In adding these 14,000-plus events to ForeFlight, Ren Scott, EAA’s director of business development, underscores the benefits to ForeFlight users and tells the press [that adding these events] “makes the ForeFlight database even more comprehensive for the thousands of pilots who rely on it for flight information.”

Scott goes on to say that “ForeFlight has always been an excellent source of flight planning and safety, but with EAA’s information, it will add more reasons to fly and destinations to discover.” And, of course, most of us pilots will take almost any reason to fly. $100 hamburger anyone?

And just in time for AirVenture, this cooperative effort between EAA and ForeFlight is now officially live and available to users. As far as local EAA chapters are concerned, this integration of EAA events with ForeFlight will also provide a mechanism for those chapters to update their upcoming activities first on the EAA calendar of events, thereby allowing local events to get uploaded into the ForeFlight database on a regular, automated basis, creating a seamless experience for users and EAA chapters alike.

• READ MORE: Lessons Learned: ADM to the Rescue

The post EAA Events Added to ForeFlight appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

By mid-July, I had a dance card filled, with interviews and media events blocked for every one of the seven days I would be in attendance. I had read everything I could about what to pack and wear to stay comfortable walking from one end of the venue to another in search of the next story. I had talked to my sister and other friends who had been there. I was ready.

I knew I would have some time between events and interviews, so I planned to take in the daily air shows and spend some time visiting the museum to get out of the heat. I had starry-eyed visions of leisurely conversations with the owners of fabulously restored vintage birds and plenty of time to people watch. But I didn’t know about the Oshkosh vortex.

The trouble started on day one, Sunday, after I picked up FLYING Media Group technical editor Meg Godlewski from Appleton International Airport (KATW) and then innocently tried to get us into the event. We spent 45 minutes touring at least three of the campgrounds, off-roading on terrain my low-clearance Honda wasn’t designed to handle. I’m still not entirely sure how we managed to get into those areas, much less out again—arguing like an old married couple over which way to go.

And it wasn’t the last time during the week my navigational skills departed, which was disconcerting because they are usually decent at worst. I’m going to blame it all on the fact that the event map wasn’t oriented to the north. Godlewski may be skeptical about that.

Meanwhile, FMG travel editor Jonathan Welsh was having an even more frustrating experience. Weather forced him to abort his Sunday flight into the event, and the next day he made the difficult decision to return home in light of the low visibility conditions because of smoke.

FMG editor-in-chief Julie Boatman nodded sagely at my midweek “flustration” when my schedule continued to rearrange itself in unexpected ways. “That’s the Oshkosh vortex,” she said.

The best-laid plans at AirVenture have a way of swirling out of your hands. And so it turned out that my first Oshkosh was as much about learning how to Oshkosh—psychologically—as it was about getting great stories. The trick is to embody airshow zen. You just let the swirling tides move you. And when you do, you might end up somewhere unexpectedly awesome—like when I found myself with Godlewski in the cockpit of NASA’s Super Guppy, interviewing pilot Ray Heinemann about what it’s like to fly the beast; or with Jeremy King a day later, chatting with the Guppy’s flight engineer, Nelson Reyes, about his career journey at the FMG booth.

• READ MORE: STOL Enthusiasts Flocked to AirVenture

I also learned that one must plan around the weather. Early morning is a perfect time to visit many of the exhibits, while the light is beautiful and before the scene fills with visitors. Photographer Stephen Yeates took advantage of this strategy on Tuesday to capture some incredible images, the early morning light filtering dramatically through the wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada.

I learned the hard way that midday is not a time to schedule anything, other than maybe a writing session in an air-conditioned space (or, I assume, a quiet stroll through the museum. I never did make it in). My schedule often found me trudging to interviews in the sweltering heat and suffering from dizzying exhaustion as a consequence.

However, pulling back my dripping hair and venturing out with my water bottle in the heat occasionally found my efforts rewarded (even if I had to take a timeout later), particularly on a visit to the ICON Aircraft booth midweek. I sat with CEO Jerry Meyer and talked about the unique design of the amphibious A5.

Meyer confirmed my initial observation about the design of the cockpit, which feels almost as approachable as a car. It was developed to be accessible, with information delivered to the pilot at a glance and controls intuitively laid out in the small space.

Meyer drew my attention to one particular difference from many GA cockpits (even glass cockpits): the prominent angle-of-attack indicator placed at the top right of the instrument panel. “Rather than watching airspeed,” Meyers said, “you fly the angle of attack. You do this during climb, in straight-and-level flight, and flying a pattern and landing.”

Engineering innovations tend to have tradeoffs, and this airplane is no exception. The wing design makes it incredibly hard to stall the A5—you can see many videos of reactions to this during demo flights on the company’s YouTube channel (and I’m sure my reaction was no different). The pilot retains some aileron control even when fully stalled; the tradeoff comes in terms of speed. A sleek design means a tight margin for useful load—you’re not going to be taking long cross-country flights with a friend and lots of gear in an A5.

Meyer walked me around one of the company’s A5 models on display at its booth and pointed out the wing-folding design, which makes it possible to tow the airplane to the lake for a weekend. An ideal perk for the target market for this airplane: people who want an amphibious airplane to enjoy air and water at their leisure.

• READ MORE: ICON Bumps Useful Load of A5 LSA Seaplane

A few days later, I drove to the beautifully appointed Brennand Airport (79C) in Neenah, about 10 miles north of Oshkosh, to take a demo flight with one of the company’s instructor pilots, Alex Mason, regional sales director for the West Coast (Seattle to San Diego), and experience some of its characteristics in action. We took off and headed west to Lake Winneconne.

Once over the water, Meyer demonstrated a stall. The airplane entered the condition reluctantly, and there was never a full break. We hovered for a bit in a falling-leaf stall and then made a couple of turns using the rudder while in the stall. I’m echoing many others here, but it was a weird experience, even knowing about this characteristic ahead of time.

Mason demonstrated a water landing and takeoff, talking me through the process of selecting a landing spot, observing wind direction on the water, and then flying a normal pattern and landing. Flying the angle of attack, as Meyer had suggested, was disconcerting for someone used to a constant mental calculus centered on airspeed and attitude. But it worked, as my landing wound up far smoother than I expected.

On takeoff, I marveled at the A5’s tendency to “slip the surly bonds of Earth” (with a nod to John Gillespie Magee Jr.) on its own. It needed only the slightest nudge to part from the water at rotation speed. In the air, Mason demonstrated some steep turns and a box canyon reversal, and I marveled at what appeared to be a duck with an angry lawn mower installed in it could be so nimble in the air.

