AirVenture Time Capsule: 2015

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Three years ago, AirVenture attendees saw a B-52H Stratofortress bomber makes its first-ever visit to Oshkosh, Rotax introduced its 915iS engine and EAA announced a new prize for innovations in aviation safety. When the Stratofortress came to town, crews had to remove 6,000 feet of runway lights to accommodate the aircraft, which has a second set of 148-foot-wide outboard landing gear. The 1961 model came from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. It was on ground display for the weeklong event.

After introducing the 912iS in 2012, engine manufacturer Rotax came to AirVenture 2015 with a new version of the engine. At the time, the 135-HP, turbocharged 915iS had accumulated about 2,000 hours in the test cell and Rotax was working with airframers to begin flight tests. The engine became available in 2017.

2015 was also the year EAA announced that it was organizing a competition aimed at inspiring the general aviation community to develop new ideas to reduce loss-of-control accidents. The first Founder’s Innovation Prize was awarded the following year and the competition has been held annually since. Previous winners are the Remora System (2017) and Airball (2016).

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