Boeing 787 will arrive Friday at EAA Air Venture
Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner will make one of its first public appearances at EAA AirVenture that starts Monday.
The plane Boeing is banking on as its next generation commercial airliner is scheduled to arrive Friday morning. It will be parked on display for several hours and open to anyone who wants to walk through, the first time the public will be allowed on board.
The 787 Dreamliner - it is touted as the first midsize plane capable of flying long-range routes - will be one of many new and old planes on display during the seven-day aviation convention and fly-in at Wittman Field in Oshkosh.
AirVenture draws celebrities such as Harrison Ford, former chairman of EAA's Young Eagles program; astronauts; fighter aces; and aviation pioneers. Among those scheduled to attend are Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier; astronauts Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan; and Burt Rutan, designer of the first civilian spacecraft.
"It's aviation's premier event. It's more than an air show, it's more than a convention.
It's a who's who of aviation," said Tom Poberezny, EAA president and Air-Venture chairman.
There's also a mass hot air balloon launch scheduled, weather permitting, at 6 a.m. Saturday; a World War II honor flight carrying about 80 Navy veterans to Washington, D.C., for a daylong tour on Wednesday; and a night air show on Saturday. Last year, organizers decided to schedule one of the daily air shows for the first time at night and were encouraged by its popularity.
Among the anniversaries celebrated this year will be the 25th of Voyager, the first plane to fly nonstop around the globe on one tank of gas, and the centennials of naval aviation and the first airmail flight.
Honoring the 100th anniversary of naval aviation throughout the week with flybys and static displays, Air-Venture organizers scheduled Navy Day on Wednesday, featuring appearances by astronauts and Navy pilots Cernan and Lovell as well as Adm. Gary Roughead, the U.S. chief of naval operations. The air show on Wednesday will feature naval aircraft from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and modern fighter jets.
Several rare World War II aircraft scheduled to appear include the only airworthy B-29 Superfortress; one of only three airworthy Japanese Zeroes - an A6M3 Model 22 recovered in 1991 from New Guinea; and a C-47 transport plane used during some of the biggest battles in Europe.
IF YOU GO What: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011.
When: Monday through Sunday. Gates open at 7 a.m. each day. Exhibit buildings open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Air shows are held each afternoon. A night air show is scheduled to start about 8:15 p.m. Saturday, followed by fireworks.
How much: Daily rates for non-EAA members are $37 for adults; $20 for students 6-18; and free for children 5 and younger. Parking is $8. For more information: Go to www.airventure.org.
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Copyright, 2011, Journal Sentinel, All Rights Reserved.