Remembering Steve Wittman | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.29.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.23.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.24.24 Airborne-FltTraining-04.25.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.26.24

Mon, Mar 29, 2004

Remembering Steve Wittman

EAA Airventure Museum Celebrates His 100th Birthday

The EAA AirVenture Museum is celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of the late Steve Wittman (right), one of Oshkosh’s and Wisconsin’s most famous aviators, with special activities April 3-5.
 
Activities include guided tours of EAA’s Wittman Hangar, located at the museum’s Pioneer Airport, as well as a special "Memories of Steve" evening program at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 5, that will include comments from many of Wittman’s close friends who he knew through his years as a renowned aircraft designer, builder and racer.

"There are very few people who can claim the legacy that Steve Wittman established in so many fields of aviation," said Adam Smith, EAA AirVenture Museum Director. "He was a lifelong resident of the Fox Valley and we are proud that Oshkosh can claim him as its own. As part of EAA’s mission to preserve aviation history, we will celebrate Steve’s life and contributions, since his dedication to the world of flight helped make Oshkosh the home of sport aviation."

Wittman was born on April 5, 1904, in Byron (WI), just a short distance south of Oshkosh. He began designing and building airplanes in the 1920s, and was soon racing his creations successfully against the top pilots of the famed "Golden Age of Air Racing" era of the 1920s and 1930s. He operated as an independent racer against the nation’s best competitors, who were usually financed by large corporations.

Wittman’s contributions reached far beyond racing, however, though he continued competing well into his 80s. His aircraft designs, such as the Wittman Tailwind, Buttercup and others, are still being constructed today, while his spring-steel landing gear design was adopted by Cessna and eventually used