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The Vintage Aircraft Association brings together people from around the world who share an interest in the aircraft of yesterday. Since it was established in 1971, the association has been working to keep aviation history alive. Members are active restorers and enthusiasts working to keep vintage aircraft in the air and flying for the pleasure and education of themselves and the public at large.
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John S. “Jack” Copeland
1930 - 2012
Longtime VAA director John “Jack” Copeland passed away at the age of 81 on Wednesday, May 16, 2012.
Jack, who joined EAA in 1971, has been a volunteer with the VAA (then the Antique/Classic Division) dating back to 1975, about the same time he bought his first airplane, a Cessna 140. He served the membership as classic parking co-chairman, manpower chair, and, for over 2 decades, the enthusiastic chairman of the Participant plaques. Appointed an advisor in 1979, he’s been a director of the division since 1984. Jack was one of the faces familiar to countless members as he headed up the Participant plaque program during each year’s annual fly-in.
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An instrument-rated pilot and later a flight instructor for most of his life, Jack’s expertise as an engineer was helpful to the division’s needs during his nearly 40 years of service to the membership. On a local level, he was an active Young Eagles pilot, having flown 281 Young Eagles since the program began in 1992.
Jack served in the U.S. Air Force, as an aircraft maintenance officer on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from 1955-58, and later attaining the rank of captain in the USAF Reserve.
Our condolences to his many friends, and to his wife Jean, their son Jeff and daughters Jerri and Jeannie, as well as their families, and to Jack’s brother William.
Jack’s services will be held Monday, May 20th, at the Pine Grove Cemetery in Westborough, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the Vintage Aircraft Association, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903. Read more. Watch a video interview with Jack.
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EAA and VAA Introduce New Vintage Aircraft Insurance Program
April 24, 2012 - EAA and EAA's Vintage Aircraft Association (VAA) are taking steps to support owners of vintage aircraft after the changing insurance environment may have left some owners questioning whether they had coverage for their aircraft.
This week, VAA ended its long business relationship with the Aviation Unlimited Agency (AUA, Inc.) to provide insurance to vintage aircraft owners. For those VAA members who carried aircraft insurance policies issued through AUA, EAA and VAA have created a process to make sure that insurance is also available for them through the EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan. Read more.
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Piper Cub 75th Anniversary Celebration at AirVenture Oshkosh 2012
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Hundreds of Piper Cubs are expected to turn the AirVenture flightline into a "field of yellow" as aviation celebrates the iconic aircraft's 75th anniversary at the 60th annual "World's Greatest Aviation Celebration" scheduled for July 23-29 at Wittman Regional Airport.
All Piper Cub owners are invited to fly in and be an integral part of the celebration, which will feature a special aircraft parking section located near the Vintage area along the flightline.
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Cub owners are encouraged to register at the Cubs 2 Oshkosh website, an interactive community of Cub owners that will feature the latest information on Cub-related festivities leading up to and during AirVenture. Click here to read more.
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Espie “Butch” Joyce
1944–2012
Past president of the Vintage Aircraft Association, and director emeritus of EAA, Butch Joyce, of Madison, North Carolina, passed away late Sunday afternoon, March 25, 2012. He was 68. Read more.
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Follow-Up: Changes to New IA Policy Clarified
August 2011 - As promised in a previous story, EAA has followed up on a statement included in the FAA's revised Inspection Authority (IA) policy slated to go into effect on September 6 that reads, "Refresher training attendance alone does not satisfy those (renewal) requirements." Read more
AirVenture Oshkosh 2011 Vintage Aircraft Awards
August 2011 - Thanks to each of you who took the time and made the effort to fly your showplane to this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh! Our congratulations to the aircraft award winners in the Antique, Classic and Contemporary categories. You can view the winner’s list here and see photos of each of the award-winning aircraft here.
Best Practices Guide for Maintaining Aging General Aviation Airplanes
Originally issued in late 2003, the booklet Maintaining Aging General Aviation Airplanes, is still a great guide to use as you review the goals of your vintage aircraft’s maintenance plan. The GA fleet continues to age, with the average age of the 150,000 GA aircraft now over 30 years. The practices and guidance presented in the booklet help owners and maintenance professionals ensure they’re inspecting and assessing the effects on aging on these airplanes. Feel free to download a copy here and use it to help you keep your aircraft flying well into this century.
Vintage DER Application Process Checklist Now Available
August 28, 2009 - The EAA and FAA have created a checklist for members who are interested in becoming appointed Vintage Designated Engineering Representatives (VDER). The process is identical to the current DER program application process, with the added requirements related to being qualified with regard to a specific aircraft type. You can view or download a copy of the checklist here.
Flight Planning with Your Vintage Airplane
Prefer Grass Runways? Here’s some help.
As an EAA member (an important part of your VAA membership), you can use the EAA Flight Planner to chart your trips. To locate information to help you plan your flight just click on this link: http://www.eaa.org/pilots/
As an added bonus, we have a handy list (PDF) of airports that have both grass runways and fuel service, compiled by VAA member Kris Kortokrax. The list was updated in August of 2008. (Note: Kris is working on an update in the first quarter of 2012.)
Kris flies a variety of old biplanes that are more pleasant to fly when they are flown from grass strips, and he and his buddies from Shelbyville, Illinois, do their best to keep the old biplanes happy (and keep tire wear to a minimum) by flying cross-country from grass strip to grass strip. Finding fuel facilities can be a challenge these days, and Kris has distilled this airport information to be useful for like-minded grass-runway-preferring pilots. We suggest calling ahead to confirm fuel availability and hours of operation.
Our thanks to Kris for sharing his list. Let us know if you find it useful!
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