OSHKOSH – So, you claim to be an aviation junkie, huh?
But are you really? How much do you actually know about EAA AirVenture? After all, it’s just the world’s largest fly-in convention.
Bet you didn’t know that Oshkosh wasn’t the first site for EAA. It wasn’t even the second.
Did you know EAA’s headquarters started in someone’s basement?
What’s the current attendance record for AirVenture and when was it set?
What do actor Harrison Ford, former NFL tight end Jimmy Graham and famed pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who landed a plane on the Hudson River, all have in common?
Yeah, you’re not so much of an flight enthusiast now, are you?
Thankfully, we’ve compiled all these important EAA moments so you can impress the true aviation junkies during the 72nd edition of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention at Wittman Regional Airport July 21-27.
January 1953
Paul Poberezny founds the Experimental Aircraft Association and is elected its first president. Poberezny calls the first official meeting of EAA at Curtiss-Wright (now Timmerman) Field in Milwaukee Jan. 26.
The organization derives its name from the “Experimental Aircraft” category.
September 1953
Twenty aircraft and around 150 people attend the very first EAA fly-in convention at Curtiss-Wright Airport.
August 1959
Rockford, Illinois, is selected as the new site after the annual EAA fly-in convention outgrows its spot at Curtiss-Wright Field in Milwaukee.
August 1964
EAA Headquarters moves from Poberezny’s home basement to a new building in Franklin.
August 1970
EAA hosts its first fly-in convention in Oshkosh after the board of directors voted to move it from Rockford the previous November.
August 1976
Poberezny’s son, Tom, is named chairman of the annual EAA Fly-In Convention and Sport Aviation Exhibition. John Moody, the “father” of the modern ultralight movement, displays his powered hang glider for the first time at that year’s convention.
August 1983
A new 100,000-square-foot EAA Aviation Center is built in Oshkosh. It features EAA’s international headquarters, the EAA Aviation Foundation and the EAA Air Adventure Museum.
April 1989
Tom Poberezny succeeds his father as the new president of 125,000-member EAA. Paul Poberezny is elected new EAA Chairman of the Board position.
July 1989
A 44,000-square-foot facility, Eagle Hangar, is added to the EAA Air Adventure Museum as a tribute to those who participated in World War II.
May 1992
EAA rolls out the Young Eagles program, offering flight experiences for children ages 8-17 at no charge. Academy-award winning actor Cliff Robertson serves as the program’s first chairman.
1998
The EAA fly-in convention adopts a new name, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
October 2003
15-year-old Andrew Grant becomes the 1 millionth Young Eagle as EAA announces the program will continue as a permanent part of EAA’s activities.
March 2004
Actor Harrison Ford becomes chairman of the Young Eagles program while daily operations of the EAA Aviation Foundation are brought under EAA’s administration.
March 2009
Tom Poberezny becomes chairman of the board after his father Paul retires.
July 2009
Sully Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles, who successfully completed an emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, succeed Harrison Ford as new co-chairmen of the EAA Young Eagles.
July 2010
Longtime EAA member and pilot Rod Hightower is named new EAA president/CEO.
July 2011
EAA Chairman Tom Poberezny announces his retirement during AirVenture 2011.
October 2012
Jack Pelton is elected as EAA Chairman of the Board while Rod Hightower resigns as president/CEO.
May 2013
Dozens of House and Senate members ask FAA to reconsider their position after asking EAA for more than $400,000 in payment for air traffic control services at AirVenture. EAA files a federal court petition in July asking for a decision against fees.
August 2013
EAA founder Paul Poberezny dies at 91 just days after being named to FLYING Magazine’s “51 Heroes of Aviation.”
March 2014
The Federal Aviation Administration and EAA sign an agreement that provides for AirVenture air traffic services through 2022, with EAA paying fees for services. The agreement ended EAA’s lawsuit against the FAA regarding those services.
July 2015
EAA AirVenture 2015 tops the 550,000 attendance mark with the 45th anniversary of Apollo 13, the Goodyear airship Wingfoot One and an opening night concert from country music star Dierks Bentley.
July 2018
AirVenture 2018 surpasses 600,000 total attendance from 87 nations while NFL tight end Jimmy Graham joins the Young Eagles program as co-chairman.
July 2019
Jack Pelton is elected as EAA chairman of the board while Rod Hightower resigns as president/CEO.
The EAA fly-in convention celebrates 50 successive years in Oshkosh.
March 2020
EAA AirVenture is canceled, the EAA Aviation Museum is shut down for four months and many aircraft tours are canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
July 2021
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh returns after a one-year hiatus with an attendance of 608,000 and a record 3,176 show planes.
July 2022
A new two-story 30,000-square EAA Education Center opens. Tom Poberezny dies at 75, with his death coinciding with the first day of EAA AirVenture 2022.
January 2023
EAA celebrates its 70th anniversary.
July 2023
Tom Poberezny is honored with a statue that stands next to his father and EAA founder, Paul Poberezny.
July 2024
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh sets new attendance record with approximately 686,000.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Bet you didn’t know: Here are the key moments in EAA AirVenture Oshkosh history
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
