EACH YEAR, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh showcases unique aircraft. If it’s rare or unusual, chances are it will make an appearance. This year, the world’s only known flying Cirigliano SC-1 biplane is on the lawn in front of the VAA Red Barn, courtesy of Walt Bowe’s Ala Doble Flying Collection of Esparto, California.
main gear, a tailskid flows beneath the empennage instead of a tail wheel, and positive stagger adds to the lines of the wings and its classic golden age look. You can almost hear the whistling of the wind
in the wires just sitting on the ground. The Cirigliano graces the sky with the sounds of a classic Curtiss OX-5 engine tucked inside an aluminum cowl ing. The OX-5 is a V-8, liquid-cooled engine that was one of the first mass-pro duced engines designed for aviation and built in America.
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A leather helmet and scarf may be a prerequisite for flight, and one could be forgiven for the oil spatters on the
goggles. Images of leathered faces with permanent grins come to mind — likely some bugs stuck to the teeth, but no matter. The siren song of evening’s still smooth air and a fading sunset would be too strong to resist. Aircraft such as this are examples of an age long gone, but treasured by those who continue the dream. Old biplanes call to many of us with whispers of magical moments.
DAVE WITTY
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CONNOR MADISON
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Pilot Andrew King flew the SC-1 from its current home in Brodhead, Wisconsin, to EAA’s Pioneer Airport, via Hartford, Wisconsin, for a fuel stop. The aircraft has a 14-gallon fuel tank, and with the Curtiss OX-5 engine, cross-country flights are a well-planned challenge.
Currently listed in the FAA Registry as an experimental amateur-built aircraft, it was originally built in 1927 or 1928 by Serafin Cirigliano and is believed to have been first flown around 1931. Cirigliano was originally from Colombia but was an engineer for Bellanca Aircraft at the time. The SC-1 began as a scaled-down version of the Curtiss P-1 Hawk (Curtiss Model 34) fighter.
The Ala Doble Flying Collection website says Stuart Chadwick made the first flight, and the aircraft was eventually purchased by Eddie Edwards and Mike Guidas. The Cirigliano SC-1 was modified, and according to information compiled by Mark Zilinsky of Chandelle Aeroplane Restoration LLC in Naperville, Illinois, a Continental A70 was installed later. “In the late 1940s, its appearance completely changed, making it unrecognizable from the original design,” Mark said.
Ed Smith purchased the aircraft after finding it in the proverbial barn and rebuilt it with a completely redesigned tail, a canopy, and a stretched fuselage.
“Modifications included a 145 Warner engine and cowling, spring-type landing gear, fuselage formers, cockpit canopy, and a Bellanca-type three tails configuration,” Mark said.
In the 1970s, Jack Haggarty further modified the aircraft and installed a 145-hp Warner engine, as detailed in the January 1975 issue of The Vintage Airplane magazine.
According to Mark, “Denny Trone and Carlene Mendieta acquired the remains of the highly modified Cirigliano. Denny was
a collector and restorer of many forgotten historic airplanes from the 1920s and ’30s. He started the restoration before his untimely passing, and the project ended up in California with Carlene and Walt Bowe.”
Mark then restored the aircraft to its current pristine condition.
“When Chandelle Aeroplane Restoration received the project from Walt and Carlene, it consisted mainly of the steel tube fuselage, lower wings, top wing, and was partially restored — wing struts, some tail components, fuel tank, and a box full of OX-5 engine parts,” he said. “Walt sent me four pictures of the original airplane and said, ‘Make it look like the pictures.’ Fortunately, one of the pictures was of the uncovered fuselage on the gear with the engine, cockpit components, and turtledeck installed. I was able to scale and fabricate the landing gear, engine mount, and all the components from that photo.”
The attention to detail and stunning craftsmanship is evident, with a vintage presence that is unmistakable. As with any project, Mark added that a long list
PUBLISHER: Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO & Chairman of the Board
VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLICATIONS, MEMBERSHIP SERVICES, RETAIL, SAFETY AND SECURITY, AND EDITOR IN CHIEF: Jim Busha
MANAGING EDITOR: Hal Bryan
SENIOR EDITOR: Sam Oleson
EDITORIAL STAFF: Robbie Culver, Emme Hornung, Jim Roberts, Angela Satterlee, Barbara A. Schmitz
SENIOR COPY EDITOR: Colleen Walsh
COPY EDITOR: Jennifer Knaack
edge of 1920s-1930s aircraft and access to his awesome reference library. Luke DiCiurcio and Brian Stansberry for their extraordinary expertise in sheet metal work. Jim Rezich for his technical expertise and guidance through the final
PRINT PRODUCTION TEAM LEAD/GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Marie Rayome-Gill
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Amber Fabian, Brandon Wheeler
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Holly Chilsen
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR: Michael Sullivan
SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN: Madeline Wooten
Price for performing the initial test flight, and Andrew King for safely flying it up to Oshkosh.”
The first flight following restoration was in 2024.
You can find the Cirigliano SC-1 in front of the VAA Red Barn.
SENIOR SALES AND ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE: Sue Anderson
paperwork. Chris
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONNOR MADISON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBBIE CULVER
ADVOCATING FOR AVIATION THROUGH VOLUNTEERISM
Meet Volunteer of the Year Award recipient David Forster
BY EMME HORNUNG AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF
DAVID FORSTER, EAA 481383, has been recognized as one of EAA’s 2026 Volunteers of the Year. His work is often not the visible kind, but his support of homebuilders and advocacy for safety and accessibility in general aviation is essential to the community.
Both of David’s parents were pilots, and his dad put him to work holding the bucking bar at just 8 years old while he was restoring a 1946 Luscombe — the same aircraft David would learn to fly in. That was just the start of homebuilding for him, as he’s now built four distinctly di erent aircraft. “I covered the range. Fast and slow, land and water, vertical takeo and [fixed wing],” he said.
He first rebuilt a 1966 Falconar AMF-S14 Maranda that had been previously damaged, and then, after his wife requested something a bit faster to keep up with their lunch fly-out group, he built an F1 Rocket. He’s also built a RotorWay Exec 162F helicopter and a Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey.
In 2013, he decided to apply his skills and knowledge by becoming an EAA technical counselor, visiting fellow homebuilders to help identify possible safety issues with their aircraft before taking to the sky. “There have been occasions where together we have identified issues that could have been a safety issue for the builder down the road, and whenever we do that, it feels good to help somebody identify something that could really make a di erence in their enjoyment of that aircraft,” he said.
In 2019 he joined EAA’s Homebuilt Aircraft Council in hopes of making a broader impact for homebuilders, and he just completed a four-year term as chairman in 2025. Now that his term is up, he focuses much of his volunteer efforts on supporting EAA’s government advocacy team, participating in weekly meetings with the team and the FAA throughout the year and during AirVenture to move forward regulatory initiatives, such as the unleaded fuel transition initiative and improving access to safety-enhancing equipment and cost-e ective parts.
“The regulations and the way they’re working is driving up the cost of replacement parts, modern
instrumentation, and safety-enhancing equipment to the degree where people can’t a ord it,” he said.
After attempting to go through the STC process himself, he’s using those lessons learned to hopefully make
“We’re kind of leveraging that knowledge and experience that I gained going through the STC process to try to identify some changes within policies, procedures, and potentially regulations that would enable people to be able to afford lower-cost safety equipment in their aircraft.”
— David Forster
things better for other pilots and owners. “We’re kind of leveraging that knowledge and experience that I gained going through the STC process to try to identify some changes within policies, procedures, and potentially regulations that would enable people to be able to a ord lower-cost safety equipment in their aircraft, and would encourage manufacturers to come in and provide competition in the provision of those products and services,” he said.
“We still have a long road ahead of us in terms of accomplishing what we want to accomplish, but if we’re successful, then I’m hoping that what we’re going to do would be a benefit to pilots everywhere and ultimately improve safety and participation in aviation,” he added.
Thank you, David, for all you do for EAA, homebuilders, and the greater general aviation community!
