by Jon Cumpton, Chapter 25 President
from On Final January 2006
Eight years ago, I joined my first EAA Chapter, Chapter 790 in Barrington, Illinois. It wasn’t very long before I began to realize that the members of that chapter were very special, interesting people, who shared a love of all things aviation. I got to know them while I also learned to fly – from one of my fellow chapter members. Although I had been to Airventure several times, these people showed me a new way to enjoy the event by volunteering. 790 members were instrumental to a group called EAA Ambassadors, and at one of the Airventure events I met a guy from far off Minneapolis, who had been similarly attracted to the group.
A couple of years later, I moved to the Twin Cities area, although admittedly on the eastern fringe in Cheeseland. I remained a member of Chapter 790 (as I still do today), but realized I needed to establish a local relationship with EAA folks. I remembered the guy (Read on …)