Longtime aviator amassed 24 consecutive years of chapter leadership
by Bob Collins, EAA Chapter 54
(St. Paul, Minn.) - Former EAA Chapter 54 president Paul Hove died Sunday January 12, 2025, his son, Jeff, has announced.
"This morning my father Paul Hove made his final flight, the ultimate solo, and left the body that cancer stole," he said in an email to his friends.
Hove, a former Director of Naval Systems at Unisys, was president of Chapter 54 from 2004 to 2007. After flying a Warrior for a number of years, he began building an RV-7A at Lake Elmo Airport in a hangar on Mooney Lane he shared with Doug Weiler, who started the Twin Cities RV Builders Group.
He was a fixture at the group's meetings as well as the Saturday-morning crowd at the Anderson hangar not far away.
Weiler recalled how he and Hove met and formed their partnership:
"In the summer of 2003, I was renting one half of an unheated hangar on the north side of Lake Elmo owned by a Northwest mechanic. I had spent the previous winter putting the finishing touches on my RV-4 and suffered through many chilly days with a combination of kerosene heaters and puffy jackets. Now that the -4 was flying, I lusted for a nice, heated hangar, but buying one outright would really put a strain on the bank account. I knew of a nice one for sale on Mooney Lane but I would need a partner and it would have to be the right partner.
"I knew Paul from Chapter 54 and knew he was working on a RV-7A in a hangar on the south side and might consider a partnership. I approached Paul after our fly-in breakfast that August and we decided to take a look at the hangar together. The hangar was promising, the price was right for a 50-50 split and the “St. Croix Partnership” was formed. I moved my RV-4 and Paul brought over his -7A project we began a 21-year relationship.
"Paul finished his RV-7A in June of 2007 and I had the pleasure of making the first test flight and a good portion of the 40-hour test period. My RV-4 was sold in the summer of 2008 so I could start my RV-7 project which I moved to the hangar in 2011.
"Our partnership in 41C Mooney Lane has stood the test of time and I could not have asked for a better co-owner. "
Hove, who lived in Saint Paul, knew his way around computers more than anyone at the EAA Chapter, owing undoubtedly to his computing degree, which he obtained from the University of Minnesota, graduating from its Institute of Technology in 1965, just prior to joining Unisys, which as the time was Univac. His job took him around the world, including aboard the USS John F Kennedy (picture left).
He later obtained his Master's Degree from the University of St. Thomas in 1983.
After Unisys, he formed a company to provide specialized network consulting services to Windows NT File Server users, winning a major contract with Guidant Corporation to provide departmental network services. He joined Guidant Corporation in 1994 where he was responsible for computer resources for the Guidant Clinic Trials Organization worldwide.
But there were always the airplanes.
"Flying is much much more than boring holes in the sky in our little airplanes. The people we meet, and the friendships made in the aviation world are unique. There is just something special about flying friends and Paul has always been a special friend to me," Weiler said.
"Flying and EAA54 had become the highlights of his life," his son, Jeff, said. "Our Saturdays at EAFB (the GoogleGroup 'Lake Elmo "Airplanes from Basement") and the interesting people, planes, projects, and flights became the highlight of each week."
The private pilot ground school once hosted by Chapter 54 hit its stride under the Hove administration. He also opened up the Chapter House on occasional Saturday mornings for safety seminars, a practice that was resurrected by the chapter in 2024. The chapter's relationship with the Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet School also began during his tenure. His son, Jeff, had received a grant to prepare a lesson plan and demonstration of water rockets for the grade school classroom project and selected Farnsworth as the beta site for this project. The elder Hove also led a number of spring work parties to Oshkosh, to help the organization prepare the grounds for AirVenture each July.
"He was one of the very first members I got to know," chapter member Tom Gibbons recalls. "I would go up to his hangar for help or ideas when he was building his RV as I was building my Pulsar. He always had my back as an early newsletter editor when he was president, and I would get frustrated with a situation or issue. I also remember him when we went to our weekend work parties when we used to go in early May."
At chapter business meetings, he never dominated a conversation, even when he was president. But he was the quintessential adult in the room. His words carried weight, often delivered with a smile and a fair glint in his eyes.
When his illness forced his retirement from chapter leadership a few months ago, he had accumulated a total of 24 consecutive years as a Chapter 54 officer.
Paul Hove stands by the fuselage of his RV-7A project
Paul and Jeff Hove in their RV-7A
Hove with his trusty Warrior
Hove saw of the world. Here he is on the summit at Vail
"Paul was a special man and will be greatly missed," said chapter member Dan Bergstrom.
Funeral services were held on January 16 in St. Paul and January 17 in Wells, Minn., near his hometown of Bricelyn.
"My compliments to the staff at Regions Hospital and at Saint Therese hospice center that helped keep him and our family as comfortable as possible."
Here is his Obituary and service details