As we touched down in Brennand, I felt a bit of letdown. I wasn’t sure I’d like the A5 before my flight. But after it was over, I was sad that I didn’t have more time to play in the air.

On my last day at Oshkosh, the vortex threw me a bone. I was invited to join a media flight aboard World War II Douglas C-47 Placid Lassie in a special formation flight with the Vaerus Jet Sales Douglas DC-3. The airplanes are part of the D-Day Squadron, which will return to Europe next year to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy invasion.

I thought a lot about the young men who had sat in my place 79 years ago and about the tides that moved them to their fates. It was a sobering reflection and an honor to be part of that little bit of history for a few fleeting moments. And that, the honoring of the past and celebration of innovation and exploration, is what AirVenture is all about. 

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. 

The post Sketches of Adventure appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

While it’s true recreational aviation is not the cheapest activity you could enjoy, neither is flying only for folks with thick wallets. If you keep an open mind, some aircraft are likely to fit your budget.

Pilots who fly for enjoyment—aerial sightseeing, short cross-country trips, $100 hamburger fly-outs, and more—can acquire affordable aircraft if they are willing to look a little further.

Taking a survey of the light sport aircraft and/or experimental segments of the market, I offer seven suggestions. I provide a range of aircraft types, but each that is discussed is only one of the numerous others of a similar type available in the light aviation fleet. The choices you have are truly quite amazing. Let’s take a look.

SkyReach BushCat by AeroSport

With operations in Wisconsin and Florida, AeroSport has for many years represented South Africa’s BushCat from SkyReach, one of the most affordable airplanes in the entire LSA fleet.

Base priced at below $100,000, the BushCat adds value through its versatility. The BushCat can be bought ready to fly, as a kit, as a tri-gear or taildragger, on floats or not. It is roomier inside than it may appear. At 52 inches, the BushCat has one of the broadest cabins among all LSA. For comparison, the ubiquitous Cessna 172 has a 39.5-inch-wide cabin.

The Bushcat’s tough and light Dacron-Trilam fabric covered aircraft—needing no paint, which reduces added weight—offers a generous payload and a fuel load (24.8 gallons) good for six hours of flying. Additional features include a center joystick, dual rudder pedals, and unique dual throttles at the end of each outside armrest that fold up out of your way to ease entry and exit.

The BushCat was formerly known as the Cheetah from Rainbow Aircraft. When SkyReach took over manufacturing and professionalized the organization, it rebranded the aircraft as the BushCat. It also made a series of positive improvements to an airplane that flew well, which SkyReach has continuously upgraded and improved ever since.

AeroSport represents the BushCat from two geographically desirable locations in the U.S. Run by Daniela and Jeremy Knoll, the company’s home base is in northern Illinois in Wonder Lake, making it almost a neighbor of the Experimental Aircraft Association about 140 miles to the north in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. AeroSport’s hanger and maintenance facility is located at Galt Airport (10C).

More recently, AeroSport and its partners purchased a large hangar and established a sales, service, and maintenance facility at the DeLand Municipal Airport (KDED) in central Florida. Branching out to a climate that works year-round, the Knolls made a major facility investment and hired Troy Scholte to be their on-site director of maintenance in DeLand.
Scholte provides full manufacturer services for all BushCat aircraft models, but he can also work on conventional (standard category/Part 23) aircraft using his A&P/IA credentials.

If the BushCat doesn’t meet your needs, AeroSport is also a dealer for TL Sport Aircraft and TAF Sling models, and each of these well-established companies offer several models.

Flight Design CTLS by Airtime

“Flight Design is pleased to announce the availability of the (Rotax) 914T option for the CTLS GT 2020,” the German company told journalists amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This also came as the newer, more powerful Rotax 915iS was about to be introduced. Today, that creates an opportunity for some buyers.

The CT-series is the most successful model among all 158 special light sport aircraft (SLSAs) the FAA has accepted. More than 400 are flying around the U.S. Many of these are in excellent shape with fairly low hours, making them possibilities for a pilot who wants top of the line at less-than-new retail.

While the company has been focused on its new F-series, the CTLS remains in production and is actively being sold. The popular model fits regulations in many countries. Another producer, Taiwan-based AeroJones Aviation, builds the model for the Asia-Pacific market. It added another 50 aircraft to the fleet.

The CTLS is well known for its spacious 49-inch-wide interior, huge visibility with no side struts to block your view, sprightly top-of-the-category performance, and tremendous range. CTLS carries 35 gallons of fuel, letting it run nearly 1,000 sm (869 nm) nonstop. With these characteristics, CTLS makes a great country flying machine. As proof, several models have been flown all around the world.

“The design team did a beautiful job integrating the Rotax 914 with the turbocharger and intercooler into the new longer cowling of the CTLS GT 2020,” said company leader Daniel Guenther.

One visual clue of the potent engine is a large NACA inlet. Rotax’s 914 Turbo engine produces 115 hp for a limited time and helps the CTLS operate to higher altitudes and from higher elevation fields.

“CTLS GT is a thoroughly modern aircraft that can reach 140 knots (ktas at altitude) and can climb at better than 2,000 feet per minute,” Guenther said.

With the addition of the Rotax 914T option, the long-running CTLS extends its range again. Numerous other used models are available in America and around the globe powered by the carbureted Rotax 912 and the fuel injected 912iS.

Arion Lightning

Perhaps you’ve noticed that U.S. companies often offer aircraft kits while their European counterparts lean toward fully built aircraft. These two manufacturing activities require very different capabilities.

The Europeans had regulations that encouraged fully built aircraft, while those in the U.S. were restricted by expensive regulations. Thanks to work by EAA over many years, kit building filled the gap. U.S. companies became good at offering kits and supporting builders. One such company emerged when light sport aircraft burst on the scene more than 20 years ago.

Arion Aircraft, based in Shelbyville, Tennessee, offers a U.S.-owned, designed, built, and supported line of aircraft assembled mostly from U.S.-sourced components. At a time when many fine light sport aircraft come from overseas, some U.S. pilots prefer to deal with a company in their own country, in English, and in U.S. currency.

