Although total estimated attendance figures show a 10- to 12-percent
decrease from the enormous 770,000 figure from 2003, due to weather,
economic factors and other reasons, EAA President Tom Poberezny found little
over which to be disappointed following this year's event.
"Everyone associated with this year's EAA AirVenture, be it members,
visitors, exhibitors or sponsors, was very pleased with the enthusiasm and
activity throughout the grounds," Poberezny said. "A near-record number of
vendors throughout the grounds reported brisk sales and interest, while
visitor surveys show their experiences were overwhelmingly positive. EAA
again brought together the world of flight for a celebration that is
unmatched anywhere else in the world for its size and scope."
EAA AirVenture's activities attracted such luminaries as Harrison Ford, Burt
Rutan, Mike Melvill and Paul Tibbets to the event, while more than 10,000
airplanes (including nearly 2,500 showplanes) made the trek to the annual
fly-in. In addition, EAA members enjoyed more focused activities than ever,
primarily based around the new EAA Member Village in the center of the
grounds.
Among the final figures for the event were:
a.. More than 10,000 airplanes from North America, Europe, South America,
Africa and Australia;
b.. Among those airplanes were nearly 2,500 showplanes that were eligible
for judging in one of 11 different categories;
c.. A near-record 802 commercial exhibitors (record: 807 in 2003);
d.. More than 30,000 campers housed along the EAA AirVenture flight line
in aircraft camping areas or in the drive-in
e.. Camp Scholler facility adjacent to the flight line;
f.. Approximately 700 reporters from five continents, sending coverage
worldwide;
g.. In excess of 4,000 volunteers who contributed more than 250,000 hours
of service
h.. A total of 1,429 international aviation enthusiasts from 61 nations
who registered at the International Visitors Tent (top three nations: Canada
438, Germany 144, Australia 117).
"Along with the basic facts and figures, EAA AirVenture is a remarkable
event because it truly does bring together all of aviation, including every
facet of recreational flight," Poberezny said. "In addition, the nation's
top policymakers such as the top officials from FAA, NASA and NTSB, as well
as leading Congressional representatives, came to Oshkosh. Those
relationships built and strengthened by EAA here pay dividends for all of
aviation throughout the year."
A special highlight of this year's event was the introduction of the new
sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule, a much-anticipated set of regulations
that will open the world of recreational flight to many more people by
reducing time and cost barriers. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey spent two
days at Oshkosh, emphasizing the new opportunities available through sport
pilot.
Additional details of individual events and highlights from this year's
event are available at the EAA AirVenture web site (www.airventure.org).
Currently, EAA AirVenture 2005 is scheduled for July 26-August 1, although
finalized dates and theme will be announced later this year.
Rutan and Melvill Tell SpaceShipOne Story
By Jack Hodgson
Burt Rutan, right, watches as Mike Melvill presents Tom Poberezny
with one of the two $20 bills he took into suborbital space in SpaceShipOne
on June 21. Photo by Dan Luft
Groundbreaking aeronautics designer, popular EAA AirVenture forum
presenter, and EAA member, Burt Rutan, made his first public appearance at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004 Thursday night at a packed Theater in the Woods
session.
After an evening of award presentations, Rutan took the stage at 9 p.m. to
a standing ovation. With the help of his friend, and the world's newest
astronaut, Mike Melvill, he kept the overflow crowd, which had people
standing 5-10 deep all around the perimeter of the theater, enthralled for
the next two hours.
He spent the first 10 minutes reporting on the GlobalFlyer project, which
he described as "this decade's Voyager." His company, Scaled Composites, is
building the aircraft for aviation adventurer Steve Fossett.
Fossett plans to use GlobalFlyer, which is being sponsored by Richard
Branson's Virgin Atlantic, to attempt a first-ever solo, unrefueled flight
around the world.
The plane is still in flight testing, but they hope to attempt the flight
next winter.
Burt played a short video of the GlobalFlyer roll-out, which showed the
aircraft in the Scaled hangar surrounded by special effects fog and flashing
blue lights.
Rutan described the flashy production as having been produced in
"Mojavewood."
Then Rutan came to the part of the evening that the crowd was waiting for.
He introduced Melvill, who came onstage to the second standing ovation of
the evening, and they spent the next hour and three-quarters in a
fascinating description of the project's goals, philosophies, activities,
and future plans.
Melvill kicked off the session by presenting EAA President Tom Poberezny
with a framed $20 bill that Melvill had taken with him into space on the
historic June 21 flight.
A clearly moved Poberezny accepted the unexpected gift, reading the
inscriptions to the audience.
Rutan started off by remembering that it was exactly six years ago when he
told an EAA AirVenture audience that he thought there was more difference
between the earliest homebuilt aircraft and a Lancair, than there was
between a Lancair and a suborbital aircraft.
"I want to tell you," he said, "I was wrong."
He said he had thought that it would be easier to develop the suborbital
system than it turned out to be. "For example," he said, "I didn't know I
would have to build a rocket system."
He told about how he had thought long and hard about the challenges of the
system, and how he could completely accomplish it, before going to Paul
Allen, who he already knew, and asking for the money.
They started working on the rocket system, and the White Knight, in May
2001. They only began work on the SpaceShipOne craft a year later.
They contracted much of the rocket development out to two different small
companies.
"We had two small shops competing against each other in the hope one of
them could do it."
