Jim Pfarr Named Chair of EAA Ultralight/Light-Sport Aircraft Council

Jim Pfarr of Germantown, Wisconsin, has been named chairman of EAA’s Ultralight and Light-Sport Aircraft Council. He succeeds Mark Solper, who for the past three years chaired the council that provides essential background and guidance to EAA on ultralight and light-sport aircraft matters.

Jim Pfarr

Jim, EAA Lifetime 1090432, is a U.S. Air Force veteran who logged more than 1,300 hours of navigator time in C-130 and C-141 cargo aircraft in support of nearly every major USAF operation until the late 1990s. He also pursued ultralight flying while in the military. After retiring from the U.S. Air Force Reserve with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2011, Pfarr earned a sport pilot certificate and has served as president and vice president of EAA Ultralight Chapter 1 in the Milwaukee area. He was also a Civil Air Patrol liaison officer supporting the Wisconsin Civil Air Patrol for eight years.

“Jim’s diverse leadership background and avid interest in grassroots flying is a real asset to the Ultralight/Light-Sport Aircraft Council,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programming. “Ultralight and light-sport aircraft flying offer a wonderfully fun, simple, and affordable way to be engaged in flight and the council will help EAA preserve that accessibility, as well as enhance programs and activities that will focus on safety and fun for our members.”

The council also assists with preparations and programming for the Fun Fly Zone that features ultralight and other light aircraft during the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention each summer.

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.