After a three-year hiatus, I am excited to finally return to one of my favorite places this month – EAA AirVenture. This year will mark my tenth “Oshkosh,” and I feel ready to make it one of the best ones yet. It simply is hard to beat living among countless airplanes and great friends for a solid, fun-filled week.
As usual, an extensive list of valuable workshops and forums will be rolling throughout the event (with the full schedule available at eaa.org). Several sessions pop out at me regarding new products and safety, including presentations by Garmin, Avidyne, Foreflight, AOPA, EAA and NATCA (National Air Traffic Controllers Association). For those of you flying in, also helpful on the website is an entire page dedicated to “Tips for Flying into AirVenture,” such as reading the notice, watching the videos, signing up for arrival texts, practicing hitting the dot, checking on parking, and bringing a friend. Lastly, to the right are some of the themes and celebrations unique to this year as highlighted by EAA.
But as the late Paul Poberezny, EAA’s founder, is often quoted as saying of the fly-in: “You come for the airplanes and you come back for the people.” After missing last year’s reunion (and the canceled previous show), those words especially ring true!
Air Force 75th Anniversary
The U.S. Air Force was created on September 18, 1947, as part of the National Security Act, which established a separate military air branch and put all military branches under a new Department of Defense. Today, the Air Force has more than 325,000 personnel and more than 5,000 aircraft. The event will be commemorated with fly-bys, static displays, and presentations throughout AirVenture week, including evening programs at EAA’s Theater in the Woods.
EAA’s New Pilot Proficiency Center
The EAA Pilot Proficiency Center (PPC) is a skill-building and gathering area for those who desire to increase their knowledge, hone their abilities and network with other passionate pilots. The PPC promotes the use of training, tools and activities to help pilots maintain year-round proficiency beyond the week at Oshkosh. There will be FREE half-day clinics (pre-registration required) with keynote presentations, interactive breakout sessions, skills enhancement and scenario-based training exercises in one of EAA’s Redbird Advanced Aviation Training Devices.
This year’s expanded schedule gives participants the opportunity for three breakout sessions in numerous categories during the half-day clinics. Those categories include Killer Procedures, Learn-to-Turn, Backcountry Awareness, The Art of IFR, CFI-to-CFI, Stick & Rudder Redux, and The Amateur-Built Flight Test Experience.
Young Eagles 30th Anniversary
This celebration will include a number of special AirVenture activities, including a day dedicated to the program – Thursday, July 28, will be Young Eagles Day. As part of the event, thirty Young Eagles will take flight in a variety of airplanes, helicopters and powered parachutes. There will also be a Young Eagles mass photo on Boeing Plaza (all Young Eagles pilots, chapter coordinators, ground volunteers, and former Young Eagles are invited), a ceremonial Young Eagles flight to kick off the 30th anniversary of the program, a volunteer root beer float social, plus a panel and presentation at Theater in the Woods.
