EAA AirVenture Oshkosh - History

History

EAA was founded in 1953 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as an organization for people who were building or restoring their own recreational aircraft. Homebuilding is still a large part of EAA but the organization has grown over the years to include almost every aspect of recreational aviation and aeronautics.

The first EAA fly-in was held in 1953 in Hales Corners, Wisconsin (near Milwaukee). In 1959, EAA fly-in moved to Rockford, Illinois. When it outgrew its facilities at the Rockford airport, the EAA fly-in moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1970.

For many years the official name of the event was The EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In. In 1998 the name was changed to AirVenture Oshkosh. But many regular attendees still refer to it as The Oshkosh Airshow or just Oshkosh.

For many years, the access to the flight line (the area directly adjacent to the Wittman Field runway) was restricted to EAA members only; this restriction was lifted in the late 1990s, when visitors to the airshow paid for membership up front. Some old fencing bordering the flight line still exists on the air show grounds, with the turnstiles removed.

Today, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is an international gathering place for aviation enthusiasts. An AirVenture participant can study the latest aircraft and innovations; discover new ideas and techniques from the nearly 1,000 forums and workshops; see aviation's top personalities; or just talk airplanes with people from around the world. EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH has become important and influential but retains its friendly and personal feel - part of the reason the world comes to Oshkosh every year.