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| Hi From Di | Sep '06 |
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| By Di Freeze |
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Each year, big announcements are made at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. This year was no exception. It's hard to cover all the news, but Henry Holden did a good job trying. One of the happiest people at AirVenture was Vern Raburn, CEO of Eclipse, who was excited to share the news that he had received provisional FAA certification for the Eclipse 500. Eclipse flew in 170 employees to help with the celebration. Our coverage of that announcement and others, as well as lots of pictures that will make you wish you had attended, begins on page 3-C.
Starting on page 20-C, you'll find our photo coverage of the Gathering of Eagles. Once again, Elissa Lines, VP of development for EAA, and Jack Pelton, event chairman, deserve a big hand for another spectacular event. Of course, they'd be the first to say that countless volunteers made it all happen. It's always a joy to visit with the biggest legends of our time, and there were plenty on hand! This year's gala, held July 27, raised more than $1.4 million toward EAA's youth endeavors. Silent and live auctions contributed to that sum, including a package that went for $250,000, which included a special 2006 Ford Shelby GT-H, and a day on a film set with Young Eagles Chairman Harrison Ford, which went for $45,000. Both Ford and Shelby were in attendance. Thanks to Henry and to Mike Ullery for helping to capture many images for our readers to enjoy.
I didn't get to devote the entire week to AirVenture, so I wasn't one of the lucky few who got to see the "aviation-world premiere" of "Flyboys." That means that I have to wait, like everyone else, to see it in theaters on September 29. But I did get to meet the director, Tony Bill, at the National Aviation Hall of Fame's annual enshrinement ceremony in July, and to spend time with him talking about the project. To find out why "Flyboys" is the movie this passionate aviator was "born to direct," see page 8-B.
One of the hottest issues today is the user-fee debate. To find out the latest information on the topic, be sure to read Karen Di Piazza's in-depth article, "Impending User Fees: GA's Most Serious Threat." You'll find it on page 24-B.
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