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Leonard Eaves - A Legend Passes today!

RVbySDI

RVbySDI

Well Known Member
Although Leonard Eaves was really never involved in the RV community I am posting this here as he was a strong member of our EAA Chapter UL 98 and local EAA Chapter 24 both in the Oklahoma City area. More to the point, Leonard Eaves was a legendary long time EAA member. He designed several different airplanes and sold plans of his designs for years. Here is a 2010 Experimenter article on one of his designs:
http://www.oshkosh365.org/saarchive/eaa_articles/1957_03_03.pdf

Leonard crashed his plane and was tragically lost today as he was attempting to land at Page airport just west of OKC this morning while en-route to the Ponca City, OK monthly breakfast. Leonard was 92 and still an active flyer in our community.

We are all saddened by this loss.
 
Leonard Eaves

At 92 Leonard Eaves will certainly be missed and honored as a strong member of EAA Chapter UL 98 and local EAA Chapter 24.

He may have been the oldest pilot in the country.

Our condolances.
 
He was obviously doing what he loved, to his dieing day. God bless him for living his dream.
 
Leonard

Leonard and Rita built a folding wing Nesmith Cougar in the late 50's. Leonard designed the folding wing mechanism and sold plans for a while. He also sold plans for the Cougar for a while. The Eaves Cougar was one of the participants in an EAA folding wing contest. I believe the Bowers Fly Baby got first place and the Eaves Cougar Second.
The "Skeeter" which Leonard was apparently flying was also designed and buiilt by Leonard. First flew in 1966, was a regular at Rockford and Oshkosh for many years.
I met Leonard and Rita in the early sixties. Super nice people. RIP
 
olest pilot

If this is not appropriate here maybe someone can move it. I do not currently know of any pilots still active in their 90's.
A family friend who passed two years ago flew actively at age 95.
Johnny Miller held a medical and flew solo in his late 90's and continued to fly at age 100 with someone else in the airplane.
Years ago there were two pilots still flying at age 100, one in Ohio and one in Northern CA.
 
There is one that I know of

My friend Ken Knowles of Prescott, Arizona is 93 he plays golf once a week and flys the Sonex he built few years ago. in 2003 he finished his RV-6A but had to sell it because his wife had a stroke and he could not keep it. He built the Sonex after she died but loved the RV-6A. He built several T-18s I believe and he and his wife used to supply builders of that airplane. You probably would not believe people that are in such good shape are their calendar age. I never met Leonard but I'll bet he fit that mold as well. Sad to hear of the accident and his passing.

Bob Axsom
 
United Flying Octogenarians (UFO's)

My goal is to be a UFO. All you have to do is be a legal PIC at age 80 or older. And LSA's count too.

I hope a lot of RV-ers are aware of the UFO's and have that as a goal, too. :)
 
Leonard was still very active. He still held his medical. He and his wife were willing to help anyone who asked. He was an extremely knowledgeable aviator who not only knew how to design and build an airplane, he also was a good pilot. Perhaps his age may have kept him from doing some of the things I take for granted myself but he was still very capable. I really hope I can do half of the thing at 92 that Leonard was doing clear up until this past Saturday.

God speed Leonard Eaves.
 
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