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(plus one) since the end of WWII. Aircraft from both the European and Pacific theaters, pioneering technology that changed the course of the war, and evening movies at the Fly-In Theater devoted to WWII aviation will be featured. According to EAA, this year, there will be a large focus on risk mitigation, sanitation and disinfection protocols, as well as restrictions on crowd sizes during normally high attendance venues like exhibit hangars and forums. EAA’s CEO Jack Pelton reports: “The airplane piece of it is pretty straightforward. Flying into Wittman Regional Airport under the guidance of the NOTAM is proven and safe, and camping under a wing is an ideal way to experience the event and maintain some social distancing. But there’s more to AirVenture than that. There are forums, workshops, and venues like the Theater in the Woods and the Fly-In Theater. We are headed toward AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 at full throttle. Yes, it could look a little different, but it will still be aviation’s greatest event and, more importantly, a family reunion – a place to gather with our friends and revel in our love of airplanes as one big EAA family. Come July 26, the wait truly will be over. The EAA family will gather in Oshkosh, and that long-overdue reunion will celebrate the beginning of "back to normal."
We the Survivors
I missed Oshkosh a bunch of times while in the military and once when the left engine of the Duke developed a crack in the case. Other than those times, the event has
been a yearly tradition – nay, a pilgrimage. I still have an old tent pole (although the actual tent is long gone) with a camping sticker from 1972. And I could name drop famous OSH pilots and airplanes, inventors, innovators, speakers, politicians and memories of airplane smoke that smelled like aftershave from Oshkosh past, but you’ve all seen or read about them before. Now, we the survivors of last year’s trauma, hardship, mask mania, loss and lockdowns, are returning to Oshkosh, and boy, do we need it. By the time you read this, I will be just days away from flying an airliner for the last time. And if you read this after July 24, I’m retired and attending AirVenture. This hippie private pilot turned Air Force fighter pilot, turned airline captain and Duke owner some 60 years after an airplane ride in 1961 has come full circle. Perhaps you have as well. I hope you get to hear those words from Oshkosh tower. If not, I’ll say them to you. See you there.
Kevin Dingman has been flying for more than 40 years. He’s an ATP typed in the B737 and DC9 with 28,000 hours in his logbook. A retired Air Force major, he flew the F-16 and later performed as an USAF Civil Air Patrol Liaison Officer. He flies volunteer missions for the Christian organiz tion Wings of Mercy, is employed by a major airline, and owns and operates a Beechcraft Duke.Contact Kevin at dinger10d@ gmail.com.
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24 • TWIN & TURBINE / July 2021