With day after day of sunny skies and low humidity in Oshkosh last week, the crowds at EAA AirVenture had nothing to hamper them, and EAA this week reported record-breaking attendance numbers of 590,000, an increase of 5 percent over last year. In his closing news conference on Sunday, EAA Chairman Jack Pelton said, “It was an incredible week. Ten days for us, if you count the early arrivals, and certainly each day had its own truly unique venue or feature. It was hard to really pick what was the best.” Parking and camping spots were filled to capacity for five days, a first for the show, Pelton said. Extra parking and camping were prepared and opened in the middle of the week to accommodate the increased attendance.
Hangars A, B, C, D and the Main Aircraft Display were all completely full with exhibitors. The number of showplanes was up 5 percent compared to last year’s show. More than 17,223 aircraft movements were recorded through the 10 days from July 21-30, which broke the record set last year, and qualified Wittman Regional Airport as the busiest airport in the world for the week. Pelton said highlights of this year’s show that helped to boost attendance were the Apollo gathering at the Theater in the Woods, Stan Lee’s visit and the Blue Angels performance. “We’re already talking to people about the possibilities for 2018 in all areas, from aircraft anniversaries to new technology and innovations,” he said.
The show even got to AVweb’s resident cynic, Paul Bertorelli — in today’s blog, he dissects why this year’s show was “the best AirVenture. Ever.”
