Happy Anniversary!

A variety of aircraft are celebrating at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023

EAA TURNS 70 THIS YEAR, but we’re not the only ones celebrating a birthday! Every year, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh becomes home to thousands of aircraft. Some of them are here to be displayed or perform in one of the air shows, while others form the centerpieces of thousands of campsites. In some cases, though, there’s another reason, one that’s cause for specific celebration — the anniversary of an aircraft type’s first flight or introduction. At the time of this writing, we know of several types that are here to celebrate this year. So, as you walk the convention grounds, when you see one of these airplanes, be sure to stop and wish it a happy birthday.

75 Years

90 Years

75 Years

Midget Mustang

ANOTHER TYPE CELEBRATING 75 years is the Midget Mustang, an aerobatic single-seater that was designed as an air racer. Inspired by the P-51, the Mustang quickly outgrew its racing roots and became popular as a sport airplane that homebuilders are still building today.

THE CONTINENTAL A-40 ENGINE

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT OWNERS will celebrate 90 years of general aviation powered by the first horizontally opposed four-cylinder aircraft engine, the Continental A-40. When the Continental A-40-2 engine was introduced in 1933, it changed everything — this little 37-hp engine gave birth to general aviation as we know it today and completely changed the affordability and accessibility of flying.

70 Years

Cessna 170

MORE THAN 100 Cessna 170s are expected at Oshkosh this year, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the first production model. The high-wing, four-seat taildragger, developed from the popular two-seat 140, was a milestone model for Cessna in the years following World War II.

60 Years

Wittman Tailwind

ORIGINALLY CALLED THE Flying Carpet, the Tailwind was a homebuilt designed by the legendary Steve Wittman for performance and efficiency. The design wrings extremely high performance out of relatively low-power engines. Hundreds have been built and flown, and the Tailwind enjoys a dedicated following seven decades on.

THORP T-18

WHEN JOHN THORP designed the tailwheel, low-wing T-18, he did it to prove it could be easier to build an airplane out of metal than out of wood. Hundreds of people agreed and built their own T-18s after Thorp published a series of articles about it in EAA Sport Aviation magazine. The example in the EAA Aviation Museum was the first homebuilt to fly around the world.

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50 Years

45 Years

Sorrell Hiperbipe

THE TWO-SEAT HIPERBIPE is a sporty and aerobatic homebuilt cabin biplane whose wings are set at a distinctive negative stagger. The airplane is built using a steel-tube fuselage while the wings are made of stressed-skin wood. While the Hiperbipe was never built in large numbers, it maintains a distinctly dedicated following.

40 Years

Weedhopper

THE WEEDHOPPER WAS built in the late ’70s in the early days of the modern ultralight movement. It’s a highwing, tricycle-gear design with a single tractor engine mounted ahead of the leading edge of the wing. Unlike many ultralights of the time, the amateur-built Weedhopper used a traditional stick for controls, as opposed to a weight-shift configuration.

40 Years

Avid Flyer

DESIGNER DEAN WILSON built the Avid Flyer as a modern homebuilt alternative to classics like the Aeronca Champ and the Piper Cub. Its light weight and excellent short-field performance have made the high-wing taildragger popular with grassroots backcountry pilots.

Quad City Challenger

THE CHALLENGER IS a tricycle-gear, high-wing pusher that can be built as either a traditional homebuilt light-sport aircraft or as a Part-103 legal ultralight. Challengers are popular and versatile, and can be seen on amphibious floats and skis as well as traditional gear.

25 Years

25 Years

20 Years

Sonex

WHILE JOHN MONNETT was already a prolific designer and builder in the late 1990s, the two-seat, low-wing Sonex was the airplane that led him to start the company of the same name, headquartered right here in Oshkosh. The all-metal Sonex can be built from plans or from a kit.

Legal Eagle

THE LEGAL EAGLE is a high-wing, semi-open taildragger powered by a 30-hp 1/2-VW engine that embraces and embodies the idea of back-to-basics flight. It is fully Part103 compliant — hence the name — and is available as a kit or can be scratchbuilt from plans.

Get Hands-On

Homebuilding gets to the heart of EAA, and you can learn virtually every skill and gain the confidence you need to build an airplane while at EAA® AirVenture® Oshkosh™. Presented by Aircraft Spruce & Speciality and patterned after the highly successful EAA SportAir Workshops, these mini workshops let you experience a taste of aircraft building.

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Workshops is sponsored by:

Presenting Sponsor Supporting Sponsors by:

VAN’S AIRCRAFT RV-10

AFTER 30 YEARS in the homebuilt aircraft business, Van’s Aircraft flew the company’s first four-seat design, the RV-10, in 2003. The first customer received their first kit just four months later. Since that time, more than 1,000 have been built, and the airplane is a popular touring airplane, continuing to build on the company’s long legacy.

Learn from Experts

At the AirVenture Forums Plaza, the very best from the aviation world come together for one week to share their knowledge with you. Hundreds of innovators, authors, experts, and legends are on hand in the most comprehensive collection of aviation knowledge available anywhere, all at EAA® AirVenture® Oshkosh™