2020 EAA Warbirds Hall of Fame Inductee – Mark Clark
As a child growing up in Rockford, Illinois, Mark dreamed of being an aviator. He soloed on his 16th birthday, earned his private pilot certificate on his 17th birthday, and earned his commercial certificate and instrument rating before college. He soloed a North American Aviation T-6 at the age of 18. During college he earned a multiengine rating and restored an award-winning T-6. After college, Mark earned his A&P mechanic certificate and later became a CFI. Mark attended his first EAA convention in 1964, and his attention quickly focused on the Warbirds area. Since then he has attended every convention including all 50 years in Oshkosh. By 1969, he was working closely with EAA President Paul Poberezny and other early Warbirds leaders such as Bob Hoover, Gunther Balz, and Jack Huismann. He was able to turn his passion and love for the aircraft, history, and people into a career. His family business, Courtesy Aircraft Sales, has helped thousands of aviators around the world reach their dreams of owning and operating historic military and other aircraft. Mark has served on the EAA Warbirds of America board of directors and currently serves on its Oshkosh Site Planning Committee. For nearly two decades, he has helped organize the National Warbird Operator Conference, and in 2019, Mark was awarded the prestigious FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.