Aviation is all about camaraderie, which is expressed on a regular basis in the form of pilots gathering together to celebrate what we all love to do, which is… anything about airplanes. While the gold standard for airshows today is the EAA’s Oshkosh AirVenture, with 10,000 airplanes flying into Central Wisconsin every year for the flying fun, it’s not the only game in town. There are hundreds of smaller gatherings around the country every year. Some are merely a handful of pilots and their planes, while others get a lot of traffic and a lot of love. This has happened since aviation was new. And we predict that such get-togethers will be around for a good long time to come.
First aviation meetings: Around 1909, France, U.S.
First fly-in event: Unknown
Alternate name for “fly-in:” Fly-out
Organization that chronicles fly-in history: None
Other names for different kinds of aviation gatherings: Exhibitions, airshows, static displays, air tattoos (we kid you not)
Difference between an airshow and a fly-in: Some attendees fly in
How many fly-in attendees to make it a fly-in?: Unknown
Golden Age gathering: National Air Races
Location: Usually Cleveland, Ohio
Estimated attendance, 1939, Cleveland: 100,000
Years run: Non-consecutive years from 1929-late 1940s
First EAA Fly-In Convention: September 1953
Location: Curtiss-Wright Airport, Milwaukee
Largest airshow: Paris Air Show
Largest fly-in airshow: EAA AirVenture
EAA airshow relocation to Oshkosh: 1970
Renamed “AirVenture Oshkosh:” 1998
Event length: One week
Average forums and workshops: ~1,000
Aircraft: >10,000
Campsites: 12,300
Attendees in 1953: 150
Attendees in 2019: 642,000
Attendees in 2020: 0
Reason: Canceled due to coronavirus
Economic impact to surrounding community: $170 million
First Sun ‘n Fun gathering: 1975
Attendees: 1,980
Aircraft: 365
Current location: Lakeland Linder International Airport
Event employees: ~35
Volunteers: 3,600
Hours donated: 111,749
Year of snow at Sun ‘n Fun: 1977
Number of pilots snowed in: 0
Year of Sun ‘n Fun tornado: 2011
Intensity: EF1 (86-110 mph)
Injuries: 15
Deaths: 0
Aircraft destroyed: 40-50
2020 attendees: 0
2021 Dates: April 13-18
The Glory Of Oshkosh AirVenture In Photos
Quiz: How much do you know about EAA AirVenture Oshkosh?
Plane-Strong Pilot-Strong Sales To Benefit Sun ‘n Fun
