With the July 4th holiday behind us, and the Arlington fly-in going on this weekend, the next big thing on the aviation world’s calendar is EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh … coming up in just about two and a half weeks. The Notam is out, and pilots planning to fly in should be studying it soon to be sure they’re familiar with all the procedures. Last-minute preparations are under way on site to be sure the grounds, now substantially reconfigured, are ready for the onslaught (click here for the new maps).
The airshow schedule has been announced, and as usual it features the world’s best performers. Kirby Chambliss and Mike Goulian take a break from the Red Bull Air Races to fly their solo shows. Sean Tucker, Patty Wagstaff, Kyle Franklin, Debby Rihn-Harvey, the Aeroshell Team and many more unique and spectacular acts will perform. The LSA folks will have a new site for their Mall, where the FlyMart used to be, which should provide great visibility for visitors shopping for a new airplane. Hundreds of other exhibitors will have their latest airplanes and cutting-edge gear of all kinds on display. Several new aviation-themed films will get a screening, and popular entertainers from musician Livingston Taylor to ventriloquist Jeff Dunham will provide evening shows.
And of course AVweb will be there, providing daily reports, podcasts, and videos, as well as news via Twitter. First-time visitors will want to check out AVweb columnist Rick Durden’s comprehensive “AirVenture Survival Guide.” It was last revised in 2007, so some of the links may be out of date, but most of the information and advice is timeless — and priceless. Also, AirVenture fan Ken Kalynuk has posted his own camping guide to help new visitors to the show; click here to download a PDF copy. And click here to listen to a recent AVweb interview with EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski about this year’s show highlights. AirVenture runs from Monday, July 27, to Sunday, Aug. 2.