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DAVID FORSTER
OSHKOSH MOMENTS
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Get informed. Be inspired.
All week, the Boeing Theater is hosting panels, presentations, and films built to inform and inspire every aviation enthusiast: from pilots to passengers, mechanics to engineers. Whatever draws you to flight, you will find it here.
Explore the full lineup and plan your visit to the Boeing Pavilion, booth #747
Hollywood Nights at the Fly-In Theater
Popular actors come to Oshkosh to talk aviation movies
SEVERAL POPULAR ACTORS, known for roles on both the big and small screen, are in town this week to share stories and insights into two big-budget aviation films — one a classic, and one that won’t be released until later this year.
Tonight at the Fly-In Theater presented by PenFed it’s a tribute to Jimmy Stewart, featuring a discussion about and a brief behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming biopic Jimmy, which tells the story of the beloved actor’s time as a bomber pilot in World War II, leading up to the making of the classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Host Hal Bryan, EAA’s managing editor and in-house movie nerd, will be joined by Jen Lilley, who plays Stewart’s wife, Gloria, and Rob Riggle, who plays one of Stewart’s squadron mates. Lilley is a prolific actor and producer who is perhaps best known for her role as Theresa Donovan in more than 400 episodes of Days of Our Lives. Riggle, in addition to his roles in films like Step Brothers and television series like Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show, is a combat veteran who served more than 20 years before retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps as a lieutenant colonel. Riggle is also a longtime private pilot.
Tonight’s presentation begins at 8:15, and will be followed by a screening of Stewart’s much-loved Strategic Air Command.
Then, on Friday, director Michael CatonJones and producer Kathryn Wyler (daughter of the legendary William Wyler) will join Hal on stage along with stars Matthew Modine, Tate Donovan, D.B. Sweeney, and Reed Diamond for a screening of 1990’s Memphis Belle Modine is also known for Full Metal Jacket and The Dark Knight Rises, Sweeney for Fire in the Sky and The Cutting Edge, Donovan for Argo and playing the title role in Disney’s animated Hercules, and Diamond for Moneyball and the current hit TV series The Testaments. Friday’s program also begins at 8:15 p.m. The Memphis Belle cast and crew will also be participating in an extended presentation the night before, headlining Thursday’s programming at the Theater in the Woods. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear firsthand what goes into bringing stories of aviation heroism to the silver screen.
FLY-IN THEATER SPECIAL EVENTS
Tonight, 8:15 p.m.
Tribute to Jimmy Stewart
Friday, 8:15 p.m.
Memphis Belle screening
AROUND THE GROUNDS
FIRST-TIMER EXCITED FOR AIRVENTURE
BY HAL BRYAN AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF
KEN WILSBACH, EAA 1079683, is a longtime EAA member who owns and flies a Lancair Legacy, but has never managed to make it to Oshkosh for AirVenture until this year. That might be surprising, but sometimes life and a busy career just get in the way. For this particular EAA member, that career has meant serving his country for more than 40 years as a pilot in the United States Air Force, flying mostly fighters, the F-22 Raptor, the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, but also the MC-12 Liberty (a militarized version of the Beechcraft King Air 350). Along the way, he’s amassed more than 6,200 hours and flown 71 combat missions.
Gen. Wilsbach actually started retiring from the Air Force last year but was called back for one more job — the top job, as it turned out. He is now the chief of sta of the Air Force and is the senior uniformed Air Force o cer overseeing approximately 665,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian personnel. He is also a member of the Joint Chiefs.
On a recent episode of EAA’s The Green Dot podcast, the general said, “I have been trying to get to Oshkosh for decades, and this will be my first time. … I am so excited.”
modernize the Air Force, and take care of airmen and their families, he also plans to set aside some time to visit with other Lancair owners while at Oshkosh.
“I love hanging out with the experi mental crowd and seeing what people are doing with their aircraft,” he said. “I just put a new radio in mine when I did my condition [inspection] this year. I always like to see what upgrades you can put into your aircraft.”
During the podcast, he had some kind words for the organization as well.
“Please pass along to your colleagues at EAA [my thanks] for all they do to facilitate our flying around the country, and especially in experimental aircraft … for the safety and tips for maintenance, all of the things that they do. I’m so looking forward to seeing the great gathering at Oshkosh.”
Gen. Wilsbach will be speaking on Tuesday, delivering a presentation called “Fly & Fix” in the Hilton Theater in the EAA Aviation Museum at 4 p.m. If you see him around the grounds, be sure and say hello. Unfortunately, you won’t find him camping with his Lancair, but he will be flying himself into the convention on
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF USAF
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF USAF
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF KEN WILSBACH
AROUND THE GROUNDS
South 40 Breakfast
Is it worth the hike?
BY GRACE YAKUBER
PICTURE IT: YOU open your eyes and stare up at the small, useless vent at the top of your tent. It did not do its job, as you inevitably sweat a bit through the night, resulting in this mildly su ocating air that only vacates once you unseal the zipper to your temporary abode in the South 40. Since you flew in, and since we know all pilots are alike, you first take a glimpse at your airplane to ensure nothing went awry in the night. Your bird is still there, unmoved, but a layer of moisture has settled on the cool aluminum. You see it even has dripped down to your towel you hung on your strut to “dry,” only for it to be redampened by the night’s condensation. Great. But that is a problem we will have to solve later, because after a brief peaceful moment overlooking the sea of airplanes and tents, all little campsites full of friends, first-timers, and fanatics, you feel your stomach grumble.
Camping in the South 40 has left you rather far from any convenient food locations. Your options are slim, as you must either pack in the provisions on your already weight-limited aircraft, or hike on foot a cross-country’s distance north to find something to satiate you. Your body is demanding its calories back after it sweated them all out before 7 a.m.
But wait, what is this you see? You squint your eyes and raise your hand over your brow so as to not be blinded by the rising sun reflecting o freshly polished airplanes, and your gaze settles upon a small shack along the main road leading to the very end of the South 40. A sign reads “BREAKFAST” in big bold letters, and that is enough for you to scramble for your wallet and start tromping, breakfast-bound.
As you approach, the sweet smell of syrup beckons you closer. It seems your South 40 breakfast woes have been laid to rest, as EAA Chapter 944 from Chillicothe, Missouri, takes your crisp $10 bill out of your hand and replaces it with a Washington. Before you even have time to put the change in your pocket, they have whipped you
SOUTH 40 BREAKFAST CAFÉ
MONDAY-FRIDAY, 7-10 A.M. AT SHOWPLANE SOUTH REGISTRATION
up a full breakfast plate complete with eggs, sausage, and the quintessential fly-in pancakes, adorned with syrup. You’ve never seen something so beautiful (except maybe several thousand airplanes parked on the grounds.)
This is as good as your landing on the green dot. No, wait, this is better than your landing on the green dot! Your gratitude for the hosting chapter is rewarded with pleasant conversation among the company of volunteers and fellow breakfast barnstormers. The breakfast may as well taste better simply because the view at the runway threshold really adds to the atmosphere. You gnaw on your sausage and watch a Cub chirp onto the numbers of 36. What a perfect start to another amazing day at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026.
This new breakfast spot located in the South 40 is where AirVenture mornings get properly sorted out over co ee, pancakes, and the occasional Continental O-200 coughing to life. Even if you aren’t camping in the South 40, it is worth the journey to support EAA Chapter 944 as it takes on this inaugural year feeding the edge of the AirVenture 2026 map!
EARBUDS
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Tuesday July 21st Drawing at 4 pm
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AROUND THE GROUNDS
The Smithsonian Returns to Oshkosh
BY DIANE TEDESCHI, SENIOR EDITOR, AIR & SPACE QUARTERLY
“AIRCRAFT RESTORATION WASN’T on my radar, but once I started learning about the work and getting my hands on real projects, I fell in love with it,” said Aeriell Colodro. “There’s something incredibly rewarding about bringing a piece of aviation history back to life.”
