Wings, Wheels and Water

The Aerospace Center of Excellence has a new Executive Director

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Lakeland, FL October 06, 2021 – The Aerospace Center of Excellence (ACE) announced today that Daryl Price has been appointed new Executive Director for the organization. An experienced business leader and aviation professional, Daryl will succeed Ed Young and assumed responsibilities on September 20th.

Relocating from Appleton, Wisconsin, Daryl will immediately begin having a direct impact on the ACE campus. After building and providing executive leadership to DJParagon, LLC for 22 years, his impact at ACE will be evident. DJ Paragon is a world class training and technology company specializing in strategic and tactical business integration and training of technical, operational and mission-critical business process systems. Leading the way, he developed and managed a world-class business training and technology company from inception to $18,000,000 annual revenue with 34 leading-edge emerging technology/data engineers and a customer presence throughout U.S. and 17 foreign countries.

President and CEO, John “Lites” Leenhouts states, “Daryl comes with a wealth of experience and knowledge, that partners exquisitely with a very engaging personality, all of which will be instrumental in leading our ACE Team as we bring the SkyLab Innovation Center to life.”

Daryl Price pursued Bachelor of Science Studies in Applied Mathematics and Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and earned an Associate degree in Data Networking and Telecommunications from Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. Over the years he has achieved various note-worthy accomplishments and certifications including: Aviation Crisis and Disaster Management-Critical Event Leadership; was a regular participant and speaker at the HAI International Expo and Safety Seminar, and achieved MCI-Critical Incident Management Certification. He is a commercial pilot in both fixed wing and rotorcraft and a seasoned CFI/CFII.

The Aerospace Center of Excellence’s (ACE) is a 14-building aerospace STEM facility located on the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus. ACE has vibrantly created a vision of building a brighter future through aerospace and aviation! This purposeful and innovative vision will soon come to life through the added leadership of Daryl Price.

OSHKOSH 2021 FACTS AND FIGURES

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EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2021 FACTS AND FIGURES FOR AN OUTSTANDING YEAR

Comment from EAA CEO and Chairman Jack Pelton:

  • “This was perhaps the most challenging set of circumstances we’ve ever faced as an organization to make the event happen. I could not be more proud of our volunteers, staff, and participants on the way they came together to exceed our expectations and make AirVenture 2021 a truly memorable experience.”

 Attendance: Approximately 608,000 – Only the third time attendance has surpassed 600,000 and within 5 percent of 2019’s record total.  Comment from Pelton:

  • “We went into this year not knowing what AirVenture would look like and how big of an event was possible. The aviation community spoke loudly, though – it was ready to come to Oshkosh and we were happy that we could welcome them. Our theme was ‘The Wait is Over,’ and indeed it was. And the wait was worth it. There was joy and excitement throughout the grounds and it set the stage for the return of AirVenture, making us very excited for the future.”

Total aircraft: More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. At Wittman alone, there were 16,378 aircraft operations in the 10-day period from July 22-31, which is an average of approximately 116 takeoffs/landings per hour when the airport is open.

Total showplanes: 3,176 included: A record 1,420 vintage aircraft registered, plus 1,089 homebuilt aircraft, 354 warbirds, 148 aerobatic aircraft, 112 seaplanes, 33 ultralights, and 27 rotorcraft.

Camping: More than 12,000 sites in aircraft and drive-in camping accounted for an estimated 40,000 visitors.

Volunteers: More than 5,000 contributing in excess of 250,000 hours.

Commercial exhibitors: 747.

Forums, Workshops, and Presentations: A total of 1,055 sessions hosted throughout the week.

Social Media, Internet and Mobile: More than 18.95 million people were reached by EAA’s social media channels during AirVenture, with engagement of 1.08 million; EAA video clips during the event were viewed 3.48 million times.

International guests: Despite travel restrictions that greatly limited the number of attendees from other nations, EAA still welcomed visitors from 66 countries during the week.

The Gathering shines: The EAA Aviation Foundation’s annual event to support its aviation education programs attracted more than 500 people and raised more than $1.7 million dollars that will be focused on EAA’s mission of growing participation in aviation.

Media: 567 media representatives on-site, from four continents.

Economic impact*: $170 million for the five counties in the Oshkosh region (Winnebago, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Brown). * – based on 2017 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh economic impact study

What’s ahead for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 (July 25-31, 2022)?  Comment from Pelton:

  • “Planning is well underway for next year’s event, including discussions during AirVenture 2021 about possible features and attractions for 2022. We also look forward to welcoming more international visitors next year to return AirVenture to a truly global reunion. In the next few months, we will be finalizing highlights in all areas to make the 69th EAA fly-in convention the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration.”

Information updates posted at www.eaa.org/airventure

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.