Pilots were captivated by the airplane’s graceful lines and speedy performance. Arion’s credibility was secured after the producer underwent one of the FAA’s intensive audits—six officials scoured the design and facilities for three full days. Led by owner Nick Otterback, Arion completed this exercise successfully, proving its design integrity and manufacturing quality.
New or used, Lightning LSAs are commonly powered by the Jabiru 3300 6-cylinder, 120 hp engine, which gives the model thrilling performance. Yet some pilots want a different engine or other changes, and Arion can accommodate them by offering kits.

Some Lightning builders elect the UL Power engines, and Arion has demonstrated a Lightning with a Lycoming O-320 at 160 hp. When it does not need to obey the LSA rule’s 120-knot speed limit, the Lightning can blaze along at speeds approaching 200 mph. Nonetheless, it stalls at 45 knots clean.

Handling is crisp and clean while not being touchy, and a pilot can land it without special skills.

A new Lightning can top $150,000, but used models can save a large percentage of the original price. Alternatively, you can opt for a standard kit and build it in as small a space as a one-car garage, taking about 500 hours for the average builder.

With engine, propeller, interior, paint, and instruments on top of the kit price, you could get airborne for less than $100,000.

Aero Adventure Aventura

Lots of pilots love the idea of seaplanes…their purchase cost, not so much. Amphibious floats are surprisingly costly. Fitted to a Cessna 210, the float installation and approval alone will cost more than an entire LSA seaplane. On the other hand, the 210 can carry much more, but you see the contrast.

As enjoyable as seaplanes may be, they commonly represent a high acquisition cost with extra maintenance needed. One Florida company offers a vastly more affordable alternative.

Aero Adventure is now a key partner in Aero Affinity, a new organization at the DeLand, Florida, airport, home to several other light aircraft companies about 30 miles inland from the Atlantic coast. Aero Affinity offers a variety of aircraft for most needs and budgets—new and used, kit or fully built. It will also service all of them making a convenient one-stop shop.

Seaplanes are uniquely enjoyable, offering far more places to land than any wheeled aircraft, and usually provide a low-altitude view many pilots only see during takeoff and landing. Given landable bodies of water far outnumber airports, seaplanes even include a safety premium.

If I’ve convinced you seaplanes are desirable but expensive, how much does an Aventura II kit-built aircraft cost when a typical owner completes the building job? The answer in late 2022 was less than $60,000, though we’re all aware prices have been rising rapidly in all areas, so you’ll want to check the current cost. Owner build time is only in the area of 250 hours, depending on your skills and work practices.

What if you don’t want to build? Extending its capabilities, Aero Adventure won SLSA acceptance from the FAA, so it can now offer a fully built SLSA model base priced around $125,000 (please check for the latest quote), which must be regarded as a bargain in ready-to-fly seaplanes.

In business for more than 20 years, Aero Adventure is led by Alex Rolinski, a former banker with an A&P certificate and an energetic young team in DeLand. Aero Adventure can boast some 200 Aventura models built, a conservative estimate since kit builders are not required to report progress to the manufacturer. Adding predecessors like the original Buccaneer, the fleet approaches 1,000 aircraft, showing the appeal of this affordable design.

Zenith CH-750

Readers know off-road vehicles but how about “off-airport” flying machines? Even if you don’t use that term, you may know one of the favorite aircraft that appeals to so-called backcountry pilots. I refer to Zenith Aircraft’s best-selling CH-750.
Many refer to it as the “Sky Jeep.” One glance at an example explains the term of affection.

Evolved over the years from the inventive mind of the late Chris Heintz, the CH-750 has a long and successful history with hundreds of delighted owners. Nearly all were built with its kit, an activity the Mexico, Missouri, company supports wonderfully well. Today, Zenith is professionally run by one of Heintz’s three sons, Sebastien Heintz, the company’s leader for more than 30 years.

Upgraded in 2008, the CH-701 got a bigger, wider, more refined-looking sibling, the CH-750. Though it visually resembles the CH-701, the 750 stands 2 inches taller and is 11 inches longer with a 2-foot-9-inch greater wingspan, bumping wing area to 144 square feet from 122 on the CH-701. Weight also rose to the LSA limit of 1,320 pounds. Since then, the company has continued to tweak and upgrade its line.

Along with Van’s Aircraft of the RV-series fame, Zenith is among the most prolific kit providers, leading the light aviation segment year after year. One way it has kept the energy is by supporting a variety of engines so pilots can have their preference. Choices have become increasingly powerful.

Takeoff in a CH-750 remains swift with its high-lift slotted wing. Even a more heavily loaded CH-750 can clear the deck in 100 feet or so. Center-stick handling is light and easy, a characteristic you find on all of Chris Heintz’s easy-to-build designs.

Zenith has found a ready market with lots of buyers for its CH-701 or CH-750 models. As STOL (short takeoff and landing) models, Sky Jeeps aren’t built for speed. For pilots who prefer a higher cruise speed to travel cross country, Zenith introduced the Cruzer a few years back. It dispenses with the slotted wings and fat tires. Fitting wheelpants and using only a single-wing strut and a cleaner wing, Cruzer adds 10 knots, yet it can still manage a very short takeoff and landing and retains the easy flying qualities of Sky Jeep.

Unfinished kit projects or a supply of used models offer purchase choices to budget buyers.

Alternative Aircraft

A trio of aircraft tick the box for great less-well-known options outside of traditional airplanes for the pilot seeking an affordable flight experience. They include:

• Gyro Technique VX-1 Gyroplane kit

• Evolution Revo or Revolt Weight Shift

Gyro Technique VX-1 Gyroplane

All of the aircraft we’ve discussed so far are conventional fixed-wing, three-axis aircraft, but traditional airplanes only represent part of the magic. A broad group of nonconventional, non-fixed-wing aircraft also populate the LSA space. One of the most popular is the gyroplane.

Some people still say “Gyrocopter,” but that is a brand name from Bensen. Over the past 15 years, European designers took early blueprints and developed the category into some very impressive rotary-winged flying machines. They also improved flight characteristics and made modern gyroplanes easier to fly. Gyroplanes distinguish themselves from nearly all light fixed-wing aircraft by flying well in windy conditions.

Along with the push to build ever-slicker models, the gyroplane industry dedicated itself almost exclusively to two-seat aircraft. Some have added side-by-side seating to tandem. Not everybody needs two seats.

Older U.S.-built gyroplanes such as the Bensen Gyrocopter were single-seaters. Maybe that was best then, when stability was different than today. However, as modern gyroplanes returned to popularity in the segment, single-seaters started a modest revival.