Colodro, who studied aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech, works for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, where she is part of a team restoring Full Tilt Boogie, a tiny biplane racer that achieved victory at the Reno Air Races in 1996. “Every rivet and panel on an aircraft like Full Tilt Boogie has a story,” Colodro said. “And I get to dig into that — the people who built and flew the aircraft, the era it came from, and the engineering decisions in every joint.”
At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026, Colodro is giving a presentation about her work in aircraft preservation — and she’s not alone. She’s part of a group of museum experts who will give daily lectures on everything from airframe woodworking to discovering the history of a U.S. Navy aircraft that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Chris Moore, who is overseeing the restoration of a Lincoln Standard biplane, has advice for those seeking to learn about the backgrounds of their own historic
airplanes. “Pay attention to the details and look for clues that may be hidden on your aircraft,” Moore said. “Although we thought our aircraft’s original color was lost through the many repairs and repaints over its lifetime, we found the original paint under fasteners, which we then copied. Also, be persistent in searching for documentation. We had access to the original Standard Aircraft drawings from the war, but we also unexpectedly located photos in the Nebraska State Archives that showed Lincoln Standards being modified at the factory.”
“There’s something incredibly rewarding about bringing a piece of aviation history back to life.”
— Aeriell Colodro
Stephanie Stewart, who works in the museum’s collections processing unit, will talk about the challenges of safely transporting priceless artifacts. Some of the equipment Stewart relies on includes two
Freightliner tractors, a 53-foot Kentucky box trailer, and a soft-side Conestoga. “We will use any combination of truck and trailer depending on what we are hauling that day,” she said.
Rounding out the list of lecturers is archivist Brian Nicklas; space historian Jennifer Levasseur, who will be hosting a presentation called “A Home in Space — From the Shuttle and Beyond” Tuesday night at the Theater in the Woods; and curator Roger Connor, an authority on military aviation. He’ll be speaking about some of the artifacts from the museum’s new Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air gallery. While the gallery prominently displays a P-51 Mustang, smaller objects are also represented, including a Cyrillic maintenance manual for the Bell P-39 and a screwdriver used by a mechanic that kept a top Soviet ace, Alexander Pokryshkin, flying.
“These artifacts speak to the tortured wartime relationship between the future superpowers,” Connor said. “The U.S. sent 15,000 of the 300,000 aircraft it built during the war to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease. Though rarely acknowledged, they played a key role in the bloodiest theater of the air war, the Eastern Front.” You can find the Smithsonian at Booth 328 — look for the yellow flags.
Working at the National Air and Space Museum’s enormous restoration facility, Jay Flanagan sands a replacement part for the wing of a Lincoln Standard biplane. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SMITHSONIAN/MARK AVINO
Aeriell Colodro is helping to restore Full Tilt Boogie, a Mong Sport airplane that has a history at Reno. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SMITHSONIAN/MARK AVINO
Back on the Vintage Tram Tour
BY EMME HORNUNG AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT MAKE up the largest category of showplanes at AirVenture (nearly 1,000 in 2025), stretching from just south of Boeing Plaza at the Vintage Red Barn all the way to the amphibs parked in the South 40. Before you spend an entire day walking through the rows of antiques, classics, and contemporaries, you should know there’s a better way to see them all — a way that promises far less walking and far more entertainment.
Run and supported entirely by Vintage Aircraft Association volunteers, the Vintage Tram Tour is a free experience that takes riders through just about every corner of Vintage aircraft parking, with interesting anecdotes and fun facts along the way from knowledgeable narrators.
This year, as we celebrate the Class of ’46, the tour will highlight aircraft that were part of the postwar general aviation boom.
The tour has been around since 1985, and leading it all this time have been Jim and Mary LeFevre. Jim’s dad and uncle became pilots in the 1930s, so his love for aircraft of yesteryear is deeply engrained, and they started bringing Jim to the annual EAA convention since the Rockford days.
Jim and Mary started volunteering in 1984 by helping park airplanes, but the late VAA director emeritus Bob Lumley had an idea to use Jim’s passion to its full potential, and so the tour started the next year.
“They called it Jim and Mary’s Tour at the beginning,” Jim said. In the early years, riders were towed around by a Wheel Horse tractor. “We had the benches screwed to the trailer. They are at the Red Barn now,” Jim added.
The tour has since been upgraded to two trams, but the LeFevre family is still at the helm. In addition to Jim and
Mary, their grandson Kyle Barribeau is now a cochairman and is in his 10th year driving the trams, having started at just 16 years old. About 10 other volunteers make up the rest of the team, helping drive the trams and narrate tours.
The tram tour operates daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., departing from the Vintage Red Barn and taking 30 to 45 minutes. Whether you want learn more about all the dutifully restored and maintained aircraft visiting Oshkosh or you just need some time to kick back on a hot day, head to the Vintage Red Barn to hop on the next tour, and make sure to thank a volunteer while you’re at it!
The tram tour operates daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., departing from the Vintage Red Barn and taking 30 to 45 minutes.
ENGINE CARE SERIES
2026 EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH SEMINARS BOOTH 229-234
Section I-12 on the EAA Grounds Map
Attend our free Continental® Engine Care seminar series, and learn techniques and methods to help your engine reach its full potential. Each session is presented in the Continental® booth by one of our technical experts. Seating is limited. Registration opens thirty minutes before each seminar.
MONDAY, JULY 20TH & WEDNESDAY, JULY 22ND
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Mixture Wars: Understanding Both Sides of Peak Built for the Long Haul: Keys to Engine Longevity Engine 101: The Fundamentals Every Pilot Should Know
TUESDAY, JULY 21ST & THURSDAY, JULY 23RD
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
FRIDAY, JULY 24TH
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Mixture Wars: Understanding Both Sides of Peak Built for the Long Haul: Keys to Engine Longevity
Understanding Magnetos: The Spark Behind Reliable Flight
Mixture Wars: Understanding Both Sides of Peak Built for the Long Haul: Keys to Engine Longevity
Those things help to ensure the safe mass arrivals of Mooneys, Bonanzas, Cessnas, and other groups at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh each year, even when changes occur at the last moment.
So when Janet Denton unexpectedly became the lead pilot for the Mooney Caravan due to mechanical problems with their designated lead airplane Saturday morning, she had no problem stepping up. The Mooneys were the first to arrive en masse in Oshkosh at about 10 a.m. Saturday.
Oshkosh air tra c controllers twice told the group they looked good as they arrived, Janet said. She attributed that
to the pilots involved. “It’s important to show up to the [training] clinics, ask the right questions, and keep safety the top concern,” she said.
Janet said 61 airplanes, including two Comanches and one RV carrying about 120 people, completed the Mooney Caravan flight. The group staged in Madison, Wisconsin, for briefings and organizing, and lined up in elements of three to make the flight to AirVenture.
“Two people in their 2026 arrival had flown in all the mass arrivals since the group first began in 1998,” said Mooney Caravan board member Dan Driscoll.
“Safety is the reason we fly together,” Dan said. But an added bonus is that all their friends are able to park and camp in the North 40 next to each other, he added.
Bonanzas to Oshkosh (B2Osh) were the next group to arrive Saturday after staging and briefing in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“We had an absolutely fantastic flight,” said lead pilot Glenn Olesen, an airline pilot and 24-year veteran with B2Osh. “The weather cooperated as Mother Nature came through and swept the smoke away.”
About 105 airplanes, including 93 Bonanzas and 12 Barons, carrying about 250 people landed and taxied to their home for this week in the North 40 shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday.
“This all started because five guys wanted to camp together and they all owned Bonanzas, and EAA told them the
only way they could do that is if they arrived together,” Glenn said.
Year after year, the number grew and they finally decided to fly formation. 2026 is their 36th mass arrival to Oshkosh.
John Zazworsky, B2Osh flight operations coordinator, said planning for next year’s event starts on Sunday with the 2026 flight debriefing. The group holds 10 regional clinics each year, and all pilots must be proficient to fly formation.
