4 August 2016
+ VIDEO More than a half-million people and 10,000 aircraft descended on the little town of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA for last week’s EAA AirVenture event, according figures revealed today by the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association).
EAA Chairman Jack Pelton said, “It was a magical week at Oshkosh this year. You could sense the enthusiasm throughout the grounds no matter where you were.
“From the aviation anniversaries we celebrated, to the magnificent performances by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, to the airplanes and aviators who were here, there was an energy that reinvigorated everyone involved in aviation.”
Attendance: approximately 563,000, an increase of nearly one percent over 2015.
Total aircraft: more than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin.
Total showplanes: 2,855 (up 7 percent over 2015)including
Commercial exhibitors: final total of 891, a 10 percent increase over EAA AirVenture 2015.
Forums and Workshops: a total of 1,050 sessions attended by more than 75,000 people.
Guests registered at International Visitors Tent: a record 2,369 visitors registered from a record-tying 80 nations. Top countries represented: Canada (578 visitors), Australia (340), and Argentina (167).
“The planning for EAA’s 65th annual fly-in convention begins now,” said Pelton. “There are people already coming forward with ideas that we’ll consider in the coming weeks. Next year, for instance, is the 80th anniversary of the iconic Piper Cub airplane and the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force.
“We also want to continue to be the place where new aviation technology and innovations are unveiled to the world.
“Our evening lineups continue to provide attendees with additional reasons to stay throughout the night, and 2017 will be no different as we’ll kick off the week on Monday, 24 July, with an evening concert by the Grammy-nominated alt-rock band Barenaked Ladies, presented by Ford Motor Company.
“Although the lineup of features, attractions and anniversaries is still developing, it will be a collection of aircraft and people unmatched anywhere in the world.”