I discovered Gyro Technic’s VX1 at the Midwest LSA Expo in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Developer and machine shop business owner Denis Schoemaker has created a thoroughly modern gyroplane with all modern advances but in single-seat form.

Buyers often say they want a second seat for a friend or their spouse, yet more often than not, these aircraft are flown solo. A single-seat aircraft has some advantages, and pilots can merely enjoy themselves without having to assure their passenger is comfortable. Single-seaters can also cost less, partly because they don’t need as much engine.

Combine these attributes with some of the finest, beautifully accented machine work you’ll ever see, and Gyro Technic truly has something.

Evolution Revo or Revolt

If you’ve ever checked out trikes, also called weight shift control aircraft (FAA’s preferred term for the type), you may already understand the joy of highly simplified control input and great portability at much less cost than fixed-wing aircraft.

Some people think of a (weight shift) trike as a motorcycle of the air. The analogy isn’t perfect, but let’s go with it. Have you ever closely examined a modern motorcycle? Many have become metallic works of art—with price tags to match.

Even veteran cyclists may want to give a close look at a stunning entry from Evolution Trikes called Revo. If you have any interest in trikes, Revo is definitely one you must check out closely to fully appreciate its depth of innovation. In every detail of its construction, Revo is highly impressive. Prices start below $100,000 for the top-of-the-line model. Evolution also offers Revolt (or RevoLT), Rev X, and Rev, the latter a Part 103 entry. New prices start at less than $20,000.

Run by trike pilot extraordinaire Larry Mednick and his wife, Amy (also a trike pilot and instructor), Evolution is a central Florida company located at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (KZPH), not far from Tampa. With an all-American design and production, Evolution Trikes can provide U.S.-based customer service.

Revo and its siblings are highly evolved creations in the weight shift world. If you take a close look at any Evolution machine, you’ll uncover some of the detailed thinking that went into these best-of-breed flying machines.

Our Take

Let me repeat: You have many more choices than those portrayed here. This was a good, varied sampling, but it was only a rather narrow glimpse into the affordable aviation field.

Please visit ByDanJohnson.com, where you can search for written articles or video links to nearly every light aircraft that might be called affordable. In the next few months, ByDanJohnson.com will transition to AffordableAviation.com.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the August 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. 

The post The Practical Magic of Economical Buys appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The traffic targets were thick on ForeFlight, a swarm of blue triangles trying to wedge into the same path. I fell in behind a Cessna 180 to begin the arrival, and as we flew down the railroad tracks, a few pilots got peeled off to restart their arrival—15 over the speed limit works on Interstate 75, but on the arrival to EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh, not so much. There are no passing lanes unless you’re a true “fast mover.” None of us were transmitting—because there’s no room to get a word in edgewise.

“Friends, this is your afternoon ATC team taking over for the morning crew, who have been doing a fantastic job—and you pilots have been as well! As a heads-up, we’re landing on runways 27 and 36, and keep your eyes open because there’s an ag applicator spraying directly beneath Fisk. Now everybody, pick a partner, fall in behind them, and maintain space of a half mile up to a mile. Welcome to Oshkosh, everyone. We’re glad you came.”

Before long, some controller had me in his binoculars. “Gray Mooney over Fisk, rock your wings!” A Mooney is built to fly in long, straight lines, and it really doesn’t appreciate the ailerons hitting the stops. Add in my airliner-deadened feet on the rudder, and the turn coordinator was only too happy to announce its unhappiness as we wallowed through a quick Dutch roll. “Great rock! Follow the railroad northbound; you’ll be landing on 27.” I flew the rest of the arrival as charted, guided by the controllers along the way when to make the turns.

Turning off the runway, I took a deep breath, realizing my palms were a little moist, and a little shake was subsiding in my hands. My day job is based at the world’s busiest airport, but the busy precision of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport pales in comparison to the controlled chaos of the arrival into Oshkosh.

A Lifetime of AirVenture

My first time flying my own plane into AirVenture was in 2021. Before that, I’d flown in as an airport kid on a glorified Young Eagles flight in 1995, and my next AirVenture wasn’t until 2007, when I arrived on an airliner and drove from Milwaukee. Fourteen years later, I showed up working with Plane & Pilot, flying my own Mooney into the event. Each year I’ve attended, the event has been different, but the magic of my first visit still hasn’t worn off.

In 1995, I got to meet Richard VanGrunsven as he unveiled the RV-8 during its first public appearance. Once the folks at Van’s Aircraft found out I had an RV-4 tail kit with my grandfather, they signed me up for a demo ride. Crammed next to us was Mort Crim, a famous broadcaster who inspired Will Farrell’s Ron Burgundy character. At an event in the warbirds section, I got to shake hands with Tex Hill, a Flying Tiger, and Chuck Yeager. Both of them signed my EAA ball cap, a memento I miss, having lost it in one of many moves in my itinerant phase.

In a forum tent, I got to see Gordon Baxter, a former columnist from FLYING, speak for about an hour of quality entertainment. I had an English teacher back home trying to get me enthusiastic about writing, and as Bax held court, I realized that writing about flying at an airshow was basically a license to steal. After all, who could resist the invitation for their bird to grace the pages of an aviation magazine?

The experience was heady stuff for a 15-year-old with nothing but big hopes and a few lines in his logbook. I crewed on an airshow team through my last years of high school and college. I’ve watched so many airshows from the other side of the crowd line that they don’t hold my attention like they used to—the entertaining acts for me are the low-performance airplanes putting on a good show. Stock Stearmans move to the front of the line in my book. No disrespect for the guys flying the high-powered monoplanes, but the slow movers are my jam.

That said, there’s always a fantastic lineup of performers at AirVenture, with a good variety to captivate nearly anyone. That’s the magic of AirVenture. If you love airplanes, there’s enough here to interest you for the duration, regardless of your market segment. You could dive into the forums and educational opportunities for the length of your stay, roam the antiques in appreciation of yesteryear, or imagine yourself as a military hero in the warbird area.

Shopping for an airplane? Whether it’s a some-assembly-required kit or a factory-built million-dollar bird, you can meet up with owners and sales folks who can answer your questions and allow you to put your hands on equipment that beats the heck out of any online video or website.

Read the Notice

If you’re coming to Oshkosh for the first time, let me say this loudly: Read the Notice. I mean, you already read all the pertinent NOTAMs before you fly, right? The AirVenture procedures Notice is longer than the entire NOTAM package I’m given for a typical airline flight—and that’s a lot of paper.

