Thursday, July 27, 2017
THE OFFICIAL DAILY NEWSPAPER OF EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH
www.EAA.org/airventure
Three High School Students Awarded Founder’s Innovation Prize BY RANDY DUFAULT
THE PREMISE THAT the sum is often greater than the parts was demonstrated Tuesday evening at Theater in the Woods when the team of Thomas Baron, Justin Zhou, and Max Lord — high school students from Alexandria, Virginia — accepted the AIRBUSsponsored top prize in EAA’s Founder’s Innovation Prize competition. “Who could plan on $25,000?” Thomas said when asked if the team had considered what they might do with the contest’s top prize. “We dreamed about it, but you know ...” The winning team’s concept, titled “Remora System,” focuses on displaying airspeed and angle of attack on a headmounted display, which would allow a pilot to continuously monitor those values during flight regimes, especially when looking at the panel is difficult or not recommended. A pod mounted under the wing would provide sensor inputs. Work on the system began more than a year ago as a class project. Thomas, a flight student and son of a former Navy pilot, was looking for ways to fly at a level of precision that satisfied his father’s exacting requirements. “Every Saturday we would do pattern work — we didn’t do a lot of crosscountry,” Thomas said. “[Dad] thinks that a really good pilot can replicate a pattern perfectly. That’s just from his Navy roots, I think. Basically, being on airspeed, all the time was super important to my upbringing.” After learning about the competition, the team quickly realized that their project was a perfect fit, and proposals were prepared.
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PHOTO BY SCOTT SLOCUM
Doc and FIFI, the world’s only two flying B-29s, took to the sky Tuesday, marking the first time in decades that two Superfortresses have flown together.
Twilight Flight Fest Lights Up Evening Sky BY BARBARA A. SCHMITZ
A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL DEBUT of a night air show in the Ultralights area Monday night birthed a new EAA AirVenture Oshkosh tradition. The Twilight Flight Fest at the Fun Fly Zone was scheduled for four nights this year, including today and Friday, said Dennis Dunbar, director of AirVenture air show operations. “Last year we decided to hold a flying activity every night of the week … and the ultralights show was a huge success that we wanted to capitalize on,” Dennis said. “But the real purpose is to expose folks to some of the less-expensive entryways into flying, the gateways of aviation.” The Fun Fly Zone night shows begin at 8 p.m. and end around 9:30 p.m., Dennis said, and feature the Valdez STOL Invitational flying competition and demonstration, the Paradigm Aerobatic Team with paramotors, the Red Bull Air Force jumpers, the Patriot Parachute Team, 3D RC flying by Colton Clark and Jase Dussia, and more. Typical activities will go on as usual prior to the show, including demonstrations by various fixed-wing ultralights, light-sport aircraft, gyroplanes, and powered parachutes.
The STOL (short takeoff and landing) demonstration is at the beginning of each show, although each night’s acts are different, Dennis said. STOL organizers Frank and Kris Knapp said 15 pilots will take part in the competition and demonstration, and EAA trophies will be awarded to the top pilots in both the certified and experimental classes at the end of the week. Wind will determine just how short or long the takeoffs and landings are, but they will likely be 60-120 feet. Now in its fourth year, STOL was moved full time to the Fun Fly Zone last year. “It’s more conducive to the style of flying we have,” Frank said. “It also allows the people at the fence to be more involved. It’s kind of like our own little circus down there.” About half of the planes and pilots involved in the STOL event are new to AirVenture this year, he added. “But the pilots are so excited to be here,” Kris said. “They want to share the enthusiasm of flight.”
TWILIGHT / PAGE 3