EAA honor five 2022 Halls of Fame inductees on Nov. 10

Inductee photo from the 2022 EAA Halls of Fame induction dinner on November 10, 2022, at the EAA Aviation Museum. (from left): Carter Hunt, grandson of the late Pappy Spinks, International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame inductee; Forrest Lovley, Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame; Tom Reilly, Warbirds of America Hall of Fame; and Budd Davisson, EAA Homebuilders Hall of Fame. NOTE: Gene Borne, the Ultralights Hall of Fame inductee, was unable to attend. (EAA photo/Connor Madison)

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (November 14, 2022) — Five individuals who contributed greatly to recreational aviation were honored on November 10 as they were inducted into the EAA Sport Aviation Halls of Fame during a ceremony and dinner at the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh.

The 2022 inductees include:

• EAA Homebuilders Hall of Fame: Budd Davisson of Phoenix, Arizona.
• International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame: Maurice Hunter “Pappy” Spinks (posthumous)
• Warbirds of America Hall of Fame:Tom Reilly of Douglas, Georgia
• Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame: Forrest Lovley of Jordan, Minnesota
• EAA Ultralights Hall of Fame: Gene “Bever” Borne of Reserve, Louisiana

The EAA Sport Aviation Halls of Fame were established to honor the outstanding achievements of men and women in aviation who share the spirit of EAA and its community. Those inducted into the halls of fame are selected by their peers for myriad contributions made to their respective areas of aviation.

EAA HALLS OF FAME 2022 INDUCTEES

HOMEBUILDERS HALL OF FAME
Budd Davisson (EAA 22483): Davisson is known worldwide of his extensive writings on homebuilt aircraft, aerobatic flight, and aviation safety. His 1969 monthly column for Air Progress magazine, which went on to run for 46 years in three newsstand aviation magazines, was the first of nearly 4,000 magazine articles. Approximately half of his nearly 300 pilot reports have been on experimental amateur-built aircraft and EAA magazines have published nearly 400 of his articles, beginning in the late 1960s. Those writings range from welding to selecting designs, along with his monthly homebuilt Shop Talk column. Additionally, Davisson has averaged a forum presentation a day since the 1990s during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, most covering homebuilt subjects.

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME
Forrest Lovley (EAA 19414): Lovley has had a lifelong passion for vintage aviation, and among his award-winning restorations were an original Model-A Pietenpol Sky Scout with a Chevrolet Vega auto engine, which received Best Auto-Powered Homebuilt at the 1972 EAA Fly-In Convention at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Five years later, he restored the Kari-Keen Sioux Coupe, one of the only 32 Kari-Keen Sioux Coupes ever built, which won the event’s 1977 Grand Champion Antique award. In 1980, Forrest rebuilt the Wittman Big X, a one-of-a-kind build from 1945 by the legendary air racer and designer Steve Wittman. Along with his restoration skills, Lovley is renowned throughout the vintage aircraft community for his knowledge of aviation history, as well as aircraft types, engines, and more.

INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB HALL OF FAME
Maurice Hunter “Pappy” Spinks (posthumous): Spinks (1906-1982) was the president of the Aerobatic Club of America, an active competitor, and the sponsor of the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships from 1967 to 1971 at the Oak Grove Airport in Texas that he founded. Moving the championship to Oak Grove from Reno, where it was sandwiched in between air races, brought skilled aerobatic legends such as Pancho Barnes, Alan Bean, Charlie Hillard, and Harold Krier to the competition. Spinks also helped draft some of the first rules for aerobatic contests prior to the IAC’s formation in 1970 and was a major supporter of the 1970 U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Team.

WARBIRDS OF AMERICA HALL OF FAME
Tom Reilly (EAA 802376): Reilly’s piloting and restoration accomplishments are legendary within the warbirds community. He has more than 5,500 hours logged as pilot-in-command, primarily in warbird aircraft, with more than 2,600 hours in North American B-25 bombers including his own B-25 named Killer B. He has also instructed more than 20 pilots through their B-25 ratings. Reilly is equally as renowned for his restoration work on more than 20 warbird and vintage aircraft. The crown jewel of those restorations was the recent completion of the rare North American XP-82 Twin Mustang, which earned Grand Champion honors at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and the SUN N’ FUN Aerospace Expo in 2019, as well as the Golden Wrench and Phoenix awards at Oshkosh that year.

ULTRALIGHTS HALL OF FAME
Gene “Bever” Borne (EAA 155256): Borne’s involvement with ultralights started in 1976, just as the ultralight movement was emerging, with a foot-launched, motorized Quicksilver hang glider. After acquiring most of the U.S. Hang Gliding Association pilot and instructor ratings, he became an instructor and eventually developed a solo training system. In the early 1980s, Borne was active in the formation of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 103 ultralight regulations, which celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2022. Some 20 years later, he also participated in the creation of the FAA’s sport pilot/light-sport aircraft regulations.

In addition, John Mellberg of Menasha, Wisconsin, received the Henry Kimberly Leadership Award that recognizes Oshkosh-area residents for volunteer service to EAA. Mellberg is a longtime EAA Aviation Museum docent and volunteer.

About EAA
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and embodies The Spirit of Aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA’s 260,000 members and 900 local chapters enjoy the fun and camaraderie of sharing their passion for flying, building and restoring recreational aircraft. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or go to www.eaa.org. For continual news updates, connect with www.twitter.com/EAA.