We're saddened to report that Joe Gauthier passed away this morning. Joe was a major presence in the homebuilding and aircraft restoration world. He built five planes and helped countless others with theirs as a tech counselor. He was a CFI and active flight advisor. He was an experimental test pilot and flew well over one hundred first flights of newly finished planes. In 2007 he received the Society of Experimental Test Pilots "Spirit of Flight" award.
In 1991, Joe received the EAA's President Award which allows the EAA leadership to personally acknowledge members whose participation and contributions represent the "essence" of EAA.
When the EAA created the Tony Bingelis Award to recognize EAA technical counselors for dedicated service and/or significant contributions in assisting members to build and restore aircraft in 2003, Joe was the inaugural winner.
When the FAA created the Designated Airworthiness Representative, or DAR, program in 2004 to help streamline experimental aircraft inspections, Joe was the first again. He did the FAA's first AB-DAR inspection on David Faile's RV-6.
Joe was a member of EAA's Homebuilt Advisory Council and worked diligently on a set of test flight standards called XP3 which later evolved into the EAA's "Flight Test Manual"
Joe was an active member of EAA Chapter 166 in Hartford but also contributed a lot to Chapter 27. He will be greatly missed.
(photos by Rick Beebe and Dave Prizio)
