August 2026 — Each year, EAA recognizes many exceptional volunteers for the hard work and dedication. These include EAA chapter members who made outstanding contributions to their chapters and Young Eagles volunteers who did the same for that program and youth aviation. Each of these volunteers are nominated by their peers to be recognized for their efforts, which culminates in the awarding of volunteer awards during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

This year during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026, awards were presented to the following volunteers for their excellent work and commitment to their chapters and the Young Eagles program.

Chapter Volunteer Awards

This year’s chapter volunteer awards were presented at the Chapter Leaders Breakfast held on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in the Founders’ Wing of the EAA Aviation Museum.

Major Achievement Awards — Recognizes chapter members who went above and beyond in their EAA and chapter dedication, service to the aviation community, and personal achievements.

Larry Elliott — EAA Chapter 1698 — Cleveland, Texas

Larry started EAA Chapter 1698 from scratch and quickly got it off the ground. He built a strong leadership framework for his chapter and helped it become highly active, hosting multiple Young Eagles rallies, holding IMC/VMC Club meetings, and providing a thriving hub for the local aviation community. An accomplished homebuilder who built a Van’s RV-6, Larry also volunteers as a mentor and test pilot for the local high school’s aircraft build program, teaching and guiding students as they build RV-12s. The son of a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot in World War II, Larry served in the United States Air Force as a C-141 Starlifter pilot during the Vietnam War and later worked as a commercial pilot for Southwest Airlines.

Rick Huebner — EAA Chapter 864 — East Alton, Illinois

An EAA member since 1987, Rick has been an invaluable part of his chapter, always willing to help when needed. He has served as his chapter’s treasurer for almost 30 years. When the chapter revived its fly-in pancake breakfasts after a long hiatus, Rick stepped up to assist with event setup and promotion. He helps keep the chapter’s hangar clean, organized, and inventoried, and he helps maintain and organize the chapter’s tool crib. A licensed pilot since 1976, Rick has flown more than 600 Young Eagles (one of his proudest accomplishments) and built or assisted in building numerous aircraft over the years; he is currently building a Van’s RV-7A in his garage. He is always willing to assist fellow pilots with their aircraft inspections and to help them deal with mechanical issues. Rick’s “gearhead” nature extends outside of aviation, as he operates a small-engine repair shop out of his garage.

William “Bill” Steier — EAA Chapter 1229 — South St. Paul, Minnesota

Bill is an EAA Lifetime member who serves as the president of EAA Chapter 1229. He and his wife Julie are also the Young Eagles coordinators for their chapter. Under Bill’s leadership, the chapter has flown over 7,000 kids since 2000. Bill organizes and leads his chapter’s Young Eagles rallies and special outreach flights, coordinates pilot briefings and ground crews at each event, and ensures that his volunteers have completed or renewed their Youth Protection Training. Beyond his organizational skills, Bill has committed his own time and financial resources to help youths experience flight. He recognizes his chapter’s volunteers and exceptional members at their annual banquet, held in his own hangar. His leadership has enabled EAA Chapter 1229 to achieve Silver recognition status and engage in a variety of EAA programs: Young Eagles, Eagle Flights, Technical Counselors, Flight Advisors, the Ray Aviation Scholarship, and more. Bill is an FAA-certified aircraft inspector and mechanic with a career in aviation maintenance, which included working for Northwest Airlines on their commercial aircraft fleet. A certificated pilot, Bill and his wife Julie own a 1965 Cessna 172 Skyhawk, which they have used for Young Eagles flights, flight instruction, and recreational flying.

Newsletter Editor Awards — Recognizes chapter members for creating excellent newsletters for their chapter.

Wayne Babiak — EAA Chapter 260 — Monee, Illinois

Wayne produces quarterly newsletters for his chapter, spending about a month preparing each issue. He encourages chapter members to contribute to the newsletter and works with them to incorporate their pictures and writings. This newsletter would not be possible without the input from chapter members, and it is a vital tool for getting the word out on chapter happenings.

Dennis D’Angelo — EAA Chapter 382 — Xenia, Ohio

Dennis’ chapter did not have a newsletter before he stepped into the role of newsletter editor. He quickly did something about that. Dennis creates informative monthly newsletters that highlight past and current chapter events, introduce upcoming guest speakers, share board meeting minutes with the membership, provide VMC Questions of the Month, promote chapter merchandise and donation opportunities, and much more. Dennis’ newsletters keep the chapter’s members connected and informed, and they have even doubled attendance at chapter gathering and increased donations to the chapter.