Formation flying isn’t for everyone, but it can be, Glenn said. “It doesn’t take an exceptional pilot to fly formation, just a dedicated one.”
Mooney pilots smile for a group photo after their debriefing Saturday at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. PHOTOGRAPHY BY BARBARA A. SCHMITZ
Turn your dreams into reality
Stop by PenFed booth #382 to try our flight and racing simulator experiences.
AROUND THE GROUNDS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GRANT BURG
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GRANT BURG
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE WITTY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MILLER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRAIG VANDER KOLK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE WITTY
Total Assurance
OSHKOSH MOMENTS
Clisham: ‘Having the Time of My Life’ as 50-Year Volunteer
BY BARBARA A. SCHMITZ AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF
DANNY CLISHAM, EAA Lifetime 19320, said he always knew he would become an air show announcer.
“I grew up in an area with a disproportionate number of air show pilots and stunt men, and I knew a great number of them,” he said. “As I traveled the circuits, I felt … it was a bit too much like a carnival and not enough Hollywood. Pilots were really skilled and working [hard], but the announcers weren’t conveying just how difficult their maneuvers were. I wanted to rectify that.”
Danny has certainly done that. An air show announcer since 1965, he is celebrating his 50th year as a volunteer announcing the daily air shows at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
An airline pilot, aerial stunt coordinator, safety adviser, and member of the Air Show Hall of Fame, Danny said in the 1970s he did a lot of shows with the Red Devils, which consisted of Tom Poberezny, Charlie Hillard, and Gene Soucy. Through Tom, he got to know
EAA founder Paul Poberezny, who was looking to improve the announcing at EAA’s air shows.
Danny announced his first EAA air show in 1976 and said the key to his success has been his ability to be entertaining, as well as educational.
“People come to air shows to be entertained,” he said. “They want to forget their worries so I entertain them and include a tinge of education so hopefully people find it interesting.”
Plus, he said it’s easy to know so much about aviation when you grow up surrounded by pilots like his uncle, Jimmy
Mynning, an air show and airline pilot, and friend Bill Barber, air show pilot extraordinaire, who were always willing to share their knowledge. Coincidentally, in 2006 Danny received the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship.
Danny dresses the part, too, usually wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a heavily starched vest and creased black pants with a custom-made Panama hat.
He said it’s an honor to be asked to come back year after year.
“The fact that this is the world’s largest aviation celebration, and that it started with one man and one woman is
amazing,” he said. “I often think back to the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams. When I first saw that movie, I thought they just copied from Paul and Audrey, except they used a flat field (for a baseball diamond) instead of an airfield.”
In the movie, Costner hears a voice telling him, “If you build it, he will come.” And that’s exactly what happened for EAA and its annual fly-in convention, except “he” became “they.” Attendance for the weeklong convention and fly-in set a record in 2025 at 704,000.
“Paul always said we have to protect the vast ocean of air above us and guard it or people will take it away from us,” Danny said. “In a lot of countries, the skies are not free. So for me, volunteering here is a way to pay back the vision that Paul and Audrey had ….”
Danny said he has no plans to retire as an air show announcer. “My current marketing and advertising says, ‘Now booking through 2030 and beyond,’” he said. “As long as I have the mental and physical capabilities and am able to entertain, I’ll continue. I’m having the time of my life.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BERNIE KOSZEWA
VALUES
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AVIONICS UPGRADES FROM GARMIN, DYNON
GARMIN AND DYNON, leading avionics manufacturers for both certified and experimental aircraft, are onsite this week to talk about new products and major upgrades to their existing lines.
Garmin has unveiled AXIS, an entirely new family of integrated flight displays with optional builtin IFR GPS, nav/comm radio, and audio panel capability in a single display for use in both certified and experimental aircraft. AXIS represents a direct upgrade path from G3X Touch displays, leveraging
many of the same sensors, modules, panel cutouts, and mounting points while integrating multiple avionics functions into one display. The AXIS line incorporates the company’s key safety innovations, including Smart Glide for emergency landings, and will be available in 11.6-inch landscape, 8-inch landscape, and 8-inch portrait sizes and form factors.
Dynon announced shortly before AirVenture that it is developing full IFR GPS navigation integration into its SkyView HDX avionics system. The upgrade
won’t require any additional panel space and will offer full IFR support, including RNAV approaches down to LPV minimums, across both its experimental and certified product line. The system will be fully integrated with Dynon’s autopilot as well. In addition, the company has also introduced a new remote audio panel upgrade that supports up to six seats and offers Bluetooth connectivity, and more.
POWER HOUSE
Okmulgee, Oklahoma may be off the beaten path. But the truth is, our small town is home to the only family-owned Pratt & Whitney Canada Designated Overhaul Facility in the world. Covington Aircraft has the most highly skilled PT6A overhaul, maintenance, and service technicians in the industry – as well as the parts, accessories, rental engines and power sections needed to keep your downtime to a minimum. No one knows the PT6A better, and no one takes greater pride in their workmanship. The personal touch we bring to every customer and every engine, whether it’s in our shop or in the field, is what has built our business for over fifty years. It’s craftmanship and compassion you simply won’t find anywhere else. Maybe it’s just a small-town thing. Come see for yourself the next time you’re over this way, and meet the powerful team we’ve built, and the house we call home.
EAA’s SportAir Workshops Work
BY MADELINE WOOTEN AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF
WHILE 2020 DISRUPTED nearly everyone’s lives, it gave Bill Batten, EAA Lifetime 781915, the opportunity to finally pursue a longtime dream: building an aircraft.
After retiring and selling his beloved Velocity, Bill spent 18 months researching potential projects before choosing a Sonex Waiex. His decision became easy once he discovered that several members of his local EAA chapter had already built or were in the process of building a Sonex aircraft.
Twenty-six months and 1,065 hours later, N67WX was complete.
AirVenture 2026
Monday
10:00am Engine Leaning Made Simple
TUESDAY
8:00am Ring Gap and Cylinder Life
10:00am Compression Testing
WEDNESDAY
10:00am Engine at TBO Options
THURSDAY
10:00am Proactive Approach to Aircraft Engine
Maintenance
FRIDAY
For Bill, his first aircraft build became much more than a homebuilt project. It was a journey of patience, friendship, and growing confidence, supported by EAA’s many resources for homebuilders.
For more than 25 years, EAA has provided SportAir Workshops across the country year-round to help homebuilders enhance their skills and confidence. Skilled instructors with years of experience cover technical skills such as Sheet Metal Basics, Fabric Covering, Electrical Systems and Avionics, TIG Welding, Fiberglass Techniques for RV Aircraft, and Gas Welding.
Bill took an EAA SportAir Workshop that focused on fiberglass to assist him in building his Sonex. Although he had spent his career as an engineer, he had never worked with fiberglass, making the Sonex’s cowl and wingtips one of the
more intimidating parts of the project. However, the workshops, led by professional instructors and o ering projects for participants to work on, gave him the confidence to take those skills to his passion project.
“I had never touched fiberglass before I took the SportAir workshop, and taking that workshop just gave me the confidence that I could kind of dive in and start doing some of the work,” Bill said.
He also took the Electrical Systems and Avionics EAA SportAir Workshop alongside other members of his local EAA chapter who were also building Sonexes. The group, a ectionately nicknamed the “Indiana Sonex Mafia,” saw it pay o taking the workshop together and were able to help bounce ideas and
10:00am Oil Changes as a Diagnostic of Engine Health
SATURDAY
10:00am Choosing the Right Aviation Mechanic
STOP BY for a free copy of Engine Management 101
Hosted by Bill Ross, A&P I/A 2023 GAA National Aviation Technician of the Year Award Winner!
*Each seminar qualifies for 1 hour of IA Renewal Crdit & FAA Wings Credit
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL BATTEN
From the eld to the front lines and beyond, our PT6 turboprop engine has powered critical missions for six decades and counting. With unmatched reliability and more than 500,000 ight hours, our PT6 continues to set standards in versatility and performance.
