---
title: "Experimental Aircraft Association: Build Your Own Plane"
id: "34279"
type: "post"
slug: "experimental-aircraft-association-build-your-own-plane"
published_at: "2016-07-27T00:40:50+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:48:22+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/07/27/experimental-aircraft-association-build-your-own-plane/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/07/27/experimental-aircraft-association-build-your-own-plane.md"
excerpt: "The Experimental Aircraft Association teams up with a popular software maker to offer members a free version of an industry-standard design app, to enable them to create their own plane."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Membership"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "AssociationsNow"
  - "aviation policy"
  - "Membership"
  - "UI Design"
taxonomy_content_format:
  - "Article"
taxonomy_role:
  - "Association CEO / Executive Director"
taxonomy_persona:
  - "Industry Professionals"
---

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 » Experimental Aircraft Association: Build Your Own Plane

**What is it?** The Experimental Aircraft Association, a group for aviation enthusiasts (many of whom build their own planes), has partnered with the software manufacturer SolidWorks to provide EAA members free access to a version of the company’s popular design app: [the SolidWorks Student Design Kit—EAA Maker Edition (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/news/07-25-2016-new-member-benefit-from-solidworks)
. App users will get access to a user forum and an array of related benefits.

**Why it works:** The benefit is a significant upgrade for EAA members, who range from hobbyists to professional aircraft designers, and it helps to standardize work onto a single platform. “Since its humble beginnings in Paul and Audrey [Poberezny]’s basement, EAA has inspired, enabled, and defended our members’ right to take a dream sketched on a napkin at the dinner table to first flight and beyond,” EAA Chairman and CEO Jack Pelton [said in a news release (opens in a new tab)](http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12235829/eaa-announces-new-member-benefit-free-access-to-dassault-systemes-solidworks)
. “SolidWorks is the industry standard for computer-aided design.”

**Other perks:** [Other EAA benefits (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-membership/eaa-member-benefits)
 include the member magazine *SportAviation*, access to insurance and financing for aircraft, free admission to a number of museums, and education offerings for those looking to build a plane of their own. Overall, not a bad way to get airborne.

(Handout photo)

[Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/)

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now.

[More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/)

Tags: [#aviation policy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/aviation-policy/)
 [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/)
 [#UI Design](https://associationsnow.com/tag/ui-design/)

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