But, unlike standard NOTAMs, the AirVenture arrivals are printed in plain English, with many pictures. It’s almost like they really want pilots to read it. If you can find a friend to come along, even better. Sharing expenses is helpful, and a second set of eyes is invaluable. The controllers will ask you to maintain half-mile spacing in trail, and most of us aren’t used to doing that. Having someone looking at an EFB showing the traffic ahead can be a big help to keep your eyes outside while they’re studying the traffic, charts, frequencies, and fuel gauges.

Be comfortable with your aircraft before you leave home. I’ve talked to pilots who had just finished decades-long restorations before heading to the convention, and we’ve all seen beautifully restored classics ground looped—the two factors have almost certainly overlapped more than once.

Be ready for the controller to call your base turn directly toward the runway numbers—the colored spots used as touchdown targets are displaced well down the runway, and even knowing that, you’ll feel like you’re too high to make it. I felt the same last time, and still had to add power and fly in ground effect to the green dot.

Bring tiedowns. The volunteers will want you to drive stakes into the ground as soon as the prop stops turning, and while you can buy stakes on-site, the best options are the ones you bring. If I’m camping with my airplane, I usually wind up wishing I’d brought sandals for the shower house. Make sure your sunscreen isn’t expired (as I write, the last of my Sun ‘N Fun Aerospace Expo sunburn has just finished peeling), and a big floppy hat is a great idea. A cheap set of cutting boards to roll the tires onto when you park also helps keep your airplane from sinking into the mud.

The item that almost never shows up on a packing list is something to clamp your shower towel to the propeller—it makes a great clothesline, but a breeze can carry your towel away from your campsite. I’ve seen clothes pins fail miserably, but big black binder clips work well. Last time I forgot my binder clips, but a pair of vise-grip pliers from my emergency toolkit served as a fine substitute.
It may be your first time at AirVenture, or you may have lost count of your pilgrimages. We may have known each other for decades or friends who just haven’t met, but if you stroll by my Mooney in the vintage campground, stop by and say hi. We’re all family at Oshkosh. 

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the July 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot. 

The post Welcome to Oshkosh appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has announced that applications for its 2024 aviation scholarships are now open, offering aspiring aviators a financial leg up to pursue their dreams. These scholarships, which can help fund flight training and post-secondary education, are available to individuals age 16 and up.

The application window will remain open until March 1.

The EAA’s training scholarships aid in covering the costs of any flight school in the U.S. or Canada, with the exception of university programs. Post-secondary awards offer financial support for collegiate-level programs in the U.S., encompassing diverse fields such as aerospace or aeronautical engineering, aviation business administration, air traffic control, aviation maintenance, professional flight, or aviation-related STEM disciplines.

“The costs of training and education can be one of the biggest challenges students face when trying to achieve their goals,” said Becca Greskoviak, EAA scholarship and fund steward coordinator. “EAA is able to help break down that barrier through our scholarship program.”

Potential applicants can learn more about individual scholarships and access the online application procedures on EAA’s website. The EAA Aviation Foundation administers the scholarships, offering opportunities to those passionate about aviation.

The EAA, headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and featuring 270,000 members and 900 local chapters, fosters the camaraderie and passion for flying, aircraft building, and restoration.

The post Application Window Open for EAA Aviation Scholarships appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Over his lifetime until his death in 2015, Bede produced many efficient and capable general aviation aircraft designs. However, long before the BD-4, BD-5, BD-6, and eventually the BD-10 jet project, his very first design, the Bede BD-1, must be considered his most successful. This petite little two-seat trainer and personal travel machine led to an entire line of fast, efficient, and fun production aircraft.

Fresh out of college in Kansas, Bede began his career in the late 1950s at North American Aviation as a performance engineer. While he remained at NAA for a relatively brief stint, this was a time of great innovation in military aviation design. His later use of honeycomb materials and other advanced design features likely began there.

Returning to his hometown of Cleveland in 1961, he created Bede Aviation Corp. His goal was to design and market a sporty two-seat homebuilt airplane that would outperform the Cessna 150, utilize modern design concepts, and could be towed to and from the airport. The result was the BD-1, a two-seat, low-wing monoplane that utilized revolutionary, for the time, aluminum honeycomb; bonded rather than riveted construction; and interchangeable control surfaces. The left and right wings, stabilizers, and elevators were identical. The simple landing gear incorporated a full swiveling nose gear, which 30 years later became the standard for new designs, such as those for Cirrus and Diamond.

For the wing, he chose a tubular spar that contained the fuel and incorporated a folding mechanism that allowed for highway travel. This fuel in the spar design carried through to all of the Yankees, Cheetahs, and Tigers produced by Grumman American and others. Its main structural member is a 6.5-inch cylindrical aluminum spar, which doubles as a 12-gallon fuel tank to provide a total of 24 gallons.

Certainly the most identifiable feature was the sliding canopy. Similar to the jet fighters he had worked on at NAA, the canopy simplified entry and exit, doing away with the heavy door structure and giving the pilot great visibility. Oh, yes, flying with the canopy open has always been cool. The entire kit, including the engine, was set to go on sale for just $2,500. All of this was heady stuff for the early 1960s.

The BD-1 first flew on July 11, 1963, and met or exceeded all design specifications. The prototype featured a 117-knot cruise speed, a VNE of more than 200 knots, and an initial climb rate in excess of 1,000 feet per minute. Initially designed as a kit, Bede was so pleased with the prospects for marketing his new design that he decided to go the Part 23 certification route for the BD-1.

Soon after, Bede Aviation became American Aviation Corp., the BD-1 would become the American Yankee, and a group of Cleveland businessmen came on board as investors. However, homebuilt kit design and certification of a Part 23 aircraft are two different challenges. Eventually, Bede and his new board disagreed on how to achieve these goals, and he departed the company in a foreshadowing of business issues that would follow him through his career. American Aviation, managed by the Cleveland business group, commissioned a modest redesign of the aircraft to make it easier to certify, and the AA-1 American Yankee debuted in 1968.

The Yankee became an immediate hit. With a price tag just less than $7,000, a sliding canopy, responsive controls, and a short-coupled fuselage, it was a delight to fly and outperformed the competition. It took just about six years for the first 1,000 aircraft to go out of the factory door. The AA-1 Yankee continued in production for more than 10 years in several different iterations. Its responsive controls and outstanding performance eventually inspired fighter-style paint jobs, such as Flying Tiger shark mouths, and likely even a few white scarves.

