In
all, Poberezny has logged more than 30,000 hours of
flight time over more than 70 years of flying. He has
piloted nearly 500 different types of aircraft,
including more than 170 amateur-built airplanes. He has
also designed and built more than 15 different
airplanes. Poberezny toured the U.S. and
other nations on behalf of EAA, spreading a "grass
roots" aviation message far and wide. He made frequent
trips to Washington, D.C., to speak to Congressional
leaders and federal aviation authorities, where he
defended the rights of amateur aircraft builders and
sport aviation enthusiasts while earning his livelihood
as a military pilot and aircraft maintenance officer.
Poberezny was considered one of aviation's leading
spokesmen in the United States and around the world,
representing the interests of more than 170,000 active
EAA members at local, national and international events. In
March 2009, Poberezny resigned and the Board voted to
his son, Tom to Chairman of the Board. In 2010, it was
announced that Rod Hightower would succeed Tom Poberezny
as President of the organization. However, a year and a
half later Hightower resigned and former Cessna
Chairman, President and CEO Jack J. Pelton was elected
Chairman.
In a statement the Poberezny family said "We deeply
appreciate all the support shown to Paul and Audrey
over the past five months. As Paul often said, he
considers himself a millionaire because through
aviation he made a million friends. He leaves an
unmatched legacy in aviation and can be best
remembered by all the people who discovered aviation
through his inspiration to create EAA. We also thank
you for respecting our family's privacy during this
time."
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