In the end both shops delivered usable systems, and the one that was
selected was only better by a few percent.
Rutan spoke about how the program is now over a year behind schedule. "But
no one knew it, because I never told anyone what the schedule was."
His advice: "Don't even tell your customer what your schedule is."
One of the most important attributes of the suborbital system, which Rutan
repeatedly mentioned, is its affordability. He spoke about the low marginal
cost of the system, which is achieved because very little of the crafts need
to be replaced after each flight.
"Our primary accomplishment," he said of the project, "is to show that it
doesn't wear out, and it doesn't cost a lot to do it over and over."
"We know this is easier than going to orbit," Rutan said, "but we learned
a lot of things, and we're excited to start applying them."
Rutan believes that suborbital space tourism will be an exciting and
competitive industry over the next 10 to 20 years.
"Eventually a suborbital flight will cost about the same as a luxury
cruise or an SUV."
And he says that this program will certainly lead to "going to the moon,
Mars and, when someone makes a better engine, the stars."
The evening also included some never-before-seen video of the actual
flight. The video is part of a documentary about the project that will be
aired on the Discovery Channel in the future.
The audience was delighted when Rutan described his idea of bringing the
White Knight and SpaceShipOne to a future EAA AirVenture. A lottery would be
held and two lucky attendees would get to take a ride into space, which
would launch from the Wittman runway at the start of the afternoon air show,
rocket into space over Lake Winnebago midway through the show, and recover
in front of the crowd at the end.
"I don't know if we'll be able to do that," he said, "but I'd like to."
Rutan announced that he plans to give SpaceShipOne to the EAA AirVenture
Museum sometime in the future, and that 100 grams of the craft will be
carried on the first private probe to go to Venus.
One highlight of the evening was when Rutan stepped back and Melvill, who
had patiently stood aside for most of the evening, described the historic
flight from his perspective.
He described the confidence he had in the system, the moments of fear, the
problems to be solved during the flight, the fun moments of spraying M&Ms
around the weightless cockpit ("I didn't tell anyone I was going to do that.
Not even Burt. He didn't find out about it until the post-flight press
conference." "Actually," said Rutan, "I knew about it when I saw them all
over the floor."), and finally he told of the sense of awe he felt in being
part of this historic achievement.
"It was awe-inspiring," he said. "Beyond description, beyond anything I
can tell you about."
Rutan concluded by saying. "From all the excitement, my job now is to make
it boring."
"I want to see affordable flight to the moon and Mars in my lifetime," he
said.
One audience member asked Rutan what advice he had for designers.
"Try different things," he said. "There are breakthroughs that seem like
nonsense at first. The way you make breakthroughs is by taking a chance on
things that at first seem like nonsense."
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe: In His Own Words
By James Wynbrandt
Shortly after arriving for his first visit to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh,
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe spoke with AirVenture Today about his
impressions of the event, and NASA's efforts to inspire the next generation
of explorers. Following is an edited transcript of his comments.
AT: Welcome to AirVenture. What are your first impressions?
SO: Thank you. It's spectacular. Yesterday afternoon I was in Alaska,
flying in a floatplane. I caught a flight from Anchorage to Chicago last
night, then flew here this morning. This is beyond description. I've heard
it's an overwhelming event, but this is times two at least!
AT: I understand your sons are Young Eagles.
SO: Yes, Jonathan is 15, and Kevin is 13. The two of them flew last
September near Leesburg, Virginia. They thought this is the greatest thing
since sliced bread.
AT: The Young Eagles program has inspired so many youngsters. What can
NASA do to inspire our next generation?
SO: Our most recent effort is the Explorer School effort, which is
really about asking educators and teachers, "What materials do you need to
bring math and science to life?" So it's very customized, rather than
saying, "Let's package up a bunch of stuff and mass mail it." Each year we
select 50 (schools). Many are in places that are nowhere near NASA centers
or Air Force bases or anything, and yet the whole place is just completely
consumed with space exploration. The ones I visited last spring have been
Explorer Schools for a full year; it's astounding to see the difference in
some of these schools and the way they do this.
AT: NASA is reducing the number of its operating units from seven to
four. What is the purpose of that reorganization?
SO: When you maintain "stove pipes," a real clear line between every one
of the divisions, it almost motivates exactly the opposite behavior that you
want. So the collaboration and synergy between them is strained at best, and
nonexistent in the more common scenario. And the notion behind the
reorganization is that it's about the mission. How we apply our capabilities
toward the mission is really the point, instead of these individual "wholly
owned subsidiaries" as enterprises. So we're reorganizing in a way that
forces synergy among science, aeronautics research, exploration systems, and
operations that gives a very clear management line that's all focused on the
mission.
AT: NASA wants to encourage private enterprise to undertake low earth
orbital missions. How do you encourage that, and how do you define low earth
orbit?
SO: Where the space station orbits (and below). The objective there
would be to contract services. It's like a souped-up X Prize: "Hey, we need
to get stuff to the International Space Station. Who's got an idea how to do
that?" And rather than paying to develop the technology, the answer is, "We'
ll pay you for X number of tons of that stuff. You get it there, you get
paid. You don't, you don't."
AV: It's like you're contracting with a trucking company.
SO: That's a very good analogy. And the consequence of that approach is
it makes it a lot more accessible for them, and frees us up so NASA can get
back to the technology and the innovation and the exploration business.
