 At his Sunday press conference, EAA President
Tom Poberezny did not hesitate to describe EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 as
"the best ever."
"The upbeat attitude, the future
developments on display here, new airframe announcements,
innovations-everything shows a bright future for aviation, and it was all
on display at Oshkosh this year."
He noted that EAA AirVenture is mentioned
in the same stature as the large European air shows at Farnborough and
Paris, "not that Oshkosh is bigger, but that it is as important to
aviation."
Attendance was up over a year ago, but
final figures won't be available until later this week. Poberezny did note
that there were 2,617 showplanes, 784 exhibitors, 885 media outlets, and
upward of 40,000 campers registered in Camp Scholler.
"We had the strongest set of programs
we've ever had, Saturday was one of the strongest we've ever had."
Questioned about future site plans,
Poberezny said there would be some things in store regarding grounds
improvements aimed at improving transportation, expanding exhibit space,
and enhancing the value for visitors and partners.
"We want to keep Oshkosh fresh and
maintain the unique culture that has a lot to do with why people continue
coming back year after year," he said. "We will maintain our
reputation as aviation's premier event."
In response to a question about EAA's
efforts to increase the pilot population, Poberezny echoed his statements
made earlier on the week. "In 1980 we had more than 800,000 pilots
and today we have 600,000. With the announcements made by Cessna and
Cirrus this week, it validates our vision of the future with sport pilot
playing a large role in rebuilding the pilot population. Because a vibrant
industry is needed to sustain aviation.
"And our chapters will play a part in
that providing mentorship and help for new pilots," he added.
"Learning to fly can be lonely or it can be fun. We want to make it
fun." Poberezny said the goal is one million pilots.
Looking ahead to 2008: Poberezny said EAA
has already been working on next year's AirVenture. "The theme will
be big," he revealed. "Big airplanes, some you've never seen
before, perhaps a space theme as well."
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