Wings, Wheels and Water

How cool – BLUE ORIGIN TO BRING ITS HISTORIC, FLOWN NEW SHEPARD REUSABLE ROCKET AND CREW CAPSULE TO EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2017

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EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (July 10, 2017) — EAA AirVenture Oshkosh today announced another “Only in Oshkosh” first as it welcomes commercial space company Blue Origin and its historic New Shepard rocket and astronaut crew capsule the week of July 24-30. The exhibit will be one of the main attractions on Boeing Plaza during the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 65th annual fly-in convention at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
“EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has always showcased innovation, imagination, and achievement in flight, which makes Blue Origin’s presence at Oshkosh an excellent fit,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and Chairman. “As we salute the accomplishments of the Apollo program this year at AirVenture, it is also fitting that we welcome an organization that is developing the next step in the future of manned spaceflight.”
On Nov. 23, 2015, New Shepard became the first rocket to ascend above the Karman line and successfully return to Earth for a vertical landing. The same booster made four subsequent flights in 2016—on Jan. 22, April 2, June 19 and Oct. 5—successfully demonstrating the reuse of a rocket for the first time. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh attendees will get an up-close look at the historic rocket.
In addition, Blue Origin’s exhibit will feature a 1:1 mockup of New Shepard’s astronaut crew capsule, which has seating for six people. AirVenture guests will be able to climb inside, recline in flight-ready seats and experience a simulated flight to space created with real mission footage from New Shepard’s on board cameras. The crew capsule features the largest windows in spacecraft history, which take up more than one-third of the capsule’s surface area offering every astronaut stellar views during flight.
“We are very excited to come to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 and showcase our reusable New Shepard rocket and crew capsule so everyone can experience what it’s like to be an astronaut,” said Rob Meyerson, president of Blue Origin. “We hope to inspire the explorers of tomorrow, the ones who will help us achieve Blue Origin’s goal of millions of people living and working in space.”
In honor of EAA’s Space Day on July 28, Blue Origin will give away branded merchandise to the first 1,000 visitors to the exhibit on Boeing Plaza beginning at 12:30 p.m. 
About Blue Origin
Blue Origin, LLC (Blue Origin) is a private company developing vehicles and technologies to enable commercial human space transportation. Blue Origin has a long-term vision of greatly increasing the number of people that fly into space so that we humans can better continue exploring the solar system. For more information and a list of job openings, please visit us at www.blueorigin.com.
About EAA
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is a growing and diverse community of more than 200,000 aviation enthusiasts who promote and support recreational flying. Founded in 1953 by a group of individuals who were interested in building their own airplanes, EAA expanded its mission of growing participation in aviation to include antiques, classics, warbirds, aerobatic aircraft, ultralights, helicopters, and contemporary manufactured aircraft. The organization is headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and hosts the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention every July. For more information, www.eaa.org.
About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s yearly membership convention. It annually attracts 500,000 visitors from more than 70 nations and in excess of 10,000 aircraft to the weeklong event. Additional EAA AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available online at www.eaa.org/airventure. EAA members receive lowest prices on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or visit www.eaa.org. Immediate news is available at www.twitter.com/EAA.

