Taking Off

By Jeff Bollier, 'Oshkosh Northwestern'

The week-long AirVenture event in Oshkosh, Wis., came to an end on Aug. 2. AirVenture is hosted each year by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), whose officials estimate that the crowed on July 31 exceeded 100,000. Tom Poberezny, the CEO of EAA, asserted that AirVenture has "a special place in the aviation world" because it is unlike any other event in the world. Highlights of the show included the Airbus A380, Virgin Galactic's VMS Eve, the crew of Flight 1549, and comedian Jeff Dunham. Nine-year old Brett Folsom and his father, Jim, traveled from Altamonte Springs, Fla., and Brett experienced his first open-cockpit flight on a "Breezy" two-seater. For next year's event, EAA is considering such large aircraft as Virgin's SpaceShiptTwo as well as electrical aircraft, said Poberezny.

August 20, 2009