Resource Hub Aerobatic pilot, retired executive served as president of EAA from 1989–2010. Tom Poberezny and his wife, Sharon Tom Poberezny, retired president and chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), died on Jul. 25, 2022, following a brief illness. He was 75. Tom, who served as EAA president from 1989 to 2010 and chairman of the board from 2009 to 2011, leaves an impressive aviation legacy. He was a member of the US National Unlimited Aerobatic Team, winner of the World Aerobatic Championships in 1972, and won the US National Unlimited Aerobatic Championship the following year. Afterward, he flew 25 years on the Eagles Aerobatic Team (originally called the Red Devils). During his time at the helm of EAA, which was founded by his father, Paul Poberezny, in 1953, Tom led the creation of the association’s popular youth program, Young Eagles, and spearheaded for a decade EAA’s role in urging the FAA to create the sport pilot/light-sport aircraft categories, which the agency did in 2004. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2016. Survivors include his wife, Sharon (pictured); daughter, Lesley; two step-grandchildren, Lily and Kayden; and a sister, Bonnie.
