Through his work founding EAA and the organization's annual convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, he had the reputation of helping inspire millions of people to get involved in grassroots aviation.

In addition to his longtime experience as a military aviator (earning all seven types of pilot wings offered by the armed services), Poberezny was also an instructor, air show, air race and test pilot who frequently test flew his own homebuilt designs as well as various aircraft built by the EAA, such as the EAA Biplane.

[11] Born in Leavenworth County, Kansas, Paul grew up poor in a tar paper shack in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and never experienced indoor plumbing until he went to school.

It started as predominately an aircraft homebuilding organization in his basement, but later went on to capture all aspects of general aviation internationally.

The now-monthly magazine focuses on experimental homebuilding and other general aviation topics, including antique, war, and classic aircraft.

In addition, AirVenture has nearly a $200 million annual economic impact on the surrounding region of Wisconsin[17] and inspired the formation of other similar events such as Tannkosh in Germany and Sun 'n Fun in Florida, as well as similar organizations such as the Aircraft Kit Industry Association founded by pioneer homebuilder Richard VanGrunsven.

[18][5] He was introduced to aviation in 1936 at the age of 16 with the gift of a donated damaged WACO Primary Glider that he rebuilt and taught himself to fly.

[21] After returning home from World War II, Poberezny could not afford to buy his own aircraft, so he decided to build one himself.

[3] In 1955, he wrote a series of articles for the publication Mechanix Illustrated, where he described how an individual could buy a set of plans and build an airplane at home.

In the magazine were also photos of himself fabricating the Baby Ace, an amateur-built aircraft (and the first to be marketed as a "homebuilt") that he bought the rights to for US$200 a few years prior.

[25][26] His estate in Oshkosh is preserved by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. and was opened to public tours beginning in the summer of 2017.

[36] Flying Magazine ranked Poberezny at number 4 on their 2013 list of the 51 Heroes of Aviation, putting him ahead of figures like Bob Hoover, Amelia Earhart, Jimmy Doolittle, and even Chuck Yeager.