Flush with success, the American Aviation board decided a four-seat aircraft was required. Initially a clean-sheet concept, the AA-2 Patriot was designed, built, and test flown. However, it did not meet the desired performance goals and was scrapped. So efficient was the original Bede design that American Aviation decided to simply stretch it to create the space and performance required for a four-seat cross-country aircraft.

The result was the AA-5 Traveler, which proved to be an immediate success, outpacing the competition in both price and performance. The BD-1 design was flexible and seemingly timeless. Unfortunately, like so many aviation stories, this one contains several episodes of mergers and acquisitions.

American Aviation was soon purchased by military aerospace giant Grumman Aviation. Enter aerodynamic wizard Roy LoPresti. A team of Grumman engineers led by LoPresti worked their magic on the Traveler.

Using some tricks from the high-performance aircraft Grumman was famous for, they created two improved versions of the BD-1-inspired Traveler.

The 150 hp Cheetah and 180 hp Tiger earned a reputation as rapid transit machines. Even today, the Cheetah outruns 180 hp conventional fixed-gear singles, and the Tiger gives retracts a run for their money. Reduced cooling drag, optimized landing gear fairings, and other aerodynamic improvements added to Bede’s elegant BD-1 design, setting new standards for performance, value, and fun flying.

Bede went on to design a series of homebuilt kit aircraft. They were simple to construct, efficient, and often ahead of their time. His BD-5 Micro, wrapped in controversy as a piston-powered machine, went on to dazzle air show fans as the amazing BD-5J Microjet.

However, his original design, the BD-1, would shape the future of the GA industry. One look at a late model Cirrus, Tecnam, or Diamond, and their simplified landing gear, modern construction materials, aerodynamic cockpits and canopies, and attention to overall drag reduction are evident—just as they were on the original BD-1.

Eventually, Grumman Aerospace was sold to a Savannah, Georgia-based jet manufacturer in 1973 and became Gulfstream American. Most recently, West Virginia-based Tiger Aviation picked up the type certificate and produced the 180 hp Tiger until 2006.

In the end, Bede’s first design, the BD-1, fostered a line of more than 6,000 aircraft, up to and including the GA-7 Cougar Twin.

As a testament to the timeless design, so many of these spirited machines are lovingly maintained and still flown by their devoted owners. Thank you, Jim, for this incredible airplane. PP

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the July 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot. Subscribe to get the best in print! 

The post This Incredible Plane: Bede BD-1 appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Frank Knapp, an Alaskan STOL pilot and current holder of the Valdez STOL record distance, and his wife, Kris, have been coordinating the STOL demonstration at AirVenture since its inception in 2014. Along with the Knapps, the elite of the STOL community were present to help put on a spectacular show.

Among the notables on the field were Russ Keith, founder of the ever-growing nonprofit organization  Airplanes & Coffee, and national STOL series founder Doug Jackson. 

STOL trailblazer Joe “Pops” Dory and STOL ”Queen” Anitra Goddard could be seen at the spot landing line, signaling to the fans if the landings were good or a scratch. 

The recognizable voices of Cory Robin and SuperAero Live YouTube host Ryan Dembroski, who announced for the series this season, could be heard over the loudspeakers engaging the crowd and narrating the piloting skills shown in each takeoff and landing.

The impressive lineup of demo pilots that the crowd was there to see flew in from everywhere to showcase their skills and aircraft. A majority of them jump between the growing STOL events that include STOL Drag, National STOL and ArkanSTOL. Eight of the 12 competitors flew in formation to Oshkosh from the national Sodbusters STOL competition that took place a short flight away in Hartford, Wisconsin, just days before the start of AirVenture.

The demo roster included some STOL greats (with airplane number in parentheses where applicable): (You can view the full details of the STOL demo pilots and their aircraft here.)

• Amir Bayani, STOL Bandits—(100) Carbon Cub EX-2
• Austin Clemens—(62) “The Dog” Aviat Husky A-1C
• Brian Steck—(221) “Scooter” American Legend Cub MOAC 
• Harold “Hal” Stockman—(3) “The Lawnmower III” RANS S-7S
• Jason Busat—(12) “Full Send” 2023 RANS S-20
• Jeff Pohl—(00) “The Dirty Bird” Cessna 170B
• Joe Dory—(53) “Wicked Pacer” Experimental Pacer
• John Young—(127) “Stickers” Aviat Husky A-1B
• Kyle Bushman—Backcountry Super Cub Rev 3
• Richard Ness and Nick Smith—Experimental PA18 L21 Yooper Super Cub
• Steve Henry—(44) “Yeehaw 8” Wild West Aircraft, Just Aircraft Highlander XL
• Tony Terrell—1954 Piper L-21B

The crowd cheered and celebrated as pilots hit the line and shared in the disappointment if there was a scratch. Unlike previous years, this year’s demonstration was a purist’s delight as no measurements were taken, giving the event the feel of a spot landing contest where the pilots had freedom to have little fun with it.  

Austin Clemens could be seen showing off his reversible pitch prop capabilities as he  “accidentally” pulled too far over the start/finish line. Steve Henry ran on his big tires most of the week, eventually switching to his now popular knobby tire setup, as requested by fans who visited his vendor booth throughout the week in Oshkosh. Jason Busat flew in from Alberta, Canada, and was excited to debut his new 2023 Rans S-20 in the demonstration. 

View highlights here at the National STOL Series YouTube Channel and here at the Wild West Aircraft YouTube Channel

“The most exciting part of co-announcing the STOL Demo at Osh this year was seeing all of the passion the audience had and being able to tell the story of safety and proficiency that permeates the STOL community,” said Dembroski. “Cory [Robin] and I had lots of amazing interactions with kids of all ages at the fence line, and if we inspired even one young boy or girl to pursue flight or STOL, we’ve done our jobs.”

The weather usually makes headlines during AirVenture, and this year was no different as the event experienced record-setting, sweltering hot days and powerful evening thunderstorms that turned the grounds into what has affectionately been dubbed “Sloshkosh.” The storms brought strong wind gusts that took out some tents, vendor booths, and a few ultralights.

The STOL demonstrations were originally scheduled to take place on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, but because of the adverse weather conditions, the Friday event had to be canceled. The STOL pilots didn’t disappoint the unwavering crowd and made up for it with an engaging Q&A session moderated by Robin and Dembroski, where they passed out stickers and autographed posters.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on flyingmag.com.

