space that is a suitable site for themselves and everything else,” Kathy said with a laugh. “I do everything from providing information, locating services on-site and off-site, RV repairs,
Learn aircraft building techniques from the comfort of your home.
EAA SportAir Workshops will soon be available online!
> Easy to access with your phone, tablet, or computer > Lifetime course access > 17 Chapters | 38 Lessons
Almost 12 hours of instruction > Kit of project parts available for an additional cost > Downloadable workbook, tool lists, references, and more!
Regular Price: $199 EAA Member Price: $149 with coupon code
Learn more and get the coupon code at EAA.org/SportAirOnline
SportAir Online
EAA SportAir Workshops are sponsored by
finding lost pets and lost people. We alert folks when there’s developing storms coming and help them batten down the hatches and all that sort of thing. We generally assist, but parking campers is the main emphasis.”
Although Kathy started her volunteer efforts due to her husband, the passion she’s developed for volunteering in the past two decades is all her own making.
“I just really enjoy meeting people and being of use, I guess you could say,” Kathy said. “I know the campground, obviously, by now. Helping people get around and giving them information, particularly newcomers, is fun. Newcomers are fun because they have no clue what they’ve just driven into. When they see the huge campsite that is Camp Scholler, they’re just astounded. When they come back from the first day on the line, it’s amazing to see them overwhelmed. As strange as it may sound, the adrenaline rush of directing arrivals to safe overflow camping areas during occasional heavy rains is particularly challenging yet extremely satisfying.”
Between the volunteers she’s worked with and the regular campers she’s interacted with each year at AirVenture, Kathy has seen her circle of friends grow in a huge way since she first started helping out back in the late 1990s.
“I’ve met so many dedicated volunteers and wonderful campers, and I highly recommend that fellow EAA members consider volunteering for one of the many activities,” she said. “You’ll not only find volunteering rewarding, you will also make many lifelong friends along the way.”
KNOW MY PT6 APP
THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KEEP YOU AHEAD
Pratt & Whitney’s Know My PT6 app can help you optimize the performance and availability of your turboprop engine with valuable maintenance and power management recommendations.
DOWNLOAD THE APP TODAY
Mike Gallaway
MIKE GALLAWAY
Mike Gallaway, EAA 530544, was a late bloomer when it came to his aviation journey. But ever since he dipped his toes into aviation when he was in his late 20s, he’s been totally committed. Inspired by an aerobatic flight, Mike earned his pilot certificate six months later and immediately dove headfirst into the aerobatic side of general aviation.
Eventually learning about the International Aerobatic Club through a gentleman who happened to be pumping gas at the airport at the same time as him, Mike attended his first IAC meeting that same day and has been involved ever since. Within a few months, Mike competed in his first aerobatic contest and has flown in contests, including the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships, for the past two-plus decades. In addition to the actual flying portion of Mike’s involvement with the IAC, he’s also volunteered hours and hours of his time over the years.
“The whole sport is volunteer. Everything is volunteer,” Mike explained. “Even though we participate as competitors, when we’re not flying, we’re volunteering. We’re judges, assistant judges, boundary judges. We’re doing something to keep the contest moving. When I got involved in the IAC in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I had some very good mentors, and I was encouraged to become a judge, which I did. I was a regional judge and it takes a few years of experience, and that’s all volunteer. After that, I became a national judge, and you’re invited to judge at the U.S. Nationals. … Based on many years of experience at the U.S. Nationals, I became a CIVA judge, which CIVA is the aerobatic arm of the FAI, which governs all air sports. I actually became the No. 1 judge in all the world, which is based on a mathematical formula.”
Since he began judging aerobatic competitions over 20 years ago, Mike has judged around 100 contests. Because he’s passionate about the sport of aerobatics, Mike has continued to donate extensive amounts of his time to the IAC.
“Really it’s just a function about being passionate about the sport,” Mike said. “When you’re involved in this sport of aerobatics, you want to make it better. All of us as competitors want to make sure it’s a judged sport. You don’t want someone judging you that doesn’t know what they’re looking at. I’ve made it a point to study the sport, and I’ve spent a lot of time watching aerobatics. Over the years, I’ve gained some acumen in being a judge. Quite frankly, it’s just been my passion to make the sport better.”
