Wings, Wheels and Water

Youth and Family Activities Expand for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024

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Youth and Family Activities Expand for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024

Ages 18 and under receive free admission, supported by the Boeing Company

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (June 11, 2024) — A new youth aviation activities area located in the Vintage Aircraft Association area on the EAA grounds is the latest edition to the expanding youth and family activities taking place at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024. The 71st edition of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s fly-in convention and air show is July 22 through the 28.

“Nearly all of us involved in aviation today were inspired at some point in our younger years,” said Paul Maloy, EAA’s director of education. “When we began welcoming those 18-and-under at no charge beginning in 2021, we immediately noticed an increase in the number of families at AirVenture. With that, we wanted to create and expand possibilities for families to encourage them to visit and engage with everything AirVenture has to offer.”

The Charles W. Harris Youth Aviation Center in the vintage aircraft area gives youth the chance to have a “hands-on” experience by using hammers, pliers, and other tools to discover how aircraft are maintained. Kids will also have the opportunity to talk to pilots and hear their flying stories, as well as get a tour of the pilots’ airplanes. The center will officially open to the public at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 22, AirVenture’s opening day.

In addition to this new experience, families are encouraged to visit the Youth Welcome Center located at the main Four Corners intersection to receive information on all the other activities for youth and families happening through the week. Some of those activities include:

KidVenture – Entering its 25th year, KidVenture invites kids to get hands-on with riveting, engines, electrical wire circuits, propeller design, wooden rib building, RC airplanes, space exploration, and more. (Ages 3-14). Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

AeroEducate Center – Located at the south entrance to Aviation Gateway Park, will again host fascinating morning forums focusing especially on youth ages 10-18, and a full slate of fun, fast hands-on activities held in the afternoons of each day throughout AirVenture. Come play the games and learn more about how you can explore all things aviation through the AeroEducate program and open doors to exciting aviation/aerospace career opportunities (Ages 10-18) Monday – Sunday 9am – 5pm.

 

NASA STEM Zone – Kids can enjoy hands-on activities, demonstrations, and exhibits that highlight some of NASA’s missions and programs. Find out more about NASA’s X-59, Artemis mission, and Sustainable Flight Demonstrator, with different activities running each day. Earn your AirVenture endorsement codes for NASA’s Flight Log program and start building your virtual flight log (Ages 5-17). Monday – Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

In addition, flight simulators are open to young people in the EAA Warbirds of America area and various exhibitors throughout AirVenture offer activities and items for young people.

 

About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s membership convention. Additional information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available at www.EAA.org/airventure. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or visit www.EAA.org.

Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight honors veterans

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Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight honors veterans as part of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 activities

Vietnam vets will return home from D.C. day trip at conclusion of July 26 air show

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (May 31, 2024) — One of the most emotional and poignant moments of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh each year will return in 2024 as 100 Vietnam War vets will take a Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., on July 26 as part of AirVenture’s annual salute to veterans. The 71st annual Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in convention is July 22-28 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

Veterans from the Vietnam War will be honored as they travel to the nation’s capital to tour war memorials at no cost to them. The veterans will return to Oshkosh at the conclusion of the Friday afternoon air show and thousands of people will welcome them back home and give them the recognition they deserve.

“The events and emotion connected to the Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight traditionally makes it one of the most memorable events of AirVenture week and our Salute to Veterans activities,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programming. “We are proud to produce an event that honors what Vietnam veterans did for this country and be able to provide them an experience of a lifetime.”

This is the 10th year that the Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight has originated at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh under the auspices of Old Glory Honor Flight of Appleton, Wisconsin. That non-profit organization has organized dozens of Honor Flights since 2009 with a dedicated group of volunteers. Those flights have included special flights to Pearl Harbor and to Vietnam.

“Each Honor Flight mission is a special occasion, but the ability to be a part of EAA AirVenture always creates unforgettable moments,” said Diane MacDonald, the Executive Director of Old Glory Honor Flight. “Honoring our local Vietnam veterans out of EAA AirVenture is such a highlight; being witness to the enthusiasm, respect, and appreciation from the world’s aviation enthusiasts when the flight returns to Oshkosh is such an incredible sight to see and it means the world to the men and women who get to experience it.”

American Airlines is again supplying an aircraft for the flight, which is flown by an all-volunteer crew of American Airlines pilots and cabin attendants.

Old Glory Honor Flight will be inviting veterans who are currently on their waitlist. In addition, other Vietnam veterans who are already attending AirVenture 2024 are invited to apply prior to June 21 for a drawing for one of 15 seats available on the flight.

More information is available online regarding Old Glory Honor Flight or to make donations to the organization.

About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

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

EAA B-17 Aluminum Overcast PlaneTags Now Available

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EAA B-17 Aluminum Overcast PlaneTags Now Available

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (May 30, 2024) — Aviation history enthusiasts will have the opportunity to own a piece of one of EAA’s most iconic airplanes, as PlaneTags made from B-17 Aluminum Overcast skin are now available through EAA’s online store and Barnstormer Boutique, The EAA Aviation Museum’s gift shop.

PlaneTags, made by MotoArt, are unique limited-edition aviation mementos made from the skin of an aircraft. PlaneTags can be used as an ID tag, keychain, or displayed as a collectible. Each PlaneTag is hand cut, stamped, and individually etched, making them all one-of-a-kind. The Aluminum Overcast skin used for the PlaneTags comes from the upper wing when the aircraft was re-skinned in March 2014. The B-17 Aluminum Overcast collection is limited to 5,000 pieces with prices starting at $110.

A portion of the proceeds from each purchase of these PlaneTags will assist in the preservation of EAA’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast.

EAA’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps on May 18, 1945. The airplane was sold as surplus the following year and served many uses including as a cargo hauler, aerial mapping platform, and in pest control and forest dusting applications. In 1978, Aluminum Overcast was sold to a group of investors known as “B-17s Around the World” who sought to return the airplane to its military roots. The economic challenges of owning a vintage bomber led the group to donate the airplane to EAA in 1983. The airplane was on display in the EAA Aviation Museum until 1993 when it was moved to start preparation for its first national tour in 1994. Aluminum Overcast carries the colors of the 398th Bomb Group of World War II, which flew hundreds of missions over Nazi-held territory during the war. Veterans of the 398th helped finance the B-17’s restoration.

About EAA

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and embodies The Spirit of Aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA’s 290,000 members and 900 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.