The Great AirVenture
Which is the busiest airport in the US during the last week of July? New York, you say? Los Angeles, perhaps? The answer is - Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin! During the week of the EAA AirVenture, more planes fly from this airfield than even O’Hare Airport in Chicago.
If you are an aviation enthusiast, you already have a dearly held dream of attending this one-of -a-kind air exhibit and show, along with thousands of others who make the pilgrimage to Oshkosh for the annual convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association.
This event is so massive and so complex that newcomers need a survival guide to get them throught the week. So here are the highlights and an overview of what is in store for the lucky visitor.
The EAA is a grass-roots organization whose purpose is to make aviation safe, delightfully fun and accessible to the lay person. Some pilots have participated for 40 years or more, delighting in the vast variety and all the changes they have witnessed over the years. You will see classics, antique airplanes, homebuilts which have taken over 2,000 hours to make them perfect, over 10,000 of them! You’ll admire numerous military planes, airshows, and the New Airplane XP-2000.
If you are a people watcher, you’ll be in heaven with over 750,000 peopleparading by. They are all in love with flight and those who come back year after year form neighborhoods in the campground as they renew friendships which had their beginning at an earlier EAA show.
You’ll have plenty of opportunity to witness new designs of personal aircraft, and choose from over 500 educational events such as seminars and workshops held during this jam-packed week. It is quite literally impossible to see everything at the AirVenture in a mere week, so pace yourself and narrow your focus on your particular interest.
Or build your own itinerary by consulting the Pocket Directory of the full seven days at AirVenture, which you receive with your program. Here are a few highlights from an itinerary for the airplane builder and pilot. Watch volunteers assemble airplane pieces at the Aeroplane Factory.
If you are attending AirVenture for more than pleasure and acquiring ideas, perhaps you’re actually in the market for some gear. You will be able to compare devices side by side. And look over the bulletin boards for deals - you might find just what you are looking for at the right price. More people buy, sell and trade here than anywhere else on the planet!
If you just love to see all kinds of aircraft,walk the flightline from ultralights to warbirds, and include a visit to AeroShell Square where special military planes park. Then look up for the afternoon airshow. You’ll witness some of the world’s best pilots doing the “impossible”, including the formation flyby of throbbing warbirds.
If learning to fly is on your mind, stop in at the EAA Sport Pilot Center to learn about the new sport certificate that takes half the time and half the cost of a regular pilot certificate.
Vintage War Aircraft in Cinema