EAA AirVenture attendance down slightly

The Experimental Aircraft Association reports a “slight decrease” in attendance for the 2008 AirVenture last week.

An estimated 540,000 people attended the AirVenture, less than in 2007 and almost equal to 2006’s attendance, according to EAA officials. There were more than 37,000 on-site campers.

More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport and other east central Wisconsin airports. The AirVenture featured 2,516 showplanes, including 972 homebuilt aircraft, 822 vintage airplanes, 404 Warbirds, 114 ultralights, 131 seaplanes, 40 aerobatic aircraft and 33 rotorcraft.

“The concern was that 2008 would be less than a banner year, because of questions and challenges in areas such as fuel prices and the economy, but it turned out t

o be an overwhelming week,” said EAA President Tom Poberezny. “Each day on the grounds was filled with outstanding activities

that made every day at AirVenture a unique event in itself. This year's ‘Oshkosh’ was the shot of enthusiasm, inspiration, and economic boost that aviation needed.

“This year’s attendance held steady for a variety of reasons, including superb weather, the substantial number of outstanding programs, a large number of aviation innovations unveiled at Oshkosh, and the importance of EAA AirVenture to the aviation community. Initial exhibitor response indicates that the majority of exhibitors reported good to record-setting sales.”

The AirVenture also featured 797 commercial exhibitors, up slightly from 2007.

Registered international visitors were 25 percent more than in 2007, with 2,128 visitors registered from 71 nations, led by Canada (492), Australia (299) and Brazil (186).

Poberezny said the abundant programs and evening programs transformed AirVenture into a 24/7 weeklong event.

"This year, people stayed on the grounds at night,” he said. “Crowds at Theater in the Woods ranged from 4,000 to 10,000 people. Every night in the Fly-In Theater there were five or six thousand people. A total of 1,200 activities throughout the week. AirVenture 24/7."

Poberezny says future EAA improvements would initially focus on grounds improvements including campsite and outdoor amenities, along with transportation infrastructure.

"The initial expenditures will be about $3.2 million," he said. After the 2009 convention July 27–Aug. 2, EAA plans to start work on enhancing the exhibit areas.

Looking ahead to 2009, Poberezny hinted at a multi-theme convention, including the arrival and showing of Virgin Galactic’s White Knight Two “and — hopefully — SpaceShipTwo,” he said. Also planned is a Concorde reunion, inviting flight crews and past passengers of the supersonic transport whose appearances at Oshkosh helped change how the aviation world looked at AirVenture; and a special tribute to mission aviation and the organizations that use flight to carry out their efforts throughout the world.

“For this year, it means a lot,” said Poberezny. “We’ve worked harder than ever before to create value, to create a reason to come. But it isn’t just what we did this year. It reinforces the relationships that our members and the aviation community have with Oshkosh.

"It wasn't what we did over the last three months, it was what we did over the last 30, 40, 50 years that caused people to come. I can reinforce to you very succinctly that the reason they came is not the airplanes. The reasons they came is the relationships, the people, the community.”