The Experimental Aircraft Association’s Chapter 782 is a small group of pilots, designers, engineers, and builders located in Vancouver Washington’s historic Pearson Field who are actively restoring and flying antique, classic, experimental, and ultralight aircraft in the local PDX area. EAA itself is an international organization on five continents and has over 300,000 members of which Chapter 782 belongs focused on innovation, experimentation, and aviation advocacy.
A big question asked all of the time: what is an “experimental” aircraft in the EAA title and why are they different from the regular aircraft that you see everyday in the skies? Simple. Small experimental planes are one-off designs or fabricated from engineered plans or kits made in homes and shops and thus are given the "experimental" category by the FAA after a testing period. They are built using any construction method or materials you can think of. They can be any size, configuration, and built from wood, fabrics, metals, composite plastics, even cardboard and use electrical, gas, turbine, and even rocket propulsion to get into the air and stay airborne. All newly designed aircraft from the big jet airliners to fighter planes begin as experimental prototypes and are tested and are later certified prior to production while amateur built machines stay in the "experimental" category and flown for fun.
What to build? Fast, slow, small, big, long-distance, amphibious water planes, helicopters, the choice is up to you and whatever fits your interests or simply looks cool. The list of proven designs out there is huge but new ideas come out all of the time just don't forget that there are lots of wonderful old designs out there and airplanes just sitting in hangars forgotten that, with TLC and care can be made flightworthy again. A challenge accepted for many!
Does it cost a lot to build one? That's a relative question as a new certified commercially built airplane with one a single engine can cost upwards of a million dollars. A homebuilt airplane with the same performance is dramatically less expensive for the average person to build and usually is far less to own and operate as well. That "sweat equity" reduces the high cost of aircraft production because the owner is the workforce and the cost of materials and tools is usually one quarter of what the total cost of a certified airplane would require to fabricate. How much? You can buy a two person kit that fly's over 200 mph for less than the cost of a new pickup truck. The best part? You learn a great deal doing this which is the great part of this as these skills are ones that a person never forgets how to do and is perfect for families to do as that is how kids learn and skills are past on. Where do you get those skills? From the Chapter members who are in the middle of a project or who have already done it!
But EAA members love to fly as well! There is not much point to restoring an antique or building an airplane if you don't fly it and share what flight means. Luckily, 782 has flown hundreds of local kids over the years participating in the EAA's Young Eagles and adult Eagles programs that introduces people to aviation by taking them on local rides and let them try their hand at the controls in an airplane. This happens all through the local flying season once a month and kids can register for free flights at http://yeday.org/ .
EAA 782 also supports other aviation groups in the PDX area and especially the Cascadia Tech Academy with their high-school aviation program. Many of our younger members were once Young Eagle kids who have now grown and are aviation professionals who are giving back to aviation. These members are giving back by volunteering their time teaching but also the entire chapter fly's all of their senior class members in a private Young Eagle rally in one-on-one flights.
If you are interested in aviation in any form, please feel free to join us for meetings at Pearson and in and around the Clark county area at projects being built. If you would like to join as a member please email us at eaa782pearson@gmail.com or call us 360-601-9317.
If you want to become a Chapter member download the pdf form below by using the link. This is old-school we know, but print it out and mail it to the address with a check or... simply fill it out and bring it to a Chapter meeting!
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