EAA Chapter 1298 Celebrates 20-Year Anniversary

February 2021 – On August 21, 2020, Chapter 1298, from Brooksville, Florida, celebrated its 20th year as an EAA chapter. Due to the restrictions from COVID-19 and the high summer heat temperatures, the chapter decided to postpone the celebration until November 2020 when the chapter held its annual hangar cleanup and a special 20-year anniversary picnic celebration.

Over the past 20 years, Chapter 1298 has enjoyed a continued steady growth, many project builds, the startup of IMC/VMC meetings, several hangar improvement projects and has given back to the community through many local events, including sponsoring the Ford Tri-Motor, the B-17, high school STEM visits to the chapter, Young Eagles, and support to local airport events to name a few.

Chapter 1298's early leadership built a solid framework of camaraderie, community involvement, and technical support that continues to this day. That framework set the stage for the chapter to become one of the best chapters within EAA, as this year marked the second year in a row that it received the Gold Status award.

The chapter has so many talented members who go out of their way to help, not only each other, but also the entire chapter architecture. For example, the website received national recognition from EAA, a current member was chosen to be the lead story in a very prestigious aviation magazine due to his talented and remarkable builds over the years, and several members have spent many dedicated hours to upgrade the chapter hangar with new LED lighting, air compressor lines, new hangar floor paint, new air conditioning, a simulator resource room, new tools, and new chapter logo signs for the outside of the hangar. In addition, the chapter has also started to have breakfast available for our monthly meetings and potential fly-ins.

All this has certainly led to the warm welcoming atmosphere, the sustained growth, and camaraderie that we know the early signers of the chapter documents would be proud of.

We new members graciously thank the original signers for their strength, character, and foresight to start Chapter 1298 in Brooksville, Florida, on August 21, 2000.