Learn more at rtx.com/prattwhitney/PT6
solve problems together after the workshop ended.
One thing that made the workshops useful to Bill was the instructors and their years of knowledge. He described the Fiberglass workshop instructors as “masters at their craft,” with over 40 years of experience. They told the participants tips and tricks and introduced them to di erent products to help their projects at home.
“We were able to benefit from his years of knowledge, and he just was an excellent instructor in being able to show us techniques. We practiced stripping wire and soldering. We practiced laying fiberglass in the fiberglass class. They were kind of watching us doing it, kind of coaching us through the whole process,” he said.
With the support of friends, mentors, and the confidence he gained through
EAA SportAir Workshops and other EAA resources, Bill successfully completed his first aircraft and watched N67WX take to the sky.
Looking back on the experience, he encourages anyone considering building an experimental aircraft to not be afraid to try it.
“Building an experimental airplane is 1,000 small projects, and that’s how you have to approach it. Every day you do something a little bit di erent, a little bit new, you’ll learn along the way. You will make some mistakes, and when you do, you throw the part away, and you start over again.”
Ready to start your own building journey? Visit EAA.org/SportAir to find a workshop near you and begin building the skills and confidence to complete your aircraft.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BUSHA
Unexpected Artifacts
BY HAL BRYAN AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF
OUR CONVENTION GROUNDS overflow with stories. Some are obvious — fresh aircraft builds and restorations, changes in FARs, the tireless efforts of our passionate army of volunteers, etc. Some stories, however, are more inconspicuous.
If your AirVenture travels take you to the Blue Barn, the home base for EAA chapters (and if they don’t, they should — chapters are the lifeblood of our organization), beyond the surprisingly comfortable Adirondack chairs and the directional signs, you’ll see a few kiosks providing information about chapter programs. Once you’ve read about chapter websites and AeroEducate and IMC/VMC Clubs, take a step back and look at the kiosks themselves, and you’ll see the obvious and appropriate aviation influence. But they aren’t just pieces of furniture — they are artifacts in their own right.
In June 2006, I was semi-frantically preparing for AirVenture, just as I had for several years prior and every year since. At the time, though, I worked with EAA, but not yet for EAA. I was working at Microsoft on the Flight Simulator team, and we were getting ready to come to AirVenture as sponsors and exhibitors. I had a brand-new boss, the late and lamented Brett Schnepf, EAA 1306226, and I was showing him the planned layout of our booth in “Microsoft Flight Simulator Exhibit Hangar D.”
He didn’t like it. He thought it was bland and boring and corporate, and he was absolutely right.
Later that morning, I sent him a link to a young company called MotoArt (known now as PlaneTags) in California, which upcycled aircraft parts into high-end furniture. I told Brett that we
PHOTOGRAPHY BY HAL BRYAN
PAGE 28 / CONTINUED FROM
should talk to these guys about doing something fun for our booth — next year. Brett was on the phone with MotoArt founders Dave Hall and Donovan Fell in less than five minutes. He told them we needed something interesting, cool, and authentic to show off our upcoming product, and they’d need to ship it to Wisconsin in three weeks.
We not only didn’t have time for this project, we had no budget for it. I had to go begging to the executive assistant who was temporarily supporting our team while our usual assistant was on leave and casually ask for a six-figure check. The fact that she was (and is) my wife didn’t make it any easier, but I got it anyway.
Dave, Donovan, and their team set to work. First, they built a 12-foot-tall mock-up control tower with flat-screen monitors mounted on the sides, and then they built four two-sided standup kiosks that housed two computers and four monitors — one for the virtual pilot trying the simulator, and a cloned display higher up so other visitors could watch.
The bases of the kiosks were created by welding a pair of 737 airline galley carts together, which, with some additional cooling, not only made for a perfect place to house the computers, the fact that they were
on wheels made it really easy to set up and rearrange the booth. While the galley cart bases had flown thousands of miles serving countless passengers, the upper portions, used to mount the monitors and hang signage, spent their early years serving their country — what we used as monitor stands are actually elevators from venerable WWII-era TBF/TBM Avengers.
They served us well at Oshkosh, Reno, and other trade show locations until 2009 when Microsoft closed down the Flight Simulator division. That’s when I found my way to EAA, and, after I’d been here about a year, I got a call from a friend of mine, Steve Mallinson from the trade show production company that handled Microsoft’s shipping and logistics and stored the booth properties between events. Microsoft, having no need for aviation-related anything at the time, canceled the contract and told Steve to just throw it all away. Thankfully Steve, whose grandfather was a United States Army Air Forces maintenance chief in WWII and worked on the first Mustangs, saw the value in these things and arranged to donate them to EAA.
In the 20 years since, they’ve popped up all over the grounds and in our museum, supporting displays and programs of all kinds. I’ll always be grateful to Dave
and Donovan for their work, to Brett who loved nothing more than doing the impossible, and especially to Steve for choosing EAA over a landfill. Everything around our grounds has a story, and now you know this one.
New Hangars Coming to Oshkosh
VOLARE HANGARS HAS released preliminary site renderings for its planned development at the Oshkosh Aviation Park at Wittman Regional Airport, providing additional details on the vision for the approximately 80-acre aviationfocused development.
The initial concept includes multiple buildings featuring an approximately 200-by-200-foot aviation business space, large corporate and business hangars measuring 150 by 150 feet and 85 by 85 feet, as well as midsize and personal hangars in a variety of configurations,
including 60-by-60-foot, 70-by-60-foot, and 50-by-40-foot layouts. Rich with amenities, the development also includes plans for a fuel farm, taxiway, gate entry, gated long- term parking, and aircraft wash bay to support the aviation park. One of the highlights of the development will be rooftop viewing decks featuring amazing views year-round as well as during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Customizable buildouts will cater to a variety of aviation uses with direct taxiway access to Wittman Regional Airport.
Adjacent property to the east of Aeroinnovate Way is planned for complementary businesses and mixed-use development, creating additional opportunities within the Oshkosh Aviation Park. The final site plan will continue to evolve throughout the planning process in response to market demand and future development opportunities. “Oshkosh is unlike any other aviation community in the world,” said John Panfil of Volare Hangers. “We are excited to create more than just hangars; we are building a place for aviation businesses and enthusiasts to Live-Work-Play-Fly.”
Construction of the hangars is anticipated to begin in 2028, subject to final approvals, infrastructure improvements, and market conditions. This development is intended to support continued growth at Wittman Regional Airport
while advancing the long-term vision established by Volare Hangars, the Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation (GOEDC), Winnebago County, and the City of Oshkosh to create a year-round destination for aviation businesses and enthusiasts.
Located at Wittman Regional Airport, the Oshkosh Aviation Park is designed to build upon Oshkosh’s reputation as a premier aviation destination and the home of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The development will complement the region’s growing aviation industry while supporting economic development, business investment, and expanded opportunities for aviationrelated companies.
Reminder:
Electric and Motorized Vehicles in Camping Areas
There are several categories of devices that are no longer allowed in camping areas. Those include:
• E-scooters
• E-motorcycles
• Segway units
• E-unicycles
• E-hoverboards
• E-skateboards
Some electric-powered devices are allowed:
• E-bikes, regardless of class
• ADA mobility devices (approval from EAA Security may be needed)
• Golf carts (must be roadworthy and equipped with lights if used at night)
Authorized motorized vehicles include:
• Golf carts (same roadworthy and nightuse requirements apply)
• Mopeds
• Dirt bikes
• ATVs/UTVs
Authorization process for use of allowed vehicles in EAA camping areas:
• Guests who want to use authorized vehicles in EAA camping areas must register them at the designated area located adjacent to Camper Registration. Guests must sign a liability waiver and acknowledgement of rules, and EAA Security will place an event sticker on the device where it can be easily observed.
• All vehicle operators must be at least 16 years old.
• A 10 mph speed limit will be enforced.