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
We Salute The Insurers of EAA® AirVenture® Oshkosh™
Global Aerospace | AXA XL | AIG Aerospace | La Réunion Aérienn | Chubb Limited | Swiss Re | Old Republic Aerospace Starr Aviation | AIG UK Limited | Elseco | Chaucer | Marsh Aviation — our insurance broker
GORDON AND CATHY DAVIS
For the past five years, the husband and wife team of Gordon and Cathy Davis have volunteered in the KidVenture area of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh — helping to inspire the next generation of aviators.
Gordon, EAA Lifetime 787156, has attended AirVenture since 2005, getting the inspiration he needed to become a pilot after his first visit to Oshkosh. After a few years attending, he decided to become further involved with EAA and joined his local EAA chapter, 1522 in Lexington, Kentucky, and is now the president and a member of EAA’s Chapter Advisory Council. Eight years ago, Gordon wandered into KidVenture and has been volunteering with the control line flying activities every year after that.
“Hearing the sound of control line engines, the high-pitched sound, really reminded me of my childhood,” he said. “I found a wonderful group over there with the control line airplane flying and put my name down to volunteer the next year. I’ve been there ever since.”
As a pilot, Gordon helps kids, and actually people of all ages, fly the control line aircraft during the week.
“The planes that we have are kind of indestructible, so we really allow the kids to fly,” he said. “We hold on to the handle. The kids will get dizzy going around and around if you’re not used to it, so we keep them steady. As they get better at it, we’ll lessen our grip on the handle and really let them fly the airplane. … I spend a lot of the day going around and around one flight after another. But it’s fun!”
Five years ago, Cathy, EAA Lifetime 438758, joined her husband in Oshkosh for the first time. Although Cathy isn’t a pilot or even particularly interested in aviation, she’s become a regular volunteer in the control line flying registration. For years, Cathy has also volunteered in Kentucky with a camp for adults with disabilities, so giving up her free time to help others isn’t anything new to her. Her passion is people, plain and simple.
BLUE BARN
Your go-to destination for EAA Chapters™ and EAA Young Eagles® at AirVenture.
> Attend a forum about growing your chapter, engaging youth, and more > Represent your chapter by placing your pin on the chapter map > Become a Young Eagles or Eagle Flights volunteer > Learn about chapter resources and best practices > Connect with chapter leaders and EAA’s Chapters staff
“I am not passionate about aviation. Gordon always has been. I never really had that passion,” Cathy said. “I might not share his passion for aviation, but I do share his passion for people. The people that we work with have become family. The folks we work with have become lifelong friends, but you only get to see them once a year, so you have to take the opportunity to do that. To see the joy on children’s faces [makes it worthwhile]. You can bring joy to a child’s life. To see them have the best day ever, that really makes your heart happy.”
Gordon and Cathy Davis
Mark Kolesar
MARK KOLESAR
With more than 875 Young Eagles flights under his belt, it’s safe to say that Mark Kolesar, EAA Lifetime 294238, is heavily invested in EAA’s success as an organization, particularly when it comes to getting youth interested in aviation.
“I got involved with the Young Eagles program early on when it was first starting,” Mark said. “I remember growing up, always having an interest in aviation, but never really having somebody that would give me a ride on an airplane. So, when the Young Eagles program started, I got involved at the local level with my chapter, and it continued to grow from there.”
As someone who’s flown Young Eagles for nearly three decades, it’s obvious Mark has a passion for what he’s doing. The reason he keeps volunteering his time and resources is simple.
“I do feel like I’m making a difference,” he said. “In some small way, I can give back to others the enjoyment I’ve received over the years and the great friendships that have developed,
$100 per Ticket
EAA.org/AircraftRaffle
GRAND PRIZE
E-AB PA-18R
Or $25,000 Cash
A from-the-ground-up E-AB replica customized in a spectacular 50 Years in Oshkosh™ theme and paint scheme.
ONLY 4,000 Raffle Tickets are Available.
Purchase your tickets at the EAA Aviation Museum™ and the EAA Member Center.
