70 years in, this fly-in is officially 'AirVenture,' but most just call it 'Oshkosh.' Here's why.
OSHKOSH ‒ When the Experimental Aircraft Association was founded in Milwaukee in 1953, its first fly-in convention brought a handful of mostly homebuilt planes, with less than 150 people registering as visitors.
Fly ahead 70 years later and the fly-in, now known as EAA AirVenture, attracts hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts to Oshkosh, home of the event since 1970 after brief layovers when it took place in Milwaukee and Rockford, Illinois, said Dick Knapinski, EAA's Director of Communications. The convention, which takes place each July, set an attendance record when it brought in 650,000 attendees in 2022.
Popularity for the event took off after it moved to Oshkosh, Knapinski said, but the headquarters for EAA was still back in the Milwaukee area. In 1983, EAA decided to relocate entirely to Oshkosh, and the organization — which now boasts 260,000 members and 900 chapters across the country for aviation enthusiasts ― and AirVenture have become staples in the area.
After more than 40 years of being home to EAA's headquarters, museum and AirVenture, the organization and Oshkosh have become linked.
When aviation enthusiasts touch down for AirVenture, they stay in the Fox Valley, eat at local restaurants and experience a warm welcome from the community. Those memories shaped by EAA and created in Oshkosh boost the economy and reputation of the Fox Valley, Knapinski said.
"EAA is well meshed in the fabric of Oshkosh," he said. "And to aviators, Oshkosh is synonymous with EAA."
AirVenture made Oshkosh the destination for aviation. Companies noticed
While growing up in Southern California, Jack Pelton said he and his father were members of the local EAA chapter, which grew his interest in aviation.
Pelton's interest became his career. He has been the CEO and Chairman of EAA since 2012. But his connection to AirVenture started before then, when he worked as CEO of Cessna, an aviation company based in Wichita, Kansas, that builds smaller planes.
While working at Cessna, Pelton saw the perspective of what it was like to attend EAA's AirVenture with a company, attempting to sell its planes and show off new products.
As the event grew, Pelton said attending AirVenture with Cessna to show off its new products and make sales became "more and more important." It became an event where "deals got done" and public announcements of new products would take place.
"It makes for a great marketing opportunity for all these companies," he said. "You hear them say, 'I have to be in Oshkosh.'"
The importance of Oshkosh to aviation also began attracting companies to the area.
Mark Schaible, owner and president of Sonex Aircraft, said the success and growth of EAA and AirVenture is the "entire reason" the recreational aircraft company is based in Oshkosh.
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Schaible said having its headquarters in Oshkosh makes it easier for Sonex, which makes and sells aviation kits so people can build their own airplanes, to sell its products to interested buyers because they can easily bring their products to AirVenture.
Additionally, Schaible said the company's close proximity to the biggest organization for at-home aviation helps EAA members visiting the headquarters learn more about Sonex through tours of the company located "right across the field" from Wittman Regional Airport.
"We are able to collaborate with them at a much deeper level than we could if we were located states away," Schaible said.
Pelton said after AirVenture winds down, exhibitors often tell him they have done enough business as an exhibitor in that week of what they would normally do in a quarter. In that way, the growth of AirVenture and EAA is something that benefits the entire aviation community.
"You help (other businesses) become stronger — directly and indirectly — even as a non-profit," Pelton said.
EAA's presence makes Oshkosh a year-round aviation destination
Despite the emphasis of AirVenture as a crucial part of EAA's calendar, the presence of EAA adds to the Oshkosh community 365 days a year.
EAA adds 150 employees to Oshkosh, Knapinski said, but the benefits go beyond just that.
It's Aviation Museum brings in around 50,000 to 60,000 people a year outside of AirVenture, he said. It also doubles as a tourist attraction and welcomes people to the area.
"It's a way to open the door to Oshkosh for people who might not come this way ordinarily," Knapinski said.
EAA is also looking to continue grow its presence year-round, adding a new education center part of a $6.2 million addition in 2022. Knapinski said the new center will increase the museum's ability to host student groups from all over the region, who come to learn more about aviation and its part in American history.
The large space needed for EAA also brings other attractions or fairs throughout the year. Knapinski said other events like agricultural expos bring visitors to Oshkosh as well.
For its part, the city of Oshkosh fosters its aviation industry with efforts like creating an 80-acre business park near Wittman Airport in 2017 to bring more aviation businesses.
Schaible said the growth of EAA and its location nearby Wittman Regional Airport has brought more aviation companies to the area. Along with his company Sonex, Schaible said Myers Aviation and Basler Flight Service benefit tremendously from AirVenture, which made Oshkosh a year-round "Mecca" for aviation.
"Oshkosh is a name recognized fondly by every pilot in the world," he said.
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EAA's AirVenture also provides economic boost for Oshkosh, Fox Valley
While AirVenture helps grow the aviation industry, it's impact on the local region — and how local communities help make the event thrive — trickles down.
According to a 2017 study from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, that year's AirVenture brought a total $170 million in economic benefit to the state’s Fox Valley Region, with almost $121 million direct spending from visitors and exhibitors.
Amy Albright, executive director of Discover Oshkosh, has seen the changes first hand. Growing up in Oshkosh, she worked part-time at AirVenture and has gone every year since working with Discover Oshkosh.
Although the main draw is often the air show itself, most of the attendees often end up seeing more of the city and region than just the AirVenture grounds.
Albright said many return visitors often stay at the same home or hotel and have favorite restaurants or attractions that become "part of the ritual" of coming into town for the air show.
She added EAA has been a "class act" in terms of how they help with the flow of people. She said the traffic jams of old have improved, and while supermarkets and restaurants get a good deal busier that week, the impact makes it hard not to welcome everyone back year after year.
"We hope it happens for 70 more years," she said. "Or forever."
The work and welcome from Oshkosh and EAA puts the Fox Valley on "bucket lists"
Albright said one of the favorite stories she heard about AirVenture came a few years ago.
While she was working the information booth at the event, an 80-year-old man from South Africa came up and started talking how this was his first time in Oshkosh. He told her AirVenture was on his "bucket list" and loved the event, and said he was going to be back.
Pelton said while talking to people in Oshkosh, they will tell him about people who they housed during EAA from all over the world. Often, they would tell them about how they travelled to visit them again 20 years later or how those same people came back year after year to the same house and became lifelong friends.
"It gives you a wonderful feeling of how the event makes the world a much smaller place," he said.
That symbiotic relationship for Oshkosh and AirVenture has given the city a great reputation.
Although the annual July event is officially called AirVenture, many attendees just call it "Oshkosh," Albright said. So when people look forward to the aviation version of "Disney World" and it's the name of your city, she said "you can’t pay for that kind of name recognition."
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The way EAA and AirVenture helps give back directly to the city also highlights that relationship. Residents can get part-time jobs on the grounds or rent out their houses or spare rooms to visitors, which Albright said helps everyone get "a piece of the pie."
Knapinski said Oshkosh is now EAA's "hometown" and the organization is in the "right place" for everyone to benefit.
Contact Bremen Keasey at 920-570-5614 or bkeasey@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Keasinho.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: EAA made Oshkosh, AirVenture an aviation destination in its 70 years
