More Acts, F-35 and B-52 Firsts In Store for Oshkosh

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s week-long 2015 AirVenture is kicking off July 20 with advanced ticket sales up, an increase in confirmed performers and numerous commemorations planned. Last year’s AirVenture drew more than 500,000 attendees from 69 nations, more than 790 exhibitors and 2,659 total showplanes. Organizers are encouraged that this year’s event, at least early on, is on par with, if not pacing ahead of last year's. 

Absent from the 2015 event will be the Thunderbirds, which performed at Oshkosh for the first time in 2014 and helped boost attendance by 20 percent on their show days. But the number of different performers will be up over last year, part of an ongoing effort by EAA to increase the number and types of the performances at the airshow, said Dick Knapinski, senior communications advisor for EAA. At least 75 different acts are confirmed to perform. 

AirVenture will mark the first appearance of the F-35 Lightning II at a civilian airshow and the first time Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bomber will be displayed on the ground at Oshkosh (the B-52 has done flybys in past). The show will feature light experimental aircraft to an Airbus A350 demonstration. “It’s a mix you will never see anywhere else on earth,” Knapinski said.

Some of the highlights this year will be a commemoration of Burt Rutan’s decades of work, including the 40th anniversary of the Oshkosh debut of the VariEze. Organizers are hopeful Rutan will provide a glimpse into his next project, the SkiGull. Celebrations and commemorations are also planned for the NASA centennial, 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the Apollo 13 mission.

As in past, AirVenture will serve as a forum for a number of government leaders to talk about pressing issues, including FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, who is scheduled to speak on July 23 in a “Meet the Administrator” forum.  Also, National Transportation Safety Board chairman Christopher Hart is scheduled to discuss general aviation safety at a “Meet the Chairman” forum on July 21. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is expected to appear later in the week to discuss his Pilot’s Bill of Rights II legislation, including the third-class medical exemption.

Numerous manufacturers will display their wares. Icon is expected to hand over its first A5 light-sport aircraft at a ceremony July 20. 

This year’s event also will have a focus on unmanned aircraft systems, including an 80-foot by 80-foot by 30-foot “Drone Cage” that will be used for flight demonstrations and daily drone flying competitions. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is hosting a Small Unmanned Aerospace System (sUAS) Challenge that will include both obstacle and speed courses. Knapinski called these efforts a “new step for us” to prepare for the emergence of the technologies.

EAA also has created a new “neighborhood” called Aviation Gateway Park designed to showcase imagination and emerging technologies. EAA chairman Jack Pelton and Piper CEO Simon Caledcott are opening the facility with scissors delivered to them by quadcopter. It will feature the Innovation Center, the Drone Cage, Education/Career Center and forums area.