Six of the world’s finest restored
vintage aircraft will travel to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this summer to
participate in the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s first “Best of the
Best” People’s Choice Award competition. These aircraft will be
showcased at EAA AirVenture, “The World’s Greatest Aviation
Celebration,” on July 23-29 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
AirVenture visitors will have the opportunity to
vote for their favorite among these restored vintage aircraft. All six
vintage aircraft have been masterfully restored to virtually like-new
condition and are great examples of our rich aviation history. The
National Aviation Hall of Fame and the National Aviation Heritage
Invitational (NAHI) joined together to create and sponsor the competition.
The aircraft scheduled to appear are all former
winners of various NAHI events held throughout the country since 1999.
They include the Lockheed P-38 “Glacier Girl” (owned by Rod Lewis);
Piper L-4 (owned by June and Colin Powers); Spartan Executive (owned by
Kent and Sandy Blankenburg); Fairchild KR-21 (owned by Pat McNerney);
Grumman Duck (owned by Chuck Greenhill); and Waco ATO (owned by Alan
Hoeweler).
“We at EAA are truly excited about hosting these
magnificent aircraft," said Adam Smith, EAA Vice President/Outreach.
"This program allows the public to vote on their personal favorite
from the group, each of which is a masterful example of aircraft
restoration."
The presentation of the “Best of the Best”
trophy will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 28 at EAA AirVenture.
Representatives of the Hall of Fame, EAA and NAHI will be joined by
several enshrinees of the National Aviation Hall of Fame in the trophy
presentation.
This activity undertakes a completely different
selection process than that for EAA's legendary “Lindys” presented
each year, regarded as the world’s top aviation construction and
restoration awards. The EAA awards are based on a strict set of judging
criteria, while the “Best of the Best” program crosses traditional
aircraft categories and relies on public-preference voting.
The National Aviation Heritage Invitational promotes
aircraft restoration via friendly competition, bringing valuable aviation
treasures together in one venue. This endeavor is a joint effort under the
auspices of Rolls-Royce North America Inc., the National Aviation Hall of
Fame, the Reno Air Racing Foundation and the Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum.
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Lockheed P-38 “Glacier Girl” |
Fairchild KR-21 |
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Piper L-4H |
Grumman Duck |
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Spartan Executive |
Waco ATO |
