With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it feels appropriate to write a different kind of post. Recent events at AOPA have sparked a great deal of discussion in the general aviation community — about leadership, transparency, and connection to members. Watching that unfold made something very clear to me: alignment between an aviation organization and the people it represents is precious, and not guaranteed. So this is not analysis, and it is not commentary on anyone else’s challenges. It is simply a note of appreciation to Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) — a reminder that when trust and culture are intact, it deserves to be acknowledged. Consider this my Valentine to EAA.

One of the reasons this appreciation feels personal is because I have met many of the people leading EAA. At the Chapter Leadership Academy, I did not encounter polished executives delivering scripted messages. I met builders. Pilots. Volunteers. People who spoke about chapters, Young Eagles rallies, and project setbacks the way the rest of us do — because they have lived them. As someone in the middle of building an airplane, I recognize the tone immediately. It is practical. Cost-aware. Grounded. There is no cultural distance between the leadership and the membership. And that alignment is not accidental — it is the foundation.

Another reason I value EAA is the way it serves builders and pilots in practical, tangible ways. The technical counselor program, flight advisors, webinars, videos, and affordable courses are not prestige offerings — they are working tools. Much of it is free, and what carries a price is accessible to the kind of person who is stretching finances and weekends to build an airplane in a garage. That matters. This community is cost-conscious and effort-heavy by nature. EAA seems to understand that the dream of aviation does not belong only to those with unlimited resources; it belongs to those willing to learn, to work, and to persist. The support is not ornamental. It is enabling.

What may be most distinctive about EAA is its distributed execution model. National provides direction, tools, education, insurance frameworks, guidance — and then steps back and trusts local chapters to build something meaningful. That trust is powerful. Chapters are not franchise outlets executing a script; they are living communities shaped by volunteers who care deeply about aviation in their corner of the world. As someone involved at the chapter level, I have seen how much autonomy exists alongside support. It is a rare balance: structure without control, guidance without suffocation. EAA provides the scaffolding — and lets us build the house.

If loving aviation is about protecting its future, then EAA proves that love through action. The Young Eagles program is not branding or marketing — it is a child in the right seat of an airplane for the first time. It is exposure, mentorship, and possibility delivered directly, not abstractly. Beyond that, the education programs, scholarships, and outreach efforts show long-term thinking that goes well beyond annual membership numbers. Aviation does not sustain itself automatically; it must be renewed, one person at a time. EAA does not just defend general aviation — it replenishes it.

And then there is EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. It is often described as an airshow, but that word feels insufficient. For one week, an entire city forms around aviation — builders, restorers, warbird caretakers, students, innovators, families. Walking those grounds, you realize this community is not small or fringe; it is vast, diverse, and deeply committed. Visiting AirVenture has been a dream of mine for years, and this year I hope to fly my own Sling into Oshkosh — not just as a spectator, but as a participant. That possibility exists because of what EAA has built. For a few days each year, aviation feels limitless — and unmistakably human.

EAA also shows up where it matters most — at the regulatory table. Advocacy is rarely glamorous, and progress is usually incremental, but the steady engagement makes a difference. The outcome of initiatives like MOSAIC did not happen by accident; it required persistence, credibility, and deep understanding of experimental and light aviation realities. Protecting the freedom to build, modify, and innovate while maintaining safety is a delicate balance. EAA approaches that balance with seriousness and competence. While many of us are in our hangars riveting skins or studying service bulletins, EAA is protecting the runway beneath us.

At its core, EAA represents a culture of earned aviation. This is a community of people who sacrifice weekends, savings, and comfort to build something with their own hands. Builders who learn wiring, composites, engines, aerodynamics — not because it is easy, but because it is meaningful. Pilots who are cost-conscious, pragmatic, and deeply committed. Restorers preserving history rivet by rivet. Innovators experimenting carefully at the edge of what is possible. We are not casual consumers of aviation. We invest time, effort, and humility into it. EAA understands that spirit because it is built from it. And that is why this Valentine is simple: thank you for keeping aviation human, participatory, and within reach.

Stathis