Oshkosh Airshow

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Image:EAA AirVenture 2004.jpg

The Oshkosh Airshow (officially EAA AirVenture Oshkosh) is an annual gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The event is presented by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), a national/international organization based in Oshkosh. The Oshkosh Airshow is seven days long and typically begins on the last Monday in July.

1 History
2 Notable Appearances
3 Highlights
4 Attendance
5 Trivia
6 Future dates
7 See also
8 External links
9 References

[edit] History

EAA was founded in 1953 as a support organization for people who were building their own recreational aircraft (homebuilders). Homebuilding is still a large part of EAA, but the organization has grown over the years to include almost every aspect of aviation and aeronautics.

The first EAA fly-in was held in 1953 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1959 EAA fly-in moved to Rockford, Illinois. When it outgrew its Rockford facility, the EAA fly-in moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1970.

For many years the official name of the event was The EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In. In 1998 the name was changed to AirVenture Oshkosh. But many regular attendees still refer to it as "EAA," The Oshkosh Airshow, or just Oshkosh.

For many years, the access to the flight line (area directly adjacent to the runway) was restricted to EAA members only; this restriction was lifted in the late 1990s.

[edit] Notable Appearances

The British Concorde made regular appearances during its scheduled operations, beginning in 1985 and also appearing in 1988, 1990, 1994 and 1998.

Among other unique airplanes that have recently appeared at Oshkosh was the Airbus "Beluga" in 2003, the F-22 Raptor in 2006, and NASA's Supper Guppy in 2000.

In 1994, a unique gathering at the event featured 15 of the 25 then-surviving Apollo astronauts, including the complete crews of Apollo 11 (Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins) and Apollo 8 (Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders).

In 1997(celebrating the 50th anniversary of an independent US Air Force) The SR-71 Blackbird made a fly-over. This was supposed to be supersonic but due to a fuel leak, the aircraft made an emergency landing in Milwaukee. The first pass featured a simulated in flight refueling with a KC-135T from 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell AFB

Also featured in 1997 was a Lockheed U-2

In 2003 the Wright Flyer was a central figure, and a replica designed to fly on the 100th Anniversary of the first flight was granted its flying certification by the Federal Aviation Administration during the show. A recent version of Microsoft's Flight Simulator (version 2004) and Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2 were unveiled there<ref name="there">Microsoft (April 2, 2003). Thousands Recreate History on Microsoft’s 1903 Wright Flyer Simulator. Press release.</ref>, and a physical Wright Flyer mock-up combined with Microsoft's software on a display in front of the pilot (a member of the attending public) was a popular attraction.

In 2005 SpaceShipOne made its only public appearance before flying off to the Smithsonian. Also flying at the show was GlobalFlyer that had made its record around the world flight in the same year. In 1987 Burt Rutan's Voyager, the first aircraft to fly around the world without refueling, made its final appearance before its record setting flight.

Innodyn's small turbine engines made their debut and are regularly displayed at Oshkosh.

[edit] Highlights

Highlights of the Oshkosh Airshow include the following:

Displays of visiting aircraft of all sizes and types. Most of the aircraft on display at the fly-in are in one of these categories:
- Homebuilt aircraft, built both from scratch and from kits
- Vintage aircraft
- Restored and replica former military aircraft, aka "Warbirds"
- Active duty military aircraft from the U.S. and other nations
- Notable aircraft from commercial aviation and the airlines
- Ultralights
- Rotorcraft
- Amphibians and float-planes
Commercial exhibits
Large exhibits by NASA and FAA
Showcase fly-bys
A daily aerobatics airshow
Informative lectures by professional and amateur presenters

For many attendees, an equally important aspect of the fly-in is the opportunity to socialize with other aviation enthusiasts. Lots of people meet up each year with "Oshkosh friends" who they only see at the fly-in. For many years these Oshkosh friends had no contact during the rest of the year, but recently many of them have begun to stay in touch throughout the year via e-mail. Many attendees arrive three to four days before the official start of the event or stay a few days after the end for the opportunity to relax in an aviation environment and to socialize with other aviation enthusiasts from around North America. Also, a very large contingent of volunteer workers arrive as early as a month before the event, and stay long after the end, to help with presenting the event.

The control tower is traditionally decorated with the banner saying WORLD'S BUSIEST CONTROL TOWER during the AirVenture.

[edit] Attendance

It is estimated that 10,000–15,000 aircraft visit Wittman Field each year during the fly-in. Attendance is estimated at over 600,000, which is computed by multiplying the number of tickets sold times the number of estimated daily visits by each ticket holder. This technique allows for one person who buys a weeklong pass to count as a separate person each day, which does properly account for each person's actual use of the grounds and facilities, but adds complexity to making a final attendance estimate. The EAA estimates and Oshkosh Northwestern reports the actual number of attendees is most likely between 200,000-300,000 separate people, which would still leave AirVenture as the biggest civilian airshow in the United States. [1]

People arrive by both air and ground transport. The large number of aircraft arrivals and departures during the fly-in week officially makes the Wittman Field FAA Control Tower the "busiest in the world"... for that week anyway. To accommodate the huge flow of aircraft around the airport and the nearby airspace, a special NOTAM is published each year, choreographing the normal and emergency (if need be) procedures to follow.

Hotels, dormitories, and many private guest rooms in the region are almost always filled to capacity during the fly-in. But the large majority of visitors camp, under the wing of their airplane, or in the conventional campground that is adjacent to the airport and convention grounds which are beautifully adorned with excellent landscaping.

[edit] Trivia

In 2004, an Air Atlanta Icelandic Boeing 747 brought an almost full load of Icelanders. The occupants of this single airplane represented about 1/500 or .2% of the population of Iceland. Comparatively, approx.05% of the United States population was represented at the air show, arriving in around 10,000 separate aircraft, and innumerable road vehicles.

During the fly-in, Oshkosh's Control Tower is the busiest control tower in the world.

More than 4,000 volunteers contribute approximately 250,000 hours before, during and after the event. These volunteers are primarily EAA members, but also include a significant number of local volunteers. Civil Air Patrol cadets and senior officers who attend National Blue Beret (identified by a blue beret perched majestically atop their heads nearing the start of the air show) are found on base July 18th-31st and work many aspects of the airshow; including, but not limited to: flight line marshalling, war bird security, and Emergancy Services. During the airshow, cadets and senior officers contribute more than 2,000 hours marshalling aircraft for runway 9-27.