ONE-OF-A-KIND FORD ‘F-22 RAPTOR’ F-150 TRUCK AUCTIONED TO SUPPORT EAA YOUTH EDUCATION WORK

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Truck offers unique opportunity at EAA’s Gathering of Eagles on July 27
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (June 29, 2017) — Ford Motor Company is again supporting EAA’s youth aviation programs by auctioning a one-of-a-kind vehicle, but this year with a new twist — the creation of a specially built “F-22 Raptor” F-150 Raptor for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017.
The truck will be put up for bid during the annual EAA Gathering of Eagleson Thursday, July 27. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017, the 65th annual Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in convention, is July 24-30 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
“Ford’s support of EAA and AirVenture has allowed thousands of young people to discover, enjoy, and pursue aviation,” said Dave Chaimson, EAA’s vice president of marketing and business development. “The unique F-22 version of the tremendously popular Ford F-150 Raptor truck will be an enormously popular highlight of the Gathering of Eagles auction, and we’re very grateful for Ford’s support for our initiatives.”
The modification of a 2017 Ford F-150 Raptoris led by Ford design manager Melvin Betancourt with engineering led by the Ford Performance Team. The goal was to strive for a creative connection to the Lockheed F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft while highlighting the unique style, capabilities, and design features of the 2017 F-150 Raptor.
Among the modifications to the truck are a twin-turbo, Whipple intercooled, high-output EcoBoost engine, along with enhancements to the suspension, wheels, brakes and lighting. The F-150 Raptor also features a purpose-built audio system and interior modifications. It is the latest in a series of Ford specialty vehicles that have to date raised more than $3 million for EAA’s youth aviation initiatives.
“This F-150 Raptor is a new look at Ford’s tradition of building unique vehicles in support of EAA’s youth aviation programs,” Betancourt said. “We know this truck will create an unmatched buzz around this year’s Gathering of Eagles auction.”
Attendees at the Gathering of Eagles are eligible to bid on the F-150 Raptor, as are those prequalified to bid by phone during the sale. For more information, contact EAA’s development office at (800) 236-1025 or at gathering@eaa.org.
EAA’s Gathering of Eagles is held annually at the EAA Aviation Museum, drawing more than 1,000 aviation enthusiasts who support the aviators, engineers, and flight professionals of tomorrow. The event has drawn such personalities as actors Harrison Ford, John Travolta, and Morgan Freemen, sports luminaries Ken Griffey Jr. and Jack Roush, and aviation legends such as astronauts Jim Lovell and Frank Borman.
About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s yearly membership convention. Additional EAA AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available online at www.eaa.org/airventure. EAA members receive lowest prices on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or visit www.eaa.org. Immediate news is available at www.twitter.com/EAA. 

EAA JOINS OTHER GA GROUPS OPPOSED TO WHITE HOUSE ATC PRIVATIZATION PLAN

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EAA JOINS OTHER GA GROUPS OPPOSED TO WHITE HOUSE ATC PRIVATIZATION PLAN
User fees a main funding pillar of plan that is ‘solution in search of a problem’
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (June 5, 2017) — The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) today joined other general aviation groups in opposing the measures outlined by the White House for reform of the nation’s air traffic control system, telling the administration that dismantling the current system will devastate GA while not accomplishing the desired goals of efficiency and technological improvements.
A letter to President Trump opposing the “Principles for Reforming the U.S. Air Traffic Control System” was signed by EAA and 15 other general aviation organizations. The letter states the groups’ “very real and long-standing concerns, which include but are not limited to user fees. These concerns are based on our operating experiences in these foreign systems and impact they have had on general aviation.”
The White House principles statement supports removing air traffic operations from Federal Aviation Administration control and giving them to a new, non-profit entity that would be exempt from congressional oversight. In addition, the principles statement advocates for ending fuel excise taxes and creates a system that would make it self-sufficient through the collection of user fees to cover both the costs of operation and recapitalization expenses. The statement also specifically bars review or relief by Congress or the courts regarding any user fees that might be imposed by the ATC corporation. EAA has long been opposed to user fees for general aviation.
“The White House principles make a gross misrepresentation that the air traffic control system is broken, but the facts don’t support the claim,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO/Chairman. “This proposal is a solution in search of a problem. EAA supports modernization of the American airspace system, and progress is happening with the input of all the system’s stakeholders. This new plan would do nothing to solve any current technology or efficiency issues, while undermining the world’s most extensive general aviation system and disrupting the world’s largest and safest air traffic control system. It is a bad idea, and EAA will continue to state that to those in aviation, Congress, and the public.”
The GA group letter notes that the U.S. air traffic control system is the best in the world, moving more aircraft, more safely and efficiently, than any other country. Working with Congress, aviation stakeholders have been able to ensure that the ATC system operates for the public benefit, providing access for all stakeholders to airports, heliports and airspace, and encouraging competition and innovation. The letter also asks for ample opportunity for all stakeholders and citizens to carefully review, analyze and debate any proposed legislation changing the governance and funding for air traffic control.
Many of the White House principles are based on the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act that was shelved by the full House of Representatives and never taken up in the Senate last year. In April, EAA board member Joe Brown testified to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that privatizing air traffic control services was “deeply troubling” and would not benefit the public.
About EAA

EAA embodies the spirit of aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA’s 200,000 members and 1,000 local chapters enjoy the fun and camaraderie of sharing their passion for flying, building and restoring recreational aircraft. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or go to www.eaa.org. For continual news updates, connect with www.twitter.com/EAA.