The post STOL Enthusiasts Flocked to AirVenture appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Equipped with a sliding canopy over two seats and control sticks, the M20T was unmistakably geared for military service. Under the wings, four hardpoints gave the Predator teeth in the form of missiles, light rockets, or gun pods.
Much like the 1951 effort, the Predator showed well—but not well enough. The official reason for its rejection was that the M20T did not recover well from spins with a full load of fuel. Mooney wings are lauded for their strength and stability. The former was an asset, the latter a liability in this design. Roll rates were lackluster, failing to meet design criteria despite numerous revisions to the ailerons. Spin recovery has never been great with the Mooney design, and that was really the nail in the coffin. A one-turn spin was easily recoverable with quick recovery inputs. A two-turn spin took another four turns to recover; a four-turn spin wasn’t recoverable. Mooney withdrew from the competition before it ended.
The winner was the Slingsby T-3 Firefly, which raised some eyebrows: “Made in America” was a stipulation of the contract, but Slingsby built most of the airplane in the U.K. and assembled it in the U.S. After a brief few years in service, the U.S. Air Force grounded the T-3 fleet in 1997 after a pair of spin-related accidents and an engine failure. They were destroyed in 2006.
Meanwhile, the M20T prototype had gathered dust at the Kerrville, Texas, factory. Jacques Esculier, the company’s president, ordered the prototype destroyed. The engine went back to Continental (it had been loaned for the venture), but the employees in Mooney’s R&D complex were more than a little attached to the machine they’d poured so much work into. In a clandestine effort, they disassembled the airframe and pigeonholed it in various spaces across the facility. And there it stayed hidden until it found a champion.
Former Mooney chief operating officer Tom Bowen recalled his first encounter with the design. “In 1995, the research and development team staff gained enough confidence in me, and they said, ‘We have something to show you—this project we’d really like to work on.’” The workers took him through the
hangars where the pieces of the M20T were scattered. “I knew a little about the program, but it hadn’t been my focus.”
Bowen received permission from the company’s president for the workers to resurrect the project, but Mooney was being prepped for sale so they had to do so without any meaningful budget. “So we begged, borrowed, and might have stolen a few pieces from the production line,” Bowen said of beginning to reassemble the airplane. Working evenings and weekends, the airplane began to come back together, this time with a Lycoming AEIO-540 under the cowl. The bird had never been underpowered, but this engine promised even more performance.
Now registered as N20XT, the unique Mooney took flight again, and Dirk Vander Zee, then Mooney’s vice president of sales and marketing, dubbed it the “Predator.” The name stuck, and the Predator gained its memorable paint scheme after Bowen’s daughters, armed with a three-view drawing and a box of crayons, colored in tiger stripes. In the hands of longtime Mooney experimental test pilot Mike “Mikey” Miles, the Predator took flight, and Miles started checking out the other Mooney test pilots in the bird.

The whole rehabilitation project had stayed beneath leadership’s radar, and on June 30, 1997, Bowen taxied the mostly complete Predator, its test time already flown off, to the main headquarters and parked it in front of the office of Mooney president Bing Lantis. “The offices all have windows out to the ramp, and as I walked in, he was speechless,” Bowen said. Lantis went for a ride, and magically, the team had a modest operating budget for the program. With a few bucks to use, the crayon on paper became paint on metal, and soon the bird was ready to display.
The Predator parked at the Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association tent that year at EAA AirVenture, and the next it was front and center for Oshkosh and the Sun ’n
Fun Fly-In.
The R&D team continued to tweak the design, modifying the flight control sizes, then adding and adjusting servo tabs to eke out every bit of maneuverability it could. The work was well outside the norm for Mooney’s engineers, who had built generations of stable, efficient aircraft but sometimes overshot their goals and had to rein back the project when it became too unstable. What they wound up with, Bowen recalled, was not the fingertip-flying mindbender that some would imagine.
“It’s not a two-finger machine,” Bowen said. “But it is a pleasant airplane to fly with one hand on the stick.” The 90-degree-per-second roll rate hoped for initially never really came to be—50 degrees per second is where it settled in, and inverted flight was never all that great, taking an aggressive nose-up pitch of 10-12 degrees to hold level inverted. “But it looped great, pulling only about 1.8 to 2 Gs.” It was speedy—160 knots or so in cruise, but the straight exhaust pipes with no mufflers made for a very noisy experience until ANR headsets came along.
Dreamers drooled over the design, but nobody was ready to pony up the bucks for orders, and when Bowen left Mooney, the Predator hardly flew. After a period of dormancy, the Florida Air Museum asked to display it, and it was ferried to Lakeland, where it sat for several years. It eventually wound up back in Kerrville at the Mooney factory, once again forlorn.
Don and Paul Maxwell, the father-son team at Maxwell Aviation, made an offer to the newest owners of Mooney: They’d restore the Predator to flight status if they could get permission. One might argue that short of the factory itself, Maxwell Aviation—one of the nation’s most popular Mooney Service Centers—would be the perfect place for such a project.
In 2020, the Maxwells showed up at Mooney’s Texas factory to bring the Predator back to their shop, but it didn’t fly home. The solid wing, a design trait Mooney owners brag about when it comes to comparison with other GA aircraft, becomes a liability if you want to haul a Mooney home. The crew from Maxwell Aviation set to drilling out the bulkhead’s rivets just aft of the cabin’s steel-tube cage and separated the tail, setting the pieces onto a flatbed trailer for transport.
The restoration took two years of part-time work as Paul led the effort, overhauling the engine and rebuilding the airframe. The M20T wing had featured larger-than-stock ailerons. Paul and his crew replaced that wing with a M20K wing, which brought them back to stock ailerons and flaps. The elevators had featured servo tabs to lighten stick forces, but after a few flights the team replaced them with stock equipment.
“Unless you’re going to be flying aerobatics every single flight, the older elevators were overkill,” Paul Maxwell said.
The Predator’s entire existence had ridden out numerous ownership changes at Mooney and a shoestring budget all along, but now the Maxwells have heaped the goodies onto it. Its instrument panel now features Garmin G3X Touch displays with engine instrumentation, CIES electronic fuel senders, and a Garmin GFC 500 autopilot.
The fuselage’s tiger stripes were replicated and extended to the wings. Carbon monoxide in the cabin was an issue all along, but the Maxwells have sorted that out, and it now has a Guardian CO detector. Sporting a 300 hp Lycoming AEIO-540 on the nose, the Predator certainly has the power to push you back into the seat and plaster a smile on your face.
“It’s a 170-knot airplane,” said Paul Maxwell. “It’s not as fast as a Bravo, but it will outclimb all the other Mooneys.”
The Predator returned to flight March 18 and recently attended a Mooney Caravan formation clinic in San Angelo, Texas. The Caravan clinic provides training through the year at regional venues before a giant formation arrival—with tentative plans for the Predator to lead it—at AirVenture in Oshkosh. The Predator will also be on display at MooneyMax, a Mooney-specific symposium in Longview, Texas, on June 22 through 25.
As for its future, what the Predator can do is limited mainly by regulation—it’s registered as experimental-exhibition. “Despite being factory built, it has more restrictions on its use than something built in a garage,” Paul said.
But he intends to fly it to Oshkosh for every AirVenture as long as he lives, and it will actively participate in Mooney caravan clinics as well as attending other, smaller events. 

