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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh operations closing for day at 5 p.m. Central Time

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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh operations closing for day at 5 p.m. Central Time

Potential for storms cause cancellation of evening activities

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (July 28, 2021) — The National Weather Service in Green Bay has informed EAA of a significant storm threat beginning at approximately 8 p.m. Central Time tonight (Wednesday, July 28). As a result, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh will be closing most operations for the day at 5 p.m. on July 28.

“Safety is always EAA’s top priority and given the best forecast information from the National Weather Service, we want to give everyone an opportunity to make decisions in advance,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and Chairman of the Board.

Among the operations affected:

–   The afternoon air show will end at 5 p.m. today.

–   Transportation systems will continue to operate as long as weather conditions allow.

–   Exhibit buildings, restaurants and other services will close at 5 p.m.

–   There is no evening programming tonight, including Theater in the Woods and Fly-In Theater.

The airport will reopen for departures at 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. or as long as practical.

Pilots who have aircraft remaining at Wittman Regional Airport are reminded to check their tiedowns so they are secure.

As of 3:30 p.m. Central Time, the National Weather Service predicts that the storm front should arrive between 8-10 p.m. and continue until after midnight. EAA will continue to monitor conditions and alert those camping on the grounds as to any additional details as necessary.

Because of the cancellation of evening activities on Wednesday, July 28, including the night air show, AirVenture wristbands will be honored for admission on Thursday, July 29. Those Wednesday wristbands will be exchanged for Thursday wristbands at all admission gates. The night air show has been rescheduled for Thursday evening, July 29.

It marks only the second cancellation of a night air show at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh since those performances began in 2010. The Wednesday night air show in 2018 was also postponed due to bad weather, with the performances rescheduled for the following evening.

AMATEUR-BUILT FATAL ACCIDENT TOTAL DROPS AGAIN

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EXPERIMENTAL, AMATEUR-BUILT FATAL ACCIDENT TOTAL DROPS AGAIN, BELOW FAA NOT-TO-EXCEED GOAL

Fatal accident – Continues decade-long improvement in safety

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (November 17, 2020) — Safety totals for experimental amateur-built aircraft continued the decade-long improvement trend in 2020, as fatal accident totals finished below the Federal Aviation Administration not-to-exceed number for the 12 months ending September 30, 2020.

Over the 12-month period from October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020, which mirrors that federal government fiscal year, total fatal accidents in experimental aircraft dropped more than 15 percent from the previous year, to 44 total fatal accidents including 32 in amateur-built aircraft – an 18 percent drop. The 44 fatal accidents were eight percent below the FAA’s not-to-exceed number of 48 for Fiscal Year 2020.

“This is outstanding news as far as the continuing trend of lower accident totals in experimental category and amateur-built aircraft, especially as total flight hours increased over the past 12 months,” said Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety. “The FAA continues to challenge our community by lowering the not-to-exceed number each year and we have met that challenge over the past decade, as we have seen fatal accident totals drop by nearly 40 percent for both experimental and amateur-built aircraft over the past decade.”

As a comparison, experimental category fatal accidents totaled 73 for the yearlong period ending on September 30, 2011, with 51 of those in amateur-built aircraft. Along with the amateur-built subcategory, the FAA’s experimental category includes other aircraft groups such as experimental/exhibition, experimental/light-sport aircraft, and research-and-development aircraft, among others.

The drop in experimental category accidents mirrors and, in some cases, exceeds the decline in overall general aviation fatal accidents over the past decade. Elliott noted that the overall fatal accident numbers for experimental category aircraft remain much lower than other recreational pursuits, such as boating and driving all-terrain vehicles.

EAA has worked closely with the FAA and NTSB on recommendations to reduce fatal accidents, including through participation in the FAA General Aviation Joint Steering Committee. Efforts have also included thousands of copies of the EAA Flight Test Manual now in the hands of amateur-built aircraft owners and the increasing use of an additional safety pilot during initial flight testing in amateur-built aircraft. Other safety initiatives ranging from regular safety webinars and the annual Founders Innovations Prize have also put the spotlight on safety for experimental category aircraft.

“While we are seeing already very small numbers, the continual emphasis on safety for all of us can never be overstated,” Elliott said. “This is a trend that must continue as we pursue ever-higher levels of safety. We must focus on training, safety enhancements, and good pilot skills to complement the ever-improving technology in today’s aircraft cockpits.”

WEBINARS SURPASS 200,000

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EAA WEBINARS SURPASS 200,000 TOTAL ATTENDANCE FOLLOWING MAJOR GROWTH IN 2020

More than 30,000 people have participated since March

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (September 24, 2020) — The Experimental Aircraft Association’s free webinar series, which has brought top aviation experts and personalities to online presentations for the past decade, has now welcomed more than 200,000 people to the sessions following substantial growth in 2020.
The webinars, which are supported by Aircraft Spruce and Specialty, have drawn more than 30,000 people since March 1 as aviation enthusiasts sought information and community during the COVID-19 pandemic. EAA expanded its webinar offerings to as many as four sessions per week in recent months.
“Achieving this attendance milestone well ahead of schedule is very gratifying to us, as it means we are reaching EAA members and other aviation enthusiasts with the information they want and the sense of community that is so important to us who fly,” said Charlie Becker, EAA’s director of chapters, communities, and homebuilt community manager. “The enthusiastic feedback we have received for this content means we’ll be planning for even more in the coming months.”
EAA’s webinar series at EAA.org/Webinars covers the entire spectrum of recreational aviation, from learn-to-fly and aircraft maintenance to weather knowledge and aviation history. All live webinars are free to all, with nearly 600 archived webinars available to EAA members via the association’s video library.
Many webinars are eligible for FAA WINGS and AMT credits through the FAA Safety Program. The upcoming series in October and November currently includes the following sessions, with more expected to be added:
 Tuesday, October 6: (Homebuilders webinar series) $500 HUD; John Muzzoli
 Wednesday, October 7: The Looming Mechanic Shortage; Mike Busch*
 Wednesday, October 14: Strategies for Limiting, and Protecting Yourself From, Liability as an Aircraft Owner or Renter; Jack Harrington, Paul Herbers, Alan Farkas, and Jim Anderson
 Tuesday, October 20: Emergency Bailout Procedures for Pilots and Survival Equipment; Allen Silver*
 Tuesday, October 27: Flying Clubs – Growing Participation in Aviation; David Leiting
 Tuesday, November 3: (Homebuilders webinar series) Van’s RV-14; Greg Hughes
 Tuesday, November 10: International Aerobatic Club Turns 50 Years Old, Mike Heuer and Lorrie Penner
 Wednesday, November 11: True or Magnetic?, Prof. H. Paul Shuch*
(* – Eligible for FAA WINGS and/or AMT credits)

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