Attendees May Celebrate Anniversaries For Planemaker, Most
Popular Model
Owners and operators of
aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation, and its
numerous descendants -- including the recently created Hawker
Beechcraft Corporation -- will have two major milestones to
celebrate this summer at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, July 23-29.
Special activities, flights, and exhibits at "The World's Greatest
Aviation Celebration" will mark the 75th anniversary of Beechcraft,
and the 60th anniversary of the Beechcraft Bonanza.
"Our members and visitors won't want to miss this celebration,"
said Tom Poberezny, EAA president and AirVenture chairman. "Just as
Beechcraft's influence spans the history of aviation, this
celebration will span the AirVenture grounds. Whether in the
Vintage or Warbirds areas, on AeroShell Square, or viewing the air
show, members and visitors to AirVenture this year will see
numerous commemorations and celebrations of Beechcraft's role in
aviation."
"There is no better place to honor Beechcraft's contributions
than at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, where the whole world of aviation
gathers each year to celebrate the passion, devotion, and ingenuity
that the love of flight inspires," Poberezny added.
The festivities will begin the weekend before AirVenture's
kickoff, with a mass arrival of scores of Beechcraft Bonanzas
during the afternoon of Saturday, July 21. The owners groups that
orchestrate this annual operation plan to expand its size and scope
this year to recognize 60 years of the Bonanza, which has had the
longest production run of any airplane in the world.
"Every year a sizable collection of
our on-site camping members arrives early to be on-hand for the
mass-arrival spectacle. They certainly won't want to miss the
Bonanzas this year," Poberezny said.
Sunday evening, pilots and Beechcraft owners of
all makes and models are invited to join all those Bonanza fliers
in AirVenture's North 40 aircraft camping area for a barbecue and
celebration of their aircraft manufacturer's 75th anniversary.
Entertainment will be provided by Hawker Beechcraft's own house
band, the "Sons of Beech."
During AirVenture, the commemorations will continue with a
special Beechcraft display on AeroShell Square, AirVenture's
central showcase area, on Monday. EAA's Vintage Aircraft and
Warbirds divisions will feature displays of appropriate Beechcraft
airplanes and their forerunners throughout the week. And the
weeklong schedule of air shows and showcase flying will include
performances and flight displays of Beechcraft airplanes old and
new.
"A 75-year history of innovation and 60 years of continuous
production of the Beechcraft Bonanza are truly monumental
achievements," said Jim Schuster, chairman and CEO of Hawker
Beechcraft Corporation. "With all of the activities occurring at
Oshkosh this year, we are looking forward to celebrating with
Beechcraft owners from all model years," he said.
"While we celebrate the legacy established by Beechcraft, we'll
also show how all of that accumulated knowledge comes together in
the contemporary models that will be displayed at EAA AirVenture.
Today's Beechcraft Bonanza, for instance, builds on the tradition
while applying the latest technology in avionics and safety
equipment. Paired with exquisite interior appointments, today's
Bonanza offers the ultimate in refinement, and we look forward to
showcasing that at Oshkosh as well," Schuster added.
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