Experimental Aircraft Association president Jack Pelton has rated Airventure 2014 at Oshkosh as among the best ever held.
In his closing speech to the week-long convention last Sunday, Pelton said the numbers of exhibitors, aircraft and attendees showed an upward swing.
“Overall attendance was up,” he said. “As you can imagine, on certain days it was way up. We’re also getting very strong feedback from the exhibitors in terms of sales and activities. Aviation people were here and they were here to buy.”
Aircraft arrival numbers were up significantly from a year ago. As of last Sunday morning, there were over 1000 more registered aircraft in Oshkosh than last year. On the Tuesday, the aircraft park was reported to be full.
Pelton said the presence of the US Air Force display team could be credited for helping the gate figures.
“Certainly the Thunderbirds’ first performances at Oshkosh helped the attendance,” he said. “There was another factor, too – a renewed sense of optimism that was reflected in people coming to Oshkosh to celebrate the world of flight. You could feel it among the attendees, exhibitors and our 5400 volunteers whose work made the event possible.”
Among the general aviation highlights of the week-long event were:
- Cessna's Skyhawk JT-A
- GippsAero Airvan 8 on Wipline floats
- Continental Engine's V6 diesel for aircraft
- Boeing entering the flight training business to address projected pilot shortages
- SODEMO's new V-twin LSA engine that weighs only 55 kg
- Elytron's helicopter-fixed wing hybrid aircraft.
Australia recorded the second-highest international attendees with 416, behind Canada's 506. In all, over 500,000 people went through the gates, a 5-6% increase over 2013.