Plane Facts: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Fun facts about the history of AirVenture Oshkosh

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The EAA airshow, founded by Paul Poberezny in 1953 in Milwaukee, began as a modest gathering for homebuilt aircraft with about 40 planes and 150 attendees.
  • The event rapidly outgrew its initial locations, moving from Milwaukee to Rockford, Illinois, and then permanently to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1970, to accommodate its exponential growth in aircraft and attendance.
  • Once established in Oshkosh, the show dramatically expanded, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees and thousands of planes, hosting iconic aircraft like the Concorde and SR-71, and launching programs such as the Young Eagles.
  • Now known as EAA AirVenture, it continues to be a colossal annual aviation event, celebrated for its vast scale, diverse aircraft, and dedication to fostering aviation enthusiasm.
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Founder of EAA airshow: EAA Founder Paul Poberezny

Location of first EAA airshow: Milwaukee Timmerman Field

Name of umbrella airshow that year: Milwaukee Air Pageant

Number of airplanes, 1953: Around 40 (EAA says it was a “handful” of mostly homebuilt or modified models)

Number of airshow attendees: Approximately 150

Oshkosh
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Year of first EAA airshow: 1953

Number of airplanes at 1958, final Timmerman show: 60

New home for 1959: Rockford, Illinois

Number of airplanes at Rockford, 1961: Nearly 2,000

Winning homebuilt contest design, 1961: Pete Bowers’ Fly Baby

Smallest homebuilt that year: O’Neal Pea Pod Pusher, 6-foot wingspan

Main restriction in contest: Buildable in a garage

New name EAA Founder Paul Poberezny proposed that year for EAA: Sport Aircraft Association

Year in which Sport Aircraft Association name was adopted: Never

Years for EAA airshow in Rockford: 11

Stated reason for leaving Rockford: Lack of real estate

First EAA airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin: 1970

Member who suggested the move: Steve Wittman

Major attraction of Oshkosh: Available real estate and two long, non-intersecting runways

Months EAA had to prepare for first Oshkosh show: 6

Number of planes at 1970 Oshkosh airshow: 600

Cost of admission, 1974: $4 per day, $20 per week

Cost of admission to EAA members, 1974: Free

Noteworthy Oshkosh 1974 debut: Burt Rutan with VariViggen

Claimed attendance, 1978: 350,000

Number of campers, 1978: 30,000

Interesting Development, Day 3, Oshkosh 1981: Air Traffic Controllers go on strike

Fastest civil plane first visit: British Airways Concorde, 1984

Models of planes simultaneous arrival, 1989: Antonov An-124, plus two Sukhoi aerobatic planes as cargo

Official number of attendees, 1989: 850,000

Number of fly-in airplanes, 1989: 15,000

Fastest of those 15,000 airplanes, 1989: Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

Number of porta-potties, 1991: 789

Amount of temporary fencing erected: 9.8 miles

Name of first Young Eagle, Oshkosh 1992: Lesley Poberezny (daughter of the pilot, Tom Poberezny)

Number of Young Eagles projected by this year’s AirVenture: 2 million

Number of EAA Oshkosh attendees, 1996: 800,000

Highest-profile airshow performer, 1996: Bob Hoover, in his return from FAA battles

Number of attendees, 2015: 550,000

Amount raised at Young Eagles Fundraiser, 2015: $2.2 million

Highest bid auction item: Ford Apollo Edition Mustang, $230,000

Fastest ever civil-owned, propeller-driven plane at EAA airshow: Modified Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat Rare Bear, 528 mph

Fastest civil-owned jet ever at EAA airshow: McDonnell Douglas F-4, 1,475 mph

Largest airplane ever at EAA airshow: Airbus A380, 2009

Cost of daily pass for AirVenture 2016: $45 (parking $10)

Typical length of preparation by EAA: 50 weeks

Name of today’s event: EAA AirVenture (starting in 1997)

What it used to be called: EAA Oshkosh

What locals traditionally call the airshow: The EAA

What many pilots call it (even today): simply, Oshkosh

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