• Any violations will receive warnings and have those documented by EAA Security. Multiple violations could result in the loss of future camping privilege.
A Place for Young People Among Old Airplanes
A week full of youth activities in
the Vintage area
BY EMME HORNUNG AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF
THE CHARLES W. Harris Youth Aviation Center in the Vintage area has a schedule packed full of hands-on activities, forums featuring special guests, and more for kids and teens this AirVenture.
Located just south of the Vintage Red Barn, the hangar opened only two years ago, and it’s already taking off with nearly 800 young people having participated in activities in 2025. “It’s been fantastic. It’s far exceeded our expectations,” said Sue Hutson, cochairperson of the center.
The center’s main goal is to pass along the essential skills and knowledge of caring for vintage aircraft to the next generation. “We love making pilots, but we want to make some mechanics, too, and people that can take care of airplanes,” Sue added.
Kids ages 6-12 can get hands-on with interactive workshops that will show them how to use tools, learn about aerodynamics and weight and balance,
check out flight instruments, try their hand at cable swaging, identify AN hardware, and more. Workshops will take place Monday-Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon.
There will also be a workshop just for kids with special needs on Wednesday from 3:30-4:45 p.m., offering a quieter and slower atmosphere as well as more hands-on assistance.
For teens ages 13-18 looking for a community of their own, they can find it at Teen Night on Tuesday and Thursday from 6-8 p.m. “One of our goals is creating community for the teenagers,” Sue said. “They can meet other kids and just have fun.”
There’s a little something for the whole family at the Charles W. Harris Youth Aviation Center, so come on down, enjoy some great company, and learn about the aircraft of yesteryear.
With games like giant Jenga and beanbag toss, glider building and flying competitions, a music DJ, “and plenty of snacks,” Teen Night is a great opportunity to make friends and relax.
Youths of all ages will also get the chance to meet some of their favorite Oshkosh performers at the Air Show Legends forums at 10 a.m. on Tuesday with RJ Gritter, Wednesday with Nathan Hammond, and Thursday with Kyle Fowler.
“They bring posters and they talk for a while, and the kids ask all sorts of questions. They’re like celebrities to them,” Sue said. The forum was first proposed
and supported by the Hammond family in 2024, and it proved to be quite the hit last year.
Other youth activities include a photo scavenger hunt where participants will be entered into a die cast model drawing, and kids can get a rubber aviator duck to give to the pilot of their favorite vintage aircraft on the field.
And for the adults, there’s something for you here, too. On Monday at 3:30 p.m., former VAA President Susan Dusenbury will host a forum and panel on resources for mechanics, owners, and restorers of vintage aircraft.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SUE HUTSON
A Smart, Safe Transition to Unleaded Aviation Fuel
BY ELIMINATE AVIATION GASOLINE LEAD EMISSIONS (EAGLE) INITIATIVE
If you are a piston-engine aircraft pilot or owner (fixed-wing or rotorcraft), please join EAGLE for an important stakeholder discussion at AirVenture 2026 — TODAY from 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Forum Stage 8. Representatives from the FAA and leaders from across general aviation will be presenting and answering questions on the transition to unleaded avgas.
THE MOVE AWAY from leaded aviation gasoline to an unleaded future is one of the most important transitions facing general aviation. It affects aircraft owners, pilots, airports, fuel producers, distributors, retailers, maintenance providers, engine and airframe manufacturers, and the communities that depend on general aviation every day.
The FAA’s Transition Plan v1.0 to Unleaded Aviation Gasoline provides that initial framework. Understanding how the fuels will impact the fleet is the critical consideration of the plan.
For aircraft owners and pilots, the central issue is
practical: The transition must happen without compromising safety, reliability, access, and aircraft utility. Many piston-engine aircraft rely on 100LL because of engine design, detonation resistance, and performance requirements. Any replacement fuel will be evaluated against those realities.
The plan recognizes that the transition is not a single action. It will be a phased process. First, candidate unleaded fuels must complete the necessary authorization, approval, and comparison work. That also includes evaluating how fuels perform and how they interact with other candidate fuels, aircraft, and engines. Second, the market must gain real-world experience with those fuels through early deployment and broader use. Third, the national transition must occur in a way that gives aircraft owners, pilots, airports, FBOs, and fuel suppliers time to adapt. Alaska, with its unique aviation dependence and fuel distribution challenges, will follow later.
Several issues matter directly to owners and pilots, including cost, warranties, maintenance, and others. Aircraft may require fuel placards, flight manual updates, and logbook entries before using a new fuel. Further testing and evaluation will provide the needed data as we go forward with respect to these issues
as well as materials compatibility and possible engine modifications. Fuel compatibility, including whether unleaded fuels mix safely with each other, must also be understood.
The plan acknowledges these unresolved issues. It also recognizes the transition will depend on market realities, infrastructure, distribution capacity, regulatory clarity, liability concerns, cost, and user acceptance.
The EAGLE industry members support a smart, safe, and orderly transition to an unleaded aviation fuel future. The goal is shared. Lead must be eliminated from aviation gasoline, but the path matters. A successful transition must protect the safety and utility of the current general aviation fleet while ensuring pilots and aircraft owners continue to have reliable access to the fuel they need.
The FAA’s plan (v1.0) provides a framework and starting point. Continued testing, data, communication, and flexibility are all important factors in pursuing a successful transition.
To learn more about the transition to unleaded avgas, visit: flyEAGLE.org.
Back to Basics
‘Pioneers of Flight’ at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026
BY HAL BRYAN
IN THE LATE 1800S, not all that long after the United States celebrated its first 100 years, scientists, engineers, inventors, tinkerers, and adventurers around the world spent time and other resources trying to solve what was then widely known as “the flying machine problem.” While some of the most impactful innovations in history, from antibiotics to the internet, weren’t necessarily widely anticipated, the idea of controlled, powered, manned flight was, for some, almost impatiently expected.
Yes, there were plenty of skeptics, notably including an editor at the New York Times who wrote in October 1903 that “… the flying machine which will really fly might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and
mechanicians in from one to ten million years.” By that time, though, people had been successfully flying gliders for more than 50 years, and rubber-powered model airplanes had been around since 1870. So, instead of a surprising innovation, the Wrights’ success, coming just two months after the Times’ pessimistic prediction, was seen (eventually, once word got around and people were convinced that it had happened) as a solution to a known problem. What nobody could have anticipated, however, was the impact of airplanes on civilization, nor the incredible rate of innovation that would take place. This year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026, we’re highlighting the first two dozen years of that innovation. Each day, we’ll highlight one of
the aircraft on display as we celebrate the “Pioneers of Flight.”
Santos-Dumont Demoiselle (No. 19)
Alberto Santos-Dumont was an inventor and adventurer born in Brazil in 1873, who used the resources he’d amassed as the heir to a co ee fortune to experiment with aviation. His first efforts were in powered airships, and he stunned the world when he circled the Ei el Tower in one of them in 1901. He built a heavier-than-air glider in 1905, and experimented with an early helicopter design, before building a series of fixed-wing aircraft starting with the 14-bis in
1906. His pioneering e orts are represented by a replica of an extremely popular early airplane design of his called the Demoiselle that first flew in 1907. The beautifully detailed replica was built by Club Aéro des Garrigues in France and has been on display in the EAA Aviation Museum for the past year. See it this week in the special Pioneers of Flight display area in Vintage.
AirVenture Hangar C, Booth 3092.
Meet Your Favorite Authors!
