Travis Hellmer, EAA 1116867

Where does The Spirit of Aviation come from? For Travis Hellmer, it began with his grandfather, who built and flew model airplanes. His grandfather also brought Travis to his first EAA fly-in back in 1987, setting the stage for a love of aviation.

In 2013, Travis repaid the favor, purchasing tickets for them to fly aboard EAA’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast. Shortly after his flight, Travis discovered that EAA’s Kermit Weeks Hangar welcomes on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings to work with the B-17 and other EAA aircraft. That meant that Travis, who lives just 15 miles north of Oshkosh in Greenville, Wisconsin, had the opportunity to get up close to the airplanes and give back to EAA by helping maintain the B-17.

His time at Weeks Hangar led to Travis’ decision to volunteer the entire week of AirVenture Oshkosh 2014. Travis started in the Welcome Center, not knowing what to expect. He quickly realized it was more than renewing EAA memberships; it was all about how he could help EAA’s members and guests. He interacted with people from all over the world, assisting them with finding locations on the convention grounds and answering any and all questions. He became and important part of the Welcome Center team. When asked if he planned on returning for AirVenture Oshkosh ’15, Travis said he was looking forward to being back in the Welcome Center – which is what we were hoping to hear!

Travis has also recently volunteered at EAA’s Fabrication shop and hopes to be back at the Weeks Hangar during the winter months – or visiting the EAA AirVenture Museum to see his favorite plane, the Corsair.  Thanks to Travis for all his efforts, and to his grandfather, who ignited his love of flight!