Hello Virginia Flying Lovers!
The DOAV booth is up and running at Osh Kosh! For those of you who are here, come by and see us in Hangar C, Aisle B. We've met some great folks so far who've had nothing but nice things to say about our beautiful state.
Things are starting to dry out after some rainy weather made for wet, muddy grounds and delayed some airplane arrivals. When we arrived, Osh Kosh had re-named itself "Splosh Kosh."So far, Virginia has been well-represented by Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater who flew their DC-3 in the 75th Anniversary of the Douglas DC-3 gathering on opening day.
EAA worked with a large group of owners and operators of the venerable aircraft, which commemorates its 75th anniversary in 2010, to bring their airplanes and join the reunion at Oshkosh. The event could be the final time that more than 25 of these airplanes will be seen together, including formation flights. It could also mark the final major reunion for scores of pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, crew chiefs and passengers that flew, operated and traveled in these aircraft.
Activities included a mass formation arrival, a designated aircraft display area, historical and technical forums/presentations, fly-bys and a special evening DC-3 commemorative program at Theater in the Woods.
"The DC-3, in both civilian and military configurations, has been a true workhorse aircraft since it was unveiled in 1935," said Tom Poberezny, EAA president and AirVenture chairman. "While the aircraft helped make air travel popular and profitable in the 1930s and 1940s, the fact that it is still used around the world today is a testament to the aircraft’s design. We’re looking forward to welcoming these iconic aviation legends to Oshkosh for AirVenture 2010."
Douglas Aircraft made the first flight of its new DC-3 on Dec. 17, 1935 – the 32nd anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first successful flight. It was first designed as an all-metal passenger airliner, later evolving to a coast-to-coast luxury transport complete with sleeping berths. By the late 1930s, it was estimated that 90 percent of America’s airline passengers were flying in the DC-3. More than 14,000 of the type were built, with some 10,000 of them used extensively in all World War II operations theaters carrying the C-47 designation.
Fewer than 100 of the aircraft remain airworthy in the United States. Thousands of those airplanes went into civilian service after the war in countless applications, from freight to fire suppression. The airplanes continued to be upgraded for many uses today, with one of the world’s leading DC-3 converters - Basler Turbo Conversions - based at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, also home to EAA and AirVenture.
Keep checking the blog for more updates for EAA Airventure!