When you make a raffle ticket purchase, you are supporting EAA® programs that educate, engage, empower, and inspire the aviators and enthusiasts of tomorrow. The Great EAA Aircraft Raffle and all entries are governed by the 2021 Raffle Official Rules. Winner is responsible for all applicable taxes. For complete raffle rules and further details, visit www.EAA.org/AircraftRaffle.
which have led me to volunteering and now being the co-chairman of the Blue Barn. It’s just a great aviation community, and I want to introduce them to EAA because EAA has such a family atmosphere. Sometimes aviation has a stigma that it’s an elite group and it’s closed — and it’s not. We’re a very welcoming community, and the EAA spirit really embodies that.”
As a volunteer co-chairman at the Blue Barn for the past three years, Mark works with EAA’s chapters and Young Eagles offices, as well as other Blue Barn volunteers, to make sure everything is ready to go and runs smoothly during the week of AirVenture — yet another way for him to support the Young Eagles program.
“Leading up to AirVenture, I’m working with the volunteers at the office in Oshkosh, getting things set, getting people in their places to get ready to meet our guests when they come,” he explained. “After that, it’s about making sure our members that are volunteering have the resources they need from us, and I work with the chapters and Young Eagles teams to do that. … With the staff being so busy [during AirVenture], I look at myself as an in between to provide a really great experience to people visiting [the Blue Barn], while still enabling the staff to do what they have to do with their multiple responsibilities when AirVenture is going on. I just keep things running as smoothly as possible.”
Blow off some steam.
Get IFR-Rated Glass for Under $5K
New Features Available Now!
Looking to replace your old-style vacuum gauges with electronic displays? The Evolution E5 is a drop in replacement providing advanced functionality and the ability to grow with your needs. • Provides a path for removal of vacuum pump* • Replaces your old attitude indicator and HSI • Built-in GPSS Roll Steering • Interfaces with your existing avionics and most autopilots • Starting at $4,995 Don’t settle for limited digital replicas of your existing mechanical gauges. Get the most cost-effective certified IFR rated glass in the market. The Evolution E5.
Evolution E5 Dual Electronic Flight Instrument
See us in Hangar B at EAA AirVenture 2021
*In most circumstances. Actual vacuum pump removal will vary by aircraft. Copyright 2021 Aspen Avionics Inc. “Aspen Avionics,” “Evolution Flight Display System,” and the Aspen Avionics aircraft logo are trademarks of Aspen Avionics Inc. All rights reserved. U.S. Patent No. 8,085,168, and additional patents pending.
www.aspenavionics.com
ERIC ROOD
With a love of history and deep respect for veterans, Eric Rood, EAA Lifetime 192552, is a perfect fit to volunteer with EAA’s Timeless Voices of Aviation oral history project, which collects the stories of veterans and other aviation personalities, well-known or unheralded, to preserve for future generations. Eric first volunteered with Timeless Voices at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006 and has been a mainstay with the program for more than a decade.
Eric’s father was in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and in the Air Force during the Korean War. After putting together a program for a reunion of his father’s Korean War unit in 2003, Eric began to interview some of the members of the unit for his own oral history project. By the time he finished researching and accumulating the equipment he’d need, it was 2006. Eric interviewed a few of the veterans that summer. Then he attended AirVenture and began to assist with Timeless Voices for the first time. Since then, Eric has done more than 200 interviews. Of those 200, three have stood out: Robert “Bob” Shroats, a member of the 388th Bomb Group who flew shuttle bombing missions from England and Italy against Axis targets and then landed at friendly bases in the Soviet Union as part of Operation Frantic during World War II; Bob Arn, a C-46 pilot who flew missions over the Himalayas; and Walter Klarin, who worked on the electric propellers that would eventually be used on the B-29s that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“You get to know stories that have never been told or written down,” Eric said. “The things you hear, you don’t know about it. It’s nowhere else. … It’s very rewarding. You’re just in awe of what they did.”
As someone who didn’t have much experience conducting an interview when he first got started with Timeless Voices, Eric made sure to credit his mentors Mike DiMiccelli and Mel Smith for helping him get to where he is now. Currently, Eric is looking to pay it forward, as many EAA volunteers do.
“It’s been a great program,” he said. “I’m kind of looking for somebody to mentor, to carry it on.”
Editor’s Note: If you’d like to talk to Eric about his volunteer work, send a note to editorial@eaa. org and we’ll connect you. – Ed.
Eric Rood