MONDAY, JULY 20, 2026
Boeing Plaza
10-11 a.m. — Chris Henry and Hal Bryan, The Final Mission: Personal Stories of the Lives Touched by EAA’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast
EAA Wearhouse
9-10 a.m. — Judie Ohm, Turret Tales
10-11 a.m. — Stephen Chapis, Poor Little Lambs: The Baa Baa Black Sheep Story
11 a.m.-12 p.m. — John A. Berkstresser, Learning to Fly Essential Elements: Connecting the Dots
11 a.m.-12 p.m. — Steve Lambrecht, Boundless Brothers: Two Warriors from the Heartland, One Mission for the Homeland
12-1 p.m. — Buck Wyndham, Hogs in the Sand: A Gulf War A-10 Pilot’s Combat Journal
1-2 p.m. — Doug Johnson, Portrait of a Kaleidoscope Life
1-2 p.m. — Sheila M. Young, I See an Airplane Up in the Sky
2-3 p.m. — Eileen Bjorkman, The Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat
3-4 p.m. — Wally Soplata, The B-25 in the Backyard
3-4 p.m. — Mary Shipko, Book 1: Aviatrix: First Woman Pilot for Hughes Airwest; Book 2: The Firsts: Women Pilots and How They Changed the Airlines; Book 3: Daring Mary: Aviation Pioneer
4-5 p.m. — Roy Deacon Qualls, Pilot’s Edge: Think, Train, and Fly Like a Pro
5-6 p.m. — Jennifer Pitt, The Barnstormer and the Lady: Aviation Legends Walter and Olive Ann Beech
YOUTH AGES 16 AND UNDER ENTER FREE WITH A TICKETED ADULT • RACING RAIN OR SHINE • GATES OPEN AT 7AM • ON-SITE CAMPING AVAILABLE
AROUND THE GROUNDS
What About These Other Airplanes?
A spotter’s guide to the EAA Aviation Museum aircraft around the grounds
BY HAL BRYAN
EVERY YEAR, MORE than 10,000 aircraft fly to Wisconsin for AirVenture. Of those, nearly 3,000 are showplanes — vintage aircraft, warbirds, homebuilts, aerobatic airplanes, etc. — that are displayed around the grounds. But some visitors may notice other airplanes parked here and there that didn’t fly in at all, because they’re part of the EAA Aviation Museum collection. Because our museum exhibits rotate, many of these aircraft are only viewable by the public during AirVenture, spending the rest of the year in long-term storage on the convention grounds. Here’s a guide on
some of these airplanes that you’ll see as wander the neighborhoods of AirVenture.
Aircraft: 1946 de Havilland DH.98
Mosquito B.35
Known as the “wooden wonder” because of its construction, the Mosquito was a fast and versatile fighter bomber built by de Havilland in the UK and Canada. First flown in 1940, more than 7,700 were built until the type went out of production in 1950. Our example is loan from the collection of Kermit Weeks.
PHOTOGRAPHY FROM EAA ARCHIVES
VISIT US AT BOOTH 463
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
COFFEE AND CONVERSATIONS ON THE MEMBER DECK
PROGRAM PAVILION
MONDAY SCHEDULE
9 AM - 9:45 AM
THE SCHIFF SHOW – LIVE!
BRIAN SCHIFF, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS (NAFI)
10 AM - 10:45 AM MENTAL HEALTH AND YOUR MEDICAL: WHAT PILOTS NEED TO KNOW
DR. SUSAN NORTHRUP, FAA FEDERAL AIR SURGEON; ANITA FETZER, AOPA SENIOR MEDICAL CERTIFICATION SPECIALIST; IAN ARENDT, AOPA SENIOR ATTORNEY
11 AM - 11:45 AM
FLYING WITH THE IPAD AS A DIGITAL CO PILOT
BRET KOEBBE, SPORTY’S PILOT SHOP
12 PM - 12:45 PM
BEYOND CODES AND BADGES: SOLVING AIRPORT SECURITY’S HIDDEN WEAKNESS
@FLY_WITH_BRUNO
1 PM - 1:45 PM
AFTER THE ACCIDENT
PANEL WITH AOPA, NTSB, & YOUTUBE PERSONALITIES (WINGS CREDIT)
MIKE GINTER, SVP OF AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE; KRISTI DUNKS, NTSB; JUAN BROWNE @BLANCOLIRIO; SCOTT PERDUE, FLYWIRE
2 PM - 2:45 PM
THE DEPARTURE BRIEF: AN OVERLOOKED SAFETY NET IN GA OPERATIONS
COLLIN MCDONALD, THE FLYING MECHANIC
3 PM - 3:45 PM
IT COSTS HOW MUCH? WHAT DRIVES PREMIUMS AND HOW TO MANAGE THEM
ROB GESKE, AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE; GALLAGHER TEAM MEMBER
4 PM - 4:45 PM
DO YOU KNOW YOUR RIGHTS? INVESTIGATIONS, COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT
PATRICK BROOKE, AOPA LSP ATTORNEY 5:30 PM -7 PM
LIFE MEMBER HAPPY HOUR
MEET & GREETS
11 AM - 11:45 PM
MATT KENNEDY | @ flying_ukulele
1 PM - 1:45 PM
LEVI ALLEYNE | @1levi_alleyne
Celebrating the Class of ’46
A spotter’s guide for AirVenture Oshkosh 2026
BY
AS WORLD WAR II came to an end, people of the free world looked ahead to an era that held the promise of unprecedented peace and prosperity. Rough estimates indicate that, at the start of the war in September 1939, there were roughly 30,000 pilots, both civilian and military, in the United States. By war’s end in August 1945, the estimated number had ballooned to more than half a million. It seemed patently obvious that the previous generation’s “chicken in every pot” would be supplanted in 1946 by “an
airplane in every garage.” Manufacturers went to work, introducing new aircraft and updating (and more actively marketing) existing designs. Sadly, this was the boom that wasn’t. A lot of wartime pilots moved on from flying, and, while commercial air travel grew steadily, general and recreational aviation didn’t attain the hoped-for ubiquity.
Still, 1946 was a remarkable year for GA, and that optimism, however impractical, gave us so many classic aircraft that remain beloved today. You’ll note that, unlike most aircraft anniversaries, this one isn’t exactly hard and fast. We’re not strictly celebrating first flights or introductions; rather, we’re looking back at
FIRST FLIGHT: 1945
LENGTH: 21 feet, 4 inches
WINGSPAN: 34 feet, 2 inches
SEATS: 4
CRUISE SPEED: ~150 mph
the airplanes that were in production and on the market in that first full year of postwar peace. As you wander the Vintage neighborhood on the AirVenture grounds, you’ll likely see lovingly restored examples of a variety of types being celebrated as part of the Class of ‘46. When
FIRST FLIGHT: 1945
LENGTH: 21 feet, 6 inches
WINGSPAN: 33 feet, 4 inches
SEATS: 2
CRUISE SPEED: ~105 mph
you do, try to imagine what it was like 80 years ago, with the horrors of war well and truly behind us, a world in love with aviation, and nothing but blue skies ahead. That’s the context to have in mind as we celebrate the Class of ’46.
READY FOR TAKEOFF?
FAA will be interviewing and extending job offers on the spot to quali ed:
• Aviation Safety Inspectors
• NAS Technicians
• Aerospace, Electronics and Other Engineers
• Pilots Aircraft Certi cation
• Physicians Aerospace Medicine
• Other Aerospace Safety Professionals
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM RAEDER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONNOR MADISON
BELLANCA 14-13 CRUISAIR SENIOR
CESSNA 120 / 140
HAL BRYAN AIRVENTURE TODAY STAFF
Pilot Proficiency Center
Training for Every Pilot
We’ve built a training catalog which includes:
•VFR Command Challenge
Test your stick-and-rudder skills, judgment, and situational awareness. Requires 30 PIC hours in the last 12 months.*
•IFR Command Challenge
Sharpen your decision-making in the system. Requires IFR currency or within the six-month grace period.*
•Personal Proficiency Challenge
Build your own experience one-on-one with an EAA instructor. You set the goals; we’ll help you crush them. Requires a student pilot certi cate or higher.*
PURCHASE TICKETS
GirlVenture Camp
8:15
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONNOR MADISON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MILLER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GRANT BURG
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHIL HIGH
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRAIG VANDER KOLK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE WITTY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRAIG VANDER KOLK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHIL HIGH
Silent AUCTION
SUPPORT THE EAA® PROGRAMS YOU LOVE
BID EARLY. BID OFTEN.
