Annual whirlwind drawing
to a close
By Ric Reynolds
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Blues on Blue. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels precision demonstration team gave the audience something unique Friday by making their first Oshkosh appearance at EAA AirVenture, flying a series of formation passes before heading out for a weekend appearance in Dayton, Ohio.
Photo by Dave Higdon |
Well, well, here it is
Sunday, the seventh and final day of another wonderful, exciting,
revealing, emotional, groundbreaking (insert your own adjective) week at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006.
Aviation’s annual
family reunion again lived up to its name. Is there any doubt left out
there that this is the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration?
"The vast majority of members I’ve
talked with came, stayed, and left happy," EAA President Tom
Poberezny told AirVenture Today Saturday. "They were
engaged, enjoyed themselves, and they received what they expected
out of the event in terms of
a variety of airplanes, quality of forums—all the reasons they come
here."
Poberezny says he is
"extremely proud of the reputation this event has developed"
and its "acknowledged importance within the aviation community
worldwide.
"It continues to
mirror the EAA organization on a year-round basis," he said.
In a week filled with
firsts, some of the highlights include a glimpse at Cessna’s
LSA, an appearance by the Navy’s Blue Angels, and a showstopping
F22 Raptor.
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The number one question
out of the gate always seems to center on the gate—attendance—and
although those figures will not be available for some time, all
indications are that the event will meet expectations.
However, Monday looks
like it set an all-time record for opening day, Poberezny said.
The story of AirVenture
2006 started well before Monday, however. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
the planes and campers and exhibitors were arriving en masse. Along with
the annual pilgrimage of Mooneys (Mooney Caravan) and Bonanzas (B2Osh),
Cessna joined the group gaggles this year to honor the 50th anniversary
of the venerable 172.
For the makers of those
airplanes in Wichita, Monday served as the showcase day to unveil not
one but two proof-of-concept airplanes it hopes will keep the company at
the forefront of general aviation for years to come. A large crowd
gathered that morning at AeroShell Square to get a look at the new
light-sport aircraft design Cessna had announced weeks earlier. But
Cessna’s CEO (and this year’s Key-to-the-City award recipient) Jack
Pelton double-dipped on the crowd by revealing his company had been
working covertly on a next generation piston (NGP) airplane, which made
several on-cue passes.
"People recognize
this as the home of aviation innovation and new announcements, and this
week was no different," Poberezny said. Cessna’s proof-of-concept
LSA is a validation of EAA’s efforts over the last 10-plus years,
while announcements of new aircraft from Honda and Diamond were in
keeping with the event. And Eclipse chose AirVenture as the location to
receive the Eclipse 500’s provisional type certificate, drawing wide
interest.
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Vertical Vapor! Vapor explodes above the wing of this F-22 when it pitches up suddenly, as the pilot graphically demonstrated during the Raptor's first appearance at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
Photo by Dave Higdon |
Of course, at AirVenture,
one can see it all. If the two new Cessnas are the newest designs on the
block, then honors for the oldest on display this year must go to the
Santos Dumont 14 Bis at Embraer’s exhibit.
In a week filled with
AirVenture firsts, Ford Motor Company played a large role in several of
them. It treated Monday’s large crowd to AirVenture’s first official
rock concert as the Beach Boys performed in AeroShell Square for more
than two hit-filled hours.
Ford and Eclipse Aviation
gave campers and others great evening entertainment—and free popcorn—with
the new EAA Fly-In Theater. Overflowing crowds attended each evening’s
aviation movie, presented by special celebrity guests and shown on a
large, five-story screen.
And speaking of firsts,
EAA hosted the aviation world premiere of the major motion picture Flyboys,
which could be a major box office hit judging from the audience
reaction.
But that’s not close to
all. Other firsts include:
AirVenture crowds saw the
new Air Force fighter, the F-22, in what amounted to the most exciting
15 minutes of the convention.
A record museum crowd
joined Burt Rutan and Mike Melvill to dedicate the new SpaceShipOne
exhibit.
The U.S. Navy’s Blue
Angels flew at Oshkosh for the first time.
The Gathering of Eagles
raised $1.3 million for EAA youth education efforts, including $250,000
raised in an auction for a Ford Shelby Mustang GT-H.
And the 1.25 millionth
Young Eagle was announced during the week.
The VLJ and LSA
categories appear to be the wave of the future for GA. Eclipse leads the
way for the former, receiving a provisional type certificate from the
FAA at a huge media event Thursday. But Eclipse will soon have major
competition, with Adam Aircraft (A-700), Cessna (Mustang), Diamond
(D-Jet), and Honda (HondaJet), among others, vying for a piece of that
market.
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Cessna representatives field questions about the company's light sport aircraft proof of concept aircraft.
Photo by Phil Weston |
The LSA Mall, with more
than 30 of the 38 approved designs on display (and Cessna and Van’s
Aircraft looming in the future), was again a hotbed of activity.
Interest remains high and business brisk as the 2-year-old sport
pilot/light-sport aircraft rule gains momentum.
This week again drew a
large contingent from regulatory agencies. "It was another strong
week of advocacy on behalf of our members and general aviation,"
the EAA president said. "The broad spectrum of government officials
here recognized that this is the place to be the last week of
July."
FAA Administrator Marion
Blakey not only came to Oshkosh for the fourth time, but also brought
her senior staff. In between presiding over the annual Meet the
Administrator session and meeting with numerous groups and associations
who chose AirVenture for their meetings, she found time for an
exhilarating ride in one of EAA’s open-cockpit biplanes. A wide
variety of public officials also joined her in making the pilgrimage to
AirVenture.
For warbirds enthusiasts,
this was indeed a special week. Apart from magnificent air show
performances, they saw several special programs devoted to individual
aircraft like Warbirds in Review and Training Command displays.
The appearance of the
Lancaster bomber was quite an event, especially for the Canadians, who
garnered a huge sense of pride at its prominent position on AeroShell
Square.
At this week’s chapter
officers meeting, Poberezny posed to 250-300 officers in attendance,
"How many of you have ever been asked to describe AirVenture?"
Virtually everyone raised their hand. Then he asked how many were able
to describe it adequately. No one raised their hand.
"The essence is that
it is truly an event that has to be experienced to understand it,
because it’s not just the variety of programs that can be
communicated," Poberezny said. "It’s the culture and the
atmosphere and relationships that make it special and that made it
special again this year."
After several encounters
with first-time visitors, Poberezny relayed that the convention exceeded
their expectations. "But more importantly, they say they’re
coming back again," he added.
"And that’s the best endorsement
we can have."
