A few people are citing the EAA as being the perfect organisation. I think you will find that this is not the case. First of all, there is no direct comparison as the EAA does not have the Permit aspect that the PFA does. The American system is different.
What follows is not criticism of the EAA, it is not guaranteed true but it is what I understand to be true. I am perfectly willing to be corrected by anyone who knows better.
The Eaa was started by Tom (?) Poborezny and was run as a benevolent dictatorship by him and his buddies for many years. His family is still effectively in charge. There are many in the USA who do not like this arrangement. The EAA is the biggest and best homebuilt organisation on this planet.
I have always maintained that the best form of government is the benevolent dictatorship.
You must also remember that the EAA is AMERICAN and they do things differently over there. When I went to Oshkosh in 2001, I met several retired guys who had moved to Oshkosh so that they could be more effective volunteers for the EAA. They run the Museum, the vintage airfield(can't remember the name) and Airventure itself. When they die, they also leave great wads of cash to the organisation or some specific part of it.
Mike W