Charles “Chuck” Fisher — EAA Chapter 35 — San Antonio, Texas

Chuck single-handedly crafts his chapter’s newsletter each month. He solicits articles and other content from chapter members, organizes the layout of each issue, and is the primary photographer. His newsletters help push EAA Chapter 35 to do better and make its programs and people visible. He balances his exceptional newsletter and chapter commitments alongside his full-time work as a flight surgeon, FAA Aviation Medical Examiner, pilot and aircraft owner, and choir boy.

Rebecca Kinder — EAA Chapter 32 — St. Louis, Missouri

Rebecca stepped up to the newsletter editor role after the previous editor had to resign due to medical issues. She has taken her chapter’s newsletter to new heights, filling it with engaging articles and content about aviation and chapter events, providing informative and easy-to-read material for chapter members. She highlights past and future chapter events and promotes the chapter’s website and social media, as well as each month’s EAA Chapter Video Magazine.

Web Editor Awards — Recognizes chapter members for creating and/or maintaining an excellent website for their chapter.

Tim De Beradinis — EAA Chapter 1707 — Overton, Nevada

Tim uses EAA’s Sitecore platform for his chapter’s website. He has taken the existing webpage templates on this platform and enhanced them to suit his chapter’s needs, providing engaging information on chapter events, activities, and resources. As stated on their website’s homepage, EAA Chapter 1707 is “inspiring curiosity through aviation,” and Tim is aiding that effort through the exceptional work he provides for his chapter’s online presence.

Darryl Foster — EAA Chapter 302 — Conroe, Texas

For the past 10 years, Darryl has been the driving force behind EAA Chapter 302’s website, turning it into a comprehensive digital platform that supports every aspect of the chapter. It has become an indispensable tool for chapter members and an inviting gateway for new members. Darryl designed the website to be user-friendly and visually appealing. It includes both public and members-only areas, an online chapter store and transaction system, digital archives of all the chapter’s newsletters, and much more. Darryl draws upon his professional expertise in cybersecurity to ensure that his chapter website runs smoothly and securely.

Kenneth Johnson — EAA Chapter 72 — Colorado Springs, Colorado

Ken has been instrumental in creating and maintaining his chapter’s new website, which has streamlined many chapter functions such as membership joins and renewals, sending of newsletters and emails, event promotions and registrations, and much more. His technical knowledge was key to getting EAA Chapter 72’s new website into production, and the website will minimize the amount of volunteer time needed to run his chapter.

Pete Miller — EAA Chapter 168 — Dallas, Texas

A long-time chapter leader, Pete keeps EAA Chapter 168’s website interesting and up to date. He covers a variety of chapter and aviation-related subjects on the website to highlight the activities being done by chapter members and other aviation enthusiasts.

Young Eagles Volunteer Award

This year’s Young Eagles volunteer awards were presented at the Young Eagles Volunteer Banquet held on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in the Founders’ Wing of the EAA Aviation Museum.

Young Eagles Coordinator Awards — Recognizes Young Eagles coordinators nominated for their outstanding commitment to their chapter.

Margie Clark — EAA Chapter 55 — Mason, Michigan

Margie has served as her chapter’s Young Eagles coordinator since 2014, providing steady and reliable leadership for one of her chapter’s most visible and impactful programs. Each summer, EAA Chapter 55 flies around 200 Young Eagles on average, spread across multiple rallies. Margie manages every detail when organizing these rallies: coordinating pilots, purchasing and preparing supplies and gift bags, setting up the events, and ensuring accurate records for each flight. She was elected as chapter president in 2022 while continuing to serve as Young Eagles coordinator.

Michael Ketchpaw — EAA Chapter 908 — Fort Pierce, Florida

Mike has been the steady, reliable force at the heart of EAA Chapter 908 for many years. In addition to serving as chapter president, his leadership as Young Eagles coordinator has allowed his chapter to fly almost 1,000 Young Eagles since he stepped into that role 14 years ago. Mike brings tireless energy and exceptional organization to every Young Eagles event: he manages pilot and volunteer sign-ups, youth registrations, preparation of the chapter clubhouse, lunch for volunteers, and the chapter’s flight simulator. Each Young Eagles rally by Chapter 908 includes a full ground school experience, giving the kids a meaningful introduction to aviation before their flights. Mike has also fundraised for his chapter to help with repairs to their hangar and their airport’s taxiways, ensuring chapter success for many years to come.

