Tag Archives: AMATEUR-BUILT AIRCRAFT

Centennials for Fairchild, Travel Air aircraft at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025

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Centennials for Fairchild, Travel Air aircraft to be celebrated at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (February 26, 2025) — Two iconic aircraft types from the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, Fairchild and Travel Air, will celebrate their centennial years during activities at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025. The 72nd annual Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in convention is July 21-27 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The 100th anniversary year for each aircraft will welcome those airplanes to the AirVenture flight line, with additional programs and activities held in conjunction with the Fairchild and Travel Air type clubs. All owners of Fairchild and Travel Air aircraft are invited to be part of the centennial activities.

“Each of these aircraft companies were founded in 1925, but took very different paths through their histories,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programs, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “Each of these aircraft types made unique contributions to the world of flight, especially the momentous era from 1920 until 1940.”

Fairchild Aircraft was founded in 1925 as a builder of aircraft stable enough for aerial photography and mapping. While the company created a significant number of civilian passenger airplanes in its first 15 years, it was during World War II that the company turned to military aircraft production, especially trainers and transports. It continued that focus through acquisitions of Hiller Aircraft and Republic Aircraft in the 1960s. Its final major production aircraft was the legendary A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog, from 1972 through 1984.

The EAA Aviation Museum currently has the oldest Fairchild aircraft in existence, a 1927 FC-2W model. It is in early American Airlines markings as it served as an early carrier after flying for Interstate Airlines.

The Travel Air Manufacturing Company’s short history was a partnership of three famous names in aviation history: Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, and Lloyd Stearman of Wichita, Kansas. The three men were part of the Swallow Aircraft Company but in 1925, struck out on their own to create versatile biplanes in a 30-by-30-foot space in downtown Wichita. After some early success, the partnership separated with Stearman and then Cessna moving to their own businesses. The company was eventually absorbed into the Curtiss-Wright Corporation in 1929 and ended production in 1931 during the Great Depression.

EAA continues the legacy of the company with its Travel Air 4000, which is one of the oldest aircraft in the world offering passenger flights with its seasonal operations at the EAA Aviation Museum’s Pioneer Airport.

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.

Finding a Hangar is getting more difficult.

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The cost to hangar your aircraft hit a new weird high today!

We heard from a customer today about the difficulty in getting a hangar in the their local area.  After looking around, the owner found it cheaper to hangar the plane in a neighboring state, besides there were waiting lists to get a hangar in the local area.
Who would have thought it is cheaper to hop an airline to fly to where the customer can rent hangar space and do some leisure flying for the weekend than it was to tie the aircraft out on the customer’s local field.

RECORD NUMBERS AT WORLD’S GREATEST AVIATION CELEBRATION

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EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2024

RECORD NUMBERS AT WORLD’S GREATEST AVIATION CELEBRATION

Comment from EAA CEO and Chairman Jack Pelton:

  • “This year’s tag line was ‘Inspiring the Future of Aviation’ and AirVenture 2024 certainly did that in countless ways. The mix of innovation, history, excitement, and fun that is a hallmark of Oshkosh was present throughout the grounds and made the event a memorable one, filled with numerous ‘Only at Oshkosh’ moments in the air and on the grounds.”

Attendance: Approximately 686,000 – Highest total on record! (Previous: 677,000 – 2023). Comment from Pelton:

  • “Over the past decade, and especially since 2020, we have seen AirVenture move to another level, as we maintain the heart of the event while adding programs and activities that appeal to aviation enthusiasts of all interests. Kudos to our dedicated volunteers and staff who plan and adjust to make it work.”

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 16,780 aircraft operations in the 11-day period from July 18-28, which is an average of approximately 113 takeoffs/landings per hour when the airport is open.

Total showplanes: 2,846 including: 1,200 vintage aircraft, 975 homebuilt aircraft, 337 warbirds, 154 ultralights and light planes, 82 aerobatic aircraft, 65 seaplanes and amphibians, 23 rotorcraft, and 10 balloons.

Camping: More than 15,000 sites in aircraft and drive-in camping accounted for more than 40,000 visitors.

Volunteers: Nearly 6,000 contributing in excess of 250,000 hours.

Commercial exhibitors: 861 (record number).

Forums, Workshops, and Presentations: More than 1,600 sessions hosted during the week at 65 venues.

Social Media, Internet and Mobile: More than 23.9 million people were reached by EAA’s social media channels during AirVenture, with engagement of 3.7 million; Total social media video views: 17 million (up 149 percent over 2023); Nearly 45,000 social media followers gained; In addition, more than 142,000 hours of AirVenture live streaming and on-demand videos were viewed during the event.

International guests: A total of 2,581 attendees registering at the International Visitors Tent from a record-setting 98 countries outside the U.S., a 9 percent increase over 2023. As a significant number of international visitors do not officially register at the tent when they arrive, the actual international visitor total is much higher.

The Gathering shines: The EAA Aviation Foundation’s annual event to support its aviation education programs attracted more than 1,000 people and raised a record $2.8 million dollars that will be focused on EAA’s mission of growing participation in aviation.

Media: 836 media representatives on-site, from six 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 2025 (July 21-27, 2025)?  Comment from Pelton:

  • “We’ve already received plenty of ideas for next year and a little bit later this summer, we’ll begin reviewing what might be possible for 2025. Our annual goal is to create a gathering of people and airplanes that is found nowhere else in the world, and continue to improve the experience for EAA members and visitors.”

 

Information updates posted at www.eaa.org/airventure