EAA Introduces 2026 Sport Aviation Halls of Fame Class

The Experimental Aircraft Association Sport Aviation Halls of Fame continue to grow as six new inductees will be honored as part of the 2026 class. The six inductees each represent a different area of aviation – homebuilders, ultralights, the International Aerobatic Club, the Vintage Aircraft Association, and EAA Warbirds of America.

The 2026 inductees include:

  • EAA Homebuilders Hall of Fame: Mike Blyth– Aircraft designer and Founder of Sling Aircraft, 1995 Microlight World Champion, and pioneer of early microlight aviation in South Africa
  • International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame: Mike Goulian – Renowned air show performer and air racer, 1995 National Unlimited Aerobatic Champion and three-time member of the US Unlimited Aerobatic Team
  • Warbirds of America Hall of Fame: Ron and Diane Fagen – Warbird restorers and founders of the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, MN, home to more than 15 airworthy WWII aircraft
  • Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame: Tom Brown – Aircraft restoration craftsman who has been involved with and restored a wide variety of award-winning vintage airplanes
  • EAA Ultralights Hall of Fame: Ronnie Smith – Founder of South Mississippi Light Aircraft (Now South Mississippi Legacy Aviation)

The EAA Sport Aviation Halls of Fame were established to honor the outstanding achievements of men and women in aviation who share the spirit of EAA and its community. Those inducted into the halls of fame are selected by their peers for myriad contributions made to their respective areas of aviation.

EAA will honor the new inductees at a dinner ceremony on November 11, 2026, in the Eagle Hangar of the EAA Aviation Museum.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.