Trish Williams — EAA Chapter 406 — Bremerton, Washington

For the past four years, Trish has been the driving force behind one of the most successful Young Eagles programs in the Pacific Northwest. In her time as Young Eagles coordinator, she has facilitated over 1,000 Young Eagle flights, organizing three major rallies at her chapter each year in addition to numerous individual flights outside of the rallies. Her Young Eagles rallies are exceptionally well-planned and flawlessly executed, usually featuring over 20 volunteer pilots from five local chapters, minimal wait times for kids and their families, and a paramount safety culture. Trish has also led her chapter’s Young Eagles Build and Fly program for the past three years, hosting weekly sessions for kids to build remote-controlled aircraft. Many of EAA Chapter 406’s Young Eagles have gone on to participate in the chapter’s aircraft build projects, as Trish inspires young people to not only become pilots, but also future aircraft builders, maintainers, and creators.

Young Eagles Ground Volunteer Awards — Recognizes ground volunteers nominated for their exceptional work during Young Eagles rallies.

Tracy Laws — EAA Chapter 119 — Watsonville, California

Tracy has been the organizational backbone of her chapter’s Young Eagles program for over 15 years. Under her leadership, her chapter’s rallies consistently put 50 or more kids in the air, with up to 200 family members and volunteers filling the chapter hangar at each event. Tracy built the systems, wrote the documentation, and trained the volunteers that make these rallies successful, in addition to navigating challenges and solving problems along the way. Her commitment to the Young Eagles program has been steady, reliable, and unwavering year after year.

Sharon Puschmann — EAA Chapter 382 — Xenia, Ohio

For the past six years, Sharon has led ground operations for her chapter’s Young Eagles rallies. Drawing on her professional management background, she ensures that every rally is well organized to ensure success. Sharon puts in extensive preparation work for every Young Eagles rally and debriefs after each one to identify areas of improvement. She created an introductory briefing that explains to kids and families what they can expect from a Young Eagles flight, which has become a cornerstone of the chapter’s rallies. Sharon also created handouts for parents that outline aviation activities, scholarship opportunities, and the pathway to obtaining a private pilot certificate. Outside of Young Eagles volunteering, Sharon serves as chapter treasurer and helped the chapter obtain 501(c)(3) public charity status, allowing it to raise scholarship funds more effectively. EAA Chapter 382 flies over 200 Young Eagles each year, which is a testament to Sharon’s leadership, dedication, and embodiment of the EAA volunteer spirit.

Young Eagles Horizon Award — Recognizes the exceptional efforts a volunteer, chapter, or other organization provides in support of youth aviation.

Carrie Forster — EAA Chapter 252 — Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Carrie has made a tremendous impact on youth aviation education in her local community. In EAA Chapter 252, she has served as Young Eagles coordinator for many years as well as in numerous other chapter leadership roles such as president, vice president, secretary, newsletter editor, and scholarship coordinator. Each year, Carrie leads a wide range of unique Young Eagles rallies, some of which are in conjunction with the EAA Education Center. She has been crucial to her chapter’s success in the Ray Aviation Scholarship, laying the groundwork for the chapter to mentor and support 10 scholars all while refining the application and mentorship process. She was also a driving force behind Chapter 252’s teen build program, with teenagers meeting weekly to build a Van’s RV-12iS airplane that is nearing completion. Carrie’s background as both an educator and a licensed pilot gives her the rare ability to support the flying side of each Young Eagles rally while also keeping the needs of her young audience front and center. She thoroughly prepares and leads confidently, creating a welcoming environment at the chapter’s Young Eagles rallies and other youth activities.

Phillips 66 Young Eagles Leadership Award — Presented by Phillips 66 Aviation. Recognizes an outstanding volunteer or organization that has made significant contributions to the EAA Young Eagles program.

Pat Cohenour — EAA Chapters 24, 1098, 1612 — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Pat exemplifies all the best qualities of an EAA volunteer. He has been involved in the Young Eagles program for over decades with his local EAA chapters, serving as a Young Eagles coordinator for 15 years and personally flying almost 1,100 Young Eagles. He organizes monthly rallies for his home chapter, as well as some bigger Young Eagles events that draw up to 100 kids in a single day. Pat individually contacts every pilot and parent to ensure they will attend the chapter’s rallies, and he has spent many evenings pre-event making sure that forms are printed out, technology is ready, and last-minute decisions are made to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants. He has guided EAA Chapter 24 through the various technological advances in the Young Eagles registration system and troubleshoots issues during rallies, and he has taught other volunteers how to run the registration system. Although Pat is retiring from the coordinator position this year, he remains one of his chapter’s strongest Young Eagles pilots.

Congratulations to all our chapters and Young Eagles volunteer award recipients this year, and thank you to the chapter members who nominated them!

For more information, visit EAA.org/ChapterAwards. Stay tuned for the opening of next year’s award nominations in early 2027!