View all auction packages and bid at EAA.org/SilentAuction or scan the QR code.
Auction is open July 1–23. View auction items in person on Thursday, July 23, 12–3 p.m. at the EAA Aviation Museum™ Founders’ Wing.
Mobile Bidding Sponsor
How well do you know EAA history?
Try your hand at these trivia questions and find out. The answers, along with a new question, will be in tomorrow’s paper.
Q: Located near the Fly Market and main AirVenture grounds, this highly coveted, tree-filled section of Camp Scholler is commonly known by what name?
A. Jack’s Jungle B. Cordell’s Corner
C. Paul’s Woods
D. Tom’s Grove
SUNDAY, JULY 19, ANSWER
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
Today’s CROSSWORD
Catch Britt’s energetic performance of precise aerobatic maneuvers in today’s air show!
“Before flying, I use music more as a tool than anything else. Some days I lean into something upbeat to build energy, and other days I choose something more calm and steady to slow things down. It’s all about getting into the right headspace — focused, controlled, and ready to perform at my best.”
MONDAY, JULY 20, 2026
Opalite — Taylor Swift
Outside — Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding
Bad — Michael Jackson
Rain on Me — Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande I Ain’t Sayin’ — Jordan Davis
ACROSS 4. EAA’s Pilot ___________ Center offers simulator training and workshops year round.
6. Our fourth annual fly-in convention was held here in 1956.
9. EAA’s first monthly publication, starting in February 1953, was The ____________.
10. Thanks to ______, sport pilots can now fly a much wider variety of aircraft.
11. The first chairman of our Young Eagles program.
DOWN
1. There are 2.5 million of them (two words).
2. A theater in the EAA Aviation Museum is named for Chairman’s Award winner John _____.
3. The first Oshkosh visit by this sleek airliner made our convention a true international event.
5. Boeing Plaza is at the convergence of ___________ Way and taxiway Papa 2.
7. He became chairman of the annual convention in 1976.
8. If you want to learn about building or restoring airplanes, try our ________ Workshops.
SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2026 ANSWERS
WE LOVE OUR EXHIBITORS!
50 YEARS
Aircraft Specialties Services, Inc.
Rinehart Fine Arts and Historic Collectibles
Adept Propulsion Technologies
AeroCreeper
Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
ALSIM
AeroConversions, LLC
Alpha Systems Engineering & Mfg, LLC.
30 YEARS
Design, Analysis and Research Corporation
General Aviation
Modifications Inc
10 YEARS
Astronics/PECO Inc
BLR Aerospace LLC
Bridger Manufacturing
David UHL Studios, Inc.
20 YEARS
Progressive Air Group
Sonex Aviation, LLC
1331 Custom Decor & Goods
9er Systems
Aero Endeavors
AeroPlex Labs
AIAA
AIG Aerospace Insurance Services, Inc.
Air Rhoades LLC
Aircraft Consoles, LLC
Airhart Aeronautics Inc
AirLogbooks
Amazon Prime Air
Americans for Safe Aerospace
AOPA Electric Aviation Division
Apex Realty Advisors, LLC
Art Cave Company
Atmos Avionics
Avalon Precision Castings
AvBrief.com
Aviate Pilot Apparel
Aviation Bar Cart
Aviation Detailing Association
Aviation Safety Solutions
Avion Research Corporation
AvTech Exams
BEC Defense
Belt Bonanza
Big Sky Dynamics
Blackstar Flight Simulation
Bliss Mobil USA
C R Stuff
California Baptist University
Castleberry Instruments & Avionics
CheckPrep
Christen Industries, Inc.
Circuit Board Medics
CityDogTech.com
Coastal Range Equipment
CoolFly (Zhejiang) Aircraft
Technology Co. Ltd
Cru Social Inc
Custom Aircraft Builders
Custom Engraving Ltd
Dassault Systemes
Dean’s Parts & Collectibles
Delta Strut
Double Line Marketing LLC
DTA
EcoTrikes LLC
Elevation Off Grid
Enhanced Radar
Epic Flight Academy
Everdry Waterproofing
EyeLights
Fairmont State University
Fargo MC Services
Fellowship of Christian Airline
WELCOME NEW EXHIBITORS
Personnel (FCAP)
Fit-Ear
Fivestar Leather GmbH
Fly ORKA, Inc.
Fox Cities Flix
Fox City Psychic
Freefly Systems Inc.
Friday Dog Cartooning
Friends of British Aviation Heritage
Fuzzbutt Boutique
GeoSpatios Inc
Gold Seal Online Ground School
Good Boy Vodka
H6 Aviation Service
Hangar 8
HISC
Honor Flight Network
House of Rags (The)
IFR6
Innovative Aerosystems
Jack Walters & Sons Corp
James Aircraft
Jediwoods
Jump Aero
Keyed Dynamics Inc.
Kinzie Foods
KO Construction
LamVec Technology Ltd
Legit Avionics
Level Up Aviation
Light Shadow Color
Liquified RV Toilet Treatment
M4 Ranch Group
MACHINE AGE LAMPS
Mankiewicz Coatings LLC
M-B Companies
Merlin Labs
Midwest Flying Machines LLC
Minky Girl LLC
Morningside University
Mountain Air Realty
MR-VFR
MX Ledger LLC
My Brother’s Keeper Aviation Academy
NFuture
Northwest Aviation Medicine
OnTraxx
Open Road Harley-Davidson
Ozarks Relaxed Living
Pants for Birds LLC
Paradox Aviation
Paralyzed Veterans of AmericaWI Chapter
Patriot Aircraft
Patriotic Shop, Inc.
Petal & Prop Designs
Pilot Circle
Pilot Reach
Pilotbase
PilotDuty
Piper Flyer Association
Plane Crazy Life & Roger Reaves
Pray Aviation, Inc.
Precision
Predator Powered Parachutes
ProAm Steel
Professional Asian Pilots
Association Inc (PAPA)
Red Bull Flying Bulls
RED RDD, LLC
ResNexus
Richard I Bong Veterans
Historical Center
Rise Vertcal
River Valley Remodelers
Roamcraft Co.
Robinson Helicopter Company
Rogue Labs
ROKit Oxygen
Runway 31
SEAL Aviation
SeatCraft LLC
See The Bravo
Shenzhen Smart Drone UAV Co., Ltd
Simplistic Sensations Rock Shop/Boutique
Society of Women in Engineering - Wisconsin Chapter
Solid Ground Aviation
Solidstrip
STOL Creek Aviation LLC
T-Bird Sport Flight Aircraft
Ten Works
Texas State University
Thorp Aircraft
Thunderbird Aviation, LLC
Titan Aerobatic Team
Turtleback Trailers
United Companies Air Center
Universal Windows Direct
Veterans Airlift Command
Vetterman Exhaust Inc
Victory Jukebox
Virtual Ground School
ViscoTec America
V-Space
Wacko Products
You Can Fly PPG
Zhejiang Taxus Aircraft Parts
Technology Co
@mathismotmart
Another trip of a lifetime with my pops. #oshkosh #oshkosh2026 #flying #airplanes #family
@charleykid123
Officially made it to both Sun n Fun and Oshkosh in the same year and the same plane. Safe travels to those coming up to osh and let the fun begin!
@kruegerphotos
Took some time off at @eaa to shoot a small wedding. Congratulations Tina and Paul!
@lowen.the.dragonlady
It’s family reunion time again! Looking forward to a great week at Airventure 2026! Woohoo!!! @eaa #osh26
@annkrueger77
A fun couple of hours sitting at @kelleycountrycreamery watching airplanes. The arrival of the Super Cubs major “props” to Lily as the smiles in these photos do not in any way depict how she was feeling four days post surgery. #kelleycreamery #supercubs #piper
@bovinejeff
The Canadian smoke has completely cleared and we made it in to Airventure in the Cherokee this morning. The campsite is fully set up including my new tent, which has a cool screened vestibule.