Editor’s note: This story appeared in the July 2023 issue of Plane & Pilot magazine.

The post Mooney’s Almost-Warbird Returns to the Texas Skies appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

“It’s probably the strongest market that many of us have ever seen, including those of us that have been here for 33 or more years,” said Gunnarson at a Monday press conference at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 

But Gunnarson said it’s not pulling as hard as it was a year ago during an economic situation that was unsustainable.

“It was collapsing our traditional supply chain and pulling on the resources of every major OEM and supplier,” he said, noting that the market is leveling. “It’s a good place to be right now, a year after what is probably the peak. 

“In 2022 we delivered 236 aircraft. That was about 14 percent higher than we did in 2021. That increase was realized in both primary segments: We’ve got the trainer class and the M class.” 

Gunnarson added that this year the dealer networks report being sold out of 2023 inventory and projected that Piper is on track to deliver about 270 aircraft by end of year in spite of market pressures such as inflation and supply chain issues that continue to plague OEMs and suppliers. 

Because of those pressures, Piper Aircraft is pushing the envelope in terms of innovation and development of its brand. In addition to its announcement earlier this year that all M600s would sport the latest capabilities offered by Garmin for G3000-equipped aircraft, Gunnarson unveiled the company’s newly formed manufacturing enterprise at the press briefing in Oshkosh. 

• READ MORE: Piper M600 SLS: The First Production Plane That Lands Itself

The new manufacturing enterprise would seem to be a natural one. 

“We are probably the most vertically integrated OEM in the industry,” Gunnarson said. “If it’s not an engine, avionics, or a tire, it’s probably made in the four walls of Piper Aircraft. It’s what we know best.” 

According to Gunnarson, over the last four years nearly $30 million has been invested in facility and equipment upgrades for the company, including robotic riveting, state-of-the-art 3D printing, laser cutting, and more. He said these investments are key to improved product quality, employee well-being, enterprise productivity, long-term value for the company, and the ability to diversify in a challenging industry. 

Gunnarson said the new business enterprise, Piper Industrial Manufacturing Co. (PIMCO), “…will leverage and capitalize on these recent production improvements and investments. We are also adapting our own existing quality management system and pursuing AS-9100 certification.”

The Garmin capabilities for G3000-equipped airplanes include synthetic vision (SVT) enhancements, like 3D Safe Taxi, taxiway routing, cabin briefer, and GWX 8000 StormOptix weather radar with lightning and hail prediction. 

“Also those same new M600s will include a news suite of connected aircraft management capabilities leveraging Garmin’s new PlaneSync technology,” said Gunnarson.

This technology includes remote access to an aircraft through a 4G or Wi-Fi connection. 

“It automatically logs flight and engine data and uploads it to the cloud…after you’re out of the clouds on the ground,” he said. 

Remote aircraft status can show an owner where an aircraft is and check fuel and oil levels, systems, battery, and more. “Piper will be the first to market with this…full functionality of the Garmin PlaneSync system,” Gunnarson said. 

“[The] FAA just granted Piper ODA authorization,” said Gunnarson, adding that the engineering team expects to have it certified within a few weeks. “There will be no-charge kits available for M600s serial numbers 198 and up—we’re delivering serial number 260 this week.” 

The company is also developing a kit for M600s with serial numbers 81 through 197, and is predicting year-end availability for those kits. 

Gunnarson also highlighted the growth of Piper’s Global Flight School Alliance and three new fleet customers in India, with a total of 47 training aircraft fleet deliveries projected for 2024 and 2025. 

The post Piper Aircraft Announces New Parts Manufacturing at Oshkosh appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

PilotEdge has been proudly hosting SimVenture Oshkosh for four years now, and each time it only gets better. It’s a unique opportunity to emulate the flight procedures associated with the famous EAA AirVenture event. You’ll have the chance to fly into the virtual Oshkosh, guided by the actual Oshkosh air traffic controllers, using your very own flight simulator. Pretty neat, right?

Each year, the real-life Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, becomes a buzzing hub of more than 10,000 aircraft arriving for AirVenture. To handle this incredible influx of air traffic, the Experimental Aircraft Association collaborates with the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association to develop specific VFR arrival and departure procedures.

If you’re a real-world pilot, SimVenture represents a golden opportunity to brush up on your nonstandard VFR skills. Whether you’re a seasoned AirVenture attendee or new to the game, these procedures can be quite unique, and SimVenture offers a platform to practice and familiarize yourself with them, building confidence and contributing to safer real-world flights.

For flight simulator enthusiasts, SimVenture can make your dreams of flying into AirVenture come true, even if it’s in a virtual setting. This is your chance to experience the thrill of one of the most realistic flight simulations you’ve ever experienced.

The first SimVenture in 2020 was created as a response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, offering aviation lovers an exciting activity they could safely enjoy from home. It quickly became a massive success, with more than 1,000 virtual arrivals into Oshkosh.

By 2021, the event transitioned to a more training-focused approach, allowing pilots to use SimVenture as a rehearsal for the actual AirVenture event happening just a week later. This strategy continued into 2022, recording well more than 2,000 arrivals throughout the event.

And now, here we are, gearing up for SimVenture 2023. We are thrilled to be a part of this grand event with a virtual booth, joining you in exploring the virtual skies at SimVenture. So, mark the dates—July 13-16. Let’s celebrate our shared passion for aviation, learn, engage and, above all, have a great time. Can’t wait to see you there! Happy flying!

The post Practice for Oshkosh with PilotEdge SimVenture 2023 appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.