Oshkosh's AirVenture 2005 draws thousands on Day 1

Valley Press on ^ | Tuesday, July 26, 2005 | ALLISON GATLIN

[BenLurkin]

OSHKOSH, Wis. - Thousands of aviation enthusiasts heeded the Experimental Aircraft Association's call of "You've got to be there!" on the opening day of AirVenture 2005, filling the mammoth grounds for what promises to be a memorable week of flying, forums and fun. Monday's opening of the 53rd annual gathering was capped with the arrival of the ultimate experimental design, SpaceShipOne, and its carrier aircraft, White Knight.

Designer Burt Rutan, longtime member and hero of the EAA, arrived on his now-famous futuristic craft to cheers from the crowd pressed along the ropes before the runway.

"This certainly has got to be close to the top of thrilling arrivals at Oshkosh," said Rutan, who marks his 35th anniversary of attendance at the event.

The Oshkosh event is the only public display for the twin craft, which made history last year as the centerpiece of the first privately funded, manned space program. At the end of the week, White Knight will deliver SpaceShipOne to Washington, where it will hang in the National Air and Space Museum.

Clearing the way and warming up the crowd was another aircraft funded by Microsoft co-founder and SpaceShipOne backer Paul Allen. Allen's restored P-51 fighter, a staple of World War II battles, made several passes down the flightline to the crowd's delight, until the sight of White Knight circling overhead drew their attention.

A silence fell over those assembled along the flightline as White Knight and SpaceShipOne became clearly visible, the only sound the varied clicking of camera shutters.

The space-program vehicles left their home base in Mojave on Saturday, making stops in Albuquerque, N.M.; Tulsa, Okla.; and Madison, Wis., before making a grand entrance at the show grounds at Wittman Regional Airport.

At each stop, the aircraft and team were "treated like royalty, just like SpaceShipOne should be," astronaut Mike Melvill said.

Melvill became the world's first civilian astronaut to rocket out of the Earth's atmosphere in a nongovernmental space program when he piloted the SpaceShipOne to an unofficial altitude of 328,491 feet, or just over 62 miles above the Earth, enough to see the blackness of space and experience weightlessness.

Today, SpaceShipOne will be joined by yet another history-making Rutan design, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer flown nonstop around the world by pilot Steve Fossett earlier this year. The two unique displays are part of what makes this year's event "one of the best ever," EAA President Tom Poberezny said.

While having exclusive claim to public display of White Knight and SpaceShipOne is certainly one of the all-time highlights of AirVenture history, "most important, they are one of us," Poberezny said of Rutan and Melvill.

"You walk the flightline and every time you turn around there's another person making history," he said. "The airplanes bring us here, but it's the people."

It's the people involved in SpaceShipOne that make it especially beloved by this particular crowd. Rutan and Melvill are both longtime members of the organization and regulars at Oshkosh.

As White Knight circled above the field, the announcer reminded the crowd, "EAA-ers, you are a part of this."

Rutan's designs for do-it-yourself, home-built aircraft have long been favorites with EAA members. Their popularity was evident in the long rows of Long-EZ and Vari-EZ aircraft filling a field alongside the flightline.

The distinctive aircraft were flown into the event by proud owners and builders in honor of Rutan's 35th anniversary at Oshkosh.

Elwood "E.J." Johnson of Stevenson Ranch, an unincorporated community near Santa Clarita, brought his Long-EZ, one of five different Rutan aircraft he has owned over the years. Despite having visited Oshkosh about 10 times before, the gathering is "still very exciting. You never know what to expect. Every year is something special," he said.

The 68-year-old former aerospace worker lovingly restored the pale-blue airplane he displayed this year, and has flown it around the country, including an air race from Kitty Hawk, N.C., to Oshkosh three years ago to mark the centennial of powered flight.

[hattend]

Looks like "Wings over the Wine Country" (8/20-8/21) and, of course, the Reno Air Races get the nod this quarter.

Feel like a FReeper get together?

[Dashing Dasher]

I'm swooning....

I have to change the oil, check the plugs - maybe replace with back up set and put on the racing prop - which will probably all happen around the end of August - Early September.

Let me know if you are up for it.

[Zavien Doombringer]

Wow! Sounds like fun! If you can get to Hampton Roads AP I can set up a bench for you... Racing prop... for a Pitts?

[GoldCountryRedneck]

See ya' there.

*click*click*

[GoldCountryRedneck]

Feel like a FReeper get together?

Talkin' Reno??? I'm in!!!

I'll tune into the Reno thread for 'Da Plans'.

Lookin' forward to it!!

[Peanut Gallery]

very cool!

[patton]

cool stuff

[Dashing Dasher]

P-51D Mustang "Donna-Mite" crashed today at Oshkosh

Wed, 27 Jul '05

This month's series of airshow tragedies has just added another soul to the roster.

A North American P-51 Mustang, reported in general media as a D (actually - it was a K) model bird, was lost during the Tuesday afternoon warbird fly-bys at the Oshkosh EAA Airshow. Tuesday's show featured a number of exciting warbird flights throughout the afternoon, including USAF Heritage Flights, a number of bomber runs, and a series of fighter passes that thrilled tens of thousands who braved occasional rains to view one of the strongest Oshkosh airshow rosters in many years.

The aircraft had completed one pass and was preparing for another when it was discovered to be missing from the formation gathering for the next approach to Oshkosh, Wisconsin's Wittman Field. The Fond Du Lac Police Department received a report of a "plane down" at 1602 local time and dispatched officers to the scene. A single engine aircraft, as yet officially unidentified, was found to have impacted a farm field in Calumet County, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin near the east Shore of Lake Winnebago. The aircraft was occupied by a single pilot, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

One media report quotes NTSB Investigator Ed Malinowski as saying that, "judging by the crash site, it didn't look like there was any effort to land the plane". ANN will present more information on this story as soon as we have confirmed that family members have been properly notified.

[Dashing Dasher]

Ping to previous post.

[hattend]

I read about that in AAFO, so sad. Possible heart attack?

Prayers to the family.

[Dashing Dasher]

No word yet.
I'll let you know ifI hear anything.

DD

[GoldCountryRedneck]

...didn't look like there was any effort to land ..

hmmm...or monoxide???

Tragic regardless ...

[Dashing Dasher]

The evening news is reporting that the crash occurred on the East side
of Lake Winnebago, near the town of Calumetville.

An eyewitness reported seeing the Mustang as part of a four aircraft
flight. It unexpectedly went inverted and did not recover, impacting the
ground at high speed. What little debris was visible above ground was
consistent with Dick's aircraft.

---

>From EAA.Org

Warbird Pilot Dick James Killed in Fond du Lac County Crash

July 27, 2005 -- EAA is saddened to report that a World War II-era
aircraft that had participated in our "Warbirds" air show Tuesday
afternoon crashed in Fond du Lac County as it was staging to participate
in a later segment of the show, resulting in the death of the pilot,
Dick James of Fennimore, Wisconsin.
The accident occurred in a rural area in the northeastern part of the
county. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office and the National
Transportation Safety Board, with assistance from the Winnebago County
Sheriff's Office, are spearheading the investigation.

The entire EAA family, especially the EAA Warbirds of America, offers
our sincerest condolences to the James family.

[hattend]

That's why I theorized a heart attack but carbon monoxide sounds plausible, too.

The plane was straight and level and then for some reason just rolled over and fell out of formation with no apparent attempt to recover.

They may never release the pilot's autopsy. We'll have to wait for the final NTSB report a year or so from now.

[Dashing Dasher]

Something similar happened to a friend of mine flying an L39.
I believe it was found that a bird went through the canopy and the pilot "lost it".

It is definitely incapacitation.

[GoldCountryRedneck]

We'll have to wait for the final NTSB report a year or so ...."

Betting the Warbird fraternity will have a NTSB 'source' that'll slip the word under the table before then.

Ya' know ... tragic that it is, having your ticket punched while at the controls of a P-51 is paradoxially living; beats a year of cancer suffering or many other more morose ways to buy that farm.

I personally celebrate the joy folks like that felt just before ....

...but that's JMO.

[Dashing Dasher]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Community Relations 202-268-4924
June 24, 2005
Stamp News Release No. 05-029
www.usps.com

AVIATION STAMPS TAKE FLIGHT AT WORLD'S LARGEST AIR SHOW

WASHINGTON - Ten classic American aircraft from the 1930's, '40s and '50s take to the skies in the form of postage when the U.S. Postal Service dedicates the American Advances in Aviation commemorative stamp sheet at the world's premier air show. The Friday, July 29 first-day-of-issue ceremony, hosted by the Experimental Aviation Association (www.eaa.org) will occur during the 2005 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (WI) fly-in convention. The ceremony will take place at the event's Aero Shell Square at 10 a.m. Central Time in the shadows of at least six of the rare aircraft depicted on the stamps.

Many pilots and crew members of these historic aircraft will be on-site to discuss their experiences. An autograph session follows the event.

A first-day-of-issue ceremony will also take place that day at 11 a.m. Eastern Time during the Americover 2005 Stamp Show (www.afdcs.org) at the Sheraton Premier at Tysons Corner, 8661 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA.

The stamps will be available at Post Offices and Philatelic Centers nationwide Saturday, July 30.

"The Postal Service is proud to build on the popular Classic American Aircraft collection we first issued in 1997," said Linda Kingsley, Vice President, Strategic Planning, U.S. Postal Service, who will dedicate the stamps at the air show. "The ten historic aircraft chosen for the American Advances in Aviation stamp sheet show the innovation and remarkable technological contributions of our nation's aviation pioneers."

"Every year literally thousands of historic aircraft participate in EAA AirVenture Oshkosh," said EAA Museum Director Adam Smith, "So we're taking the opportunity not only to showcase these beautiful new stamps, but also to show many of the actual aircraft depicted on them."

A description of each aircraft is on the back of the stamp sheet (see below). The stamp images depict:

• Boeing's 247 and B-29 Superfortress;
  
• Consolidated's PBY Catalina and B-24 Liberator;
  
• Lockheed's P-80 Shooting Star;
  
• Grumman's F6F Hellcat;
  
• Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt;
  
• Northrop's YB-49 Flying Wing;
  
• Engineering and Research Corporation's Ercoupe 415; and
  
• Beechcraft's 35 Bonanza.
  

The header illustration includes a Hughes H-1 racer and Boeing's YB-52 Stratofortress.

Military aircraft scheduled to be on display during the ceremony include the: B-24 Liberator, B-29 Superfortress, F6F Hellcat and the P80 Shooting Star. Civilian aircraft scheduled to appear include the A-35-Bonanza and the Ercoupe-415.

The American Advances in Aviation stamp sheet was designed by Phil Jordan. The stamp illustrations and header design were painted by William S. Phillips, an award-winning historical aviation and landscape artist who also created the artwork for the 1997 Classic American Aircraft collection.

Aviation Enthusiast Collectables

Six limited edition prints will only be available on-site at the 2005 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (WI) fly-in convention.

Authenticated with a numbered certificate and autographed by stamp artist William S. Phillips, high-quality prints (12 3/4 x 13 3/4 inch) of select aircraft stamp images will be available for $175. Each print is mounted with an aircraft stamp postmarked with the Oshkosh, WI July 29, 2005 First-Day-of-Issue cancellation. Prints are available for the 35 Bonanza, B-24 Liberator, F6F Hellcat, P45 Thunderbolt, PBY Catalina and the P80 Shooting Star.

Advance orders are now being accepted for these products and will be fulfilled following the July 29 issuance of the stamps. A sampling of products available on-site and through the Postal Store at usps.com/shop or at 800-STAMP-24 include:

• First Day Cover set of ten with the July 29, 2005 First-Day-of-Issue postmark for $7.50.
  
• A Digital Color Postmark designed by American Advances in Aviation stamps Art Director Phil Jordan. A single First-Day-of-Issue cover is $1.50 or the entire set of ten with either an Oshkosh, WI or Vienna, VA (note: the Vienna reference will not be included in the EAA related media release) postmark is available for $15. Note: Digital color postmarks are not available on customer-submitted covers.
  
• An 8 x 10 inch Aviation Art Print featuring all 10 stamps for $14.95.
  
• Baseball caps, t-shirts, key chains, lapel pins and numerous other American Advances in Aviation themed items are also available.
  

The Postal Service paid tribute to the evolution of flight in 1997 by featuring some of aviation's most innovative aircraft on stamps. The Classic American Aircraft stamp sheet-only available today through collectors-included the: Beech Model C17L; Boeing B-17, B-47, 314 and P-26; Chance Voight Corsair F4U; Curtiss D (header) and JN-4 Jenny; Douglas DC-3; Ford Tri-Motor; Gee Bee Super-Sportster; Grumman F4F Wildcat; Lockheed Constellation, Vega and P-38; Martin B-10; North American F-86 Sabre and P-51 Mustang; Northrop Alpha; Piper J-3 Cub; Stearman PT13 and the Wright Model B Flyer.

EAA, The Leader in Recreational Aviation, is an international association with 170,000 members and 1,000 local Chapters. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the world's greatest aviation celebration and EAA's yearly membership convention. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or www.eaa.org. EAA AirVenture information is also available at www.airventure.org.


Since 1775, the Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 142 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume- some 206 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year- and serves seven million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.

Information on the Back of the American Advances in Aviation Stamps

Building on the popular Classic American Aircraft collection issued in 1997, the planes chosen for this stamp pane illustrate American innovations and technological contributions to military, commercial, and general aviation during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s.

Stamp Header Illustrations

• Averaging 327.15 mph, the Hughes H-1 racer set a new transcontinental speed record on January 19, 1937.
  
• Boeing's YB-52 Stratofortress was a 1952 prototype for the still-operational B-52 bomber.
  

American Advances in Aviation Stamps

	35 Bonanza The Beechcraft Bonanza has been in continuous production since 1947, although the 35 model was discontinued in 1982. Its distinctive V tail was designed to reduce weight and drag, as well as buffeting from the wing and canopy wakes.
	F6F Hellcat A WWII "workhorse," the carrier-based Grumman F6F Hellcat met with perfection the requirements that had dictated its simple and straightforward design. The robust and maneuverable fighter was easy to mass produce and maintain.
	B-29 Superfortress The advanced armament, propulsion, and avionics systems in Boeing's B-29 Superfortress included remote-controlled gun turrets and pressurized crew compartments. The sophisticated long-range bomber served in both WWII and Korea.
	B-24 Liberator Designed as a heavy bomber, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator-with its great range and payload/cargo capacity-proved highly versatile during WWII. High-lift wing airfoils and retractable "roller-type" bomb bay doors were B-24 innovations.
	YB-49 Flying Wing Deemed futuristic in the late '40s, the all-wing configuration of Northrop's YB-49 Flying Wing jet-propelled bomber had great potential but stability problems shelved the project. Technology finally caught up with vision in the B-2 stealth bomber.
	PBY Catalina An internally braced cantilever wing and retractable wingtip floats were aerodynamic innovations of the reliable and versatile Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat. First acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1936, many still fly in nonmilitary roles.
	Ercoupe 415 Designed in the mid-1930s, the Ercoupe 415 introduced safe, practical technologies for general aviation. The linked control system made it spin-proof; tricycle landing gear with a steerable nose wheel simplified landing and taxiing.
	P-47 Thunderbolt Originally planned as a lightweight interceptor, Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt turned out to be an immense multipurpose fighter. Fast and rugged, it earned a reputation as both a high-altitude escort fighter and a low-level fighter-bomber during WWII.
	P-80 Shooting Star The laminar-flow wing of the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star streamlined airflow and contributed to the speed and overall performance of the first operational U.S. jet fighter. A P-80 made history in 1950 by winning the first all-jet aerial combat.
	247 The first modern commercial airliner set new standards for speed, safety, and comfort in 1933. With twin engines, retractable landing gear, and an insulated ten-passenger cabin, Boeing's streamlined, all-metal Model 247 boasted state-of-the-art technology.

Background Information on the American Advances in Aviation Stamps Art Director and Stamp Artist

Art Director Phil Jordan

Phil Jordan grew up in New Bern, North Carolina, and attended East Carolina University. After Army service in Alaska, he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in visual communications. He worked in advertising and in design at a trade association before joining Beveridge and Associates, Inc., where he provided art direction for corporate, institutional, and government design projects. A partner in the firm, he left after 18 years to establish his own design firm where he has managed projects for USAir, NASA, McGraw-Hill, IBM, and Smithsonian Books, among others. He was Design Director of Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine for 15 years. His work has appeared in numerous exhibitions and publications such as Graphis and Communications Arts. A past president of the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington, he has been an art director for the U.S. Postal Service since 1991. A resident of Falls Church, Virginia, he is an avid glider pilot and a member of the Skyline Soaring Club.

Stamp Artist William S. Phillips

Renowned aviation artist William S. Phillips has had a love affair with flight for as long as he can remember. While in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, he sketched military aircraft and dramatic monsoon cloud formations and began to sell his work. After completing military service, Phillips returned to the U.S., graduated from college, and was accepted into law school; all the while he continued to paint. When he sold 4 paintings as he hung them in a local restaurant, he abandoned any thought of legal studies for a full-time career in art.

Phillips's research for his paintings has taken him all over the world, bringing him to combat missions such as the Gulf War and natural disasters such as the eruption of Mount St. Helens. He has flown with aviators at the Navy Fighter Weapons School ("Top Gun School") then in Miramar, California, as well as with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. A recipient of the Navy's Meritorious Public Service Award and the Air Force Award for Artistic Excellence, Phillips was honored in 1987 with a retrospective exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum. His paintings appear in books, including The Glory of Flight (1994); on limited-edition prints; and on 20 Classic American Aircraft stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 1997. Commissioned works hang in public and private collections throughout the world. A former fireman in Ashland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife Kristi, Phillips commemorated the firemen who died on September 11, 2001, with a painting-A Prayer for My Brother-that today hangs in many fire stations throughout the United States.

American Advances in Aviation Stamps

Issue: American Advances in Aviation
Item Number: 458700
Denomination & Type of Issue: 37-cent Commemorative
Format: Pane of 20 with header (10 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date: July 29, 2005
Cities: Vienna, VA 22180
Oshkosh, WI 54902
Designer: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Engraver: N/A
Art Director: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Typographer: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Artist: William S. Phillips, Ashland, OR
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Mueller Martini
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 110 million stamps
Paper Type: 0 PMU, Type III, Block tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, PMS 127 (Yellow) PMS Cool Gray 4, PMS 712 (Orange)
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.085 x 1.42 in./27.559 x 36.068mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.225 x 1.56 in./31.115 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.24 x 7.85 in./183.896 x 199.390mm
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: "P" followed by seven (7) single digits
Marginal Markings: Header "American Advances in Aviation" · Ó 2004 USPS · Two plate
numbers Price · Plate position diagram · Descriptive text on back of pane
and each individual stamp · Four barcodes on back of pane
Catalog Item Number(s): 458720 Block of 4 - $1.48
458730 Block of 10 - $3.70
458740 Full Pane of 20 - $7.40
458763 FDC Set of 10 w/Oshkosh Cancellation - $7.50
458769 FDC Set of 10 w/Vienna Cancellation - $7.50
458765 DCP Random Single - $1.50
458768 $15.00 DCP Set of 10 w/Oshkosh Cancellation - $15.00
458779 $15.00 DCP Set of 10 w/Vienna Cancellation - $15.00
458788 Print with 10 stamps - $14.95
458793 Cancellation Keepsake (FP w/FDC Set of 10; Oshkosh Cancel Set of 10 Only) - $14.90
458799 DCP Keepsake (FP w/DCP Random Single) - $8.90

How to Order First Day of Issue Postmark

Customers have 30 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, and at the Postal Store on www.usps.com/shop. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

AMERICAN ADVANCES IN AVIATION CANCELLATION
C/O POSTMASTER
1025 W 20TH AVE
OSHKOSH WI 54902-9998

AMERICAN ADVANCES IN AVIATION CANCELLATION
C/O POSTMASTER
VIENNA POST OFFICE
200 LAWYERS ROAD NW
VIENNA, VA 22180-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by August 28, 2005.

How to Order First Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first day of issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

INFORMATION FULFILLMENT
DEPT 6270
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
Kansas City Mo 64121-9014

First-day covers remain on sale for at least one year after the stamp's issuance.

# # #

[ ]

[BenLurkin]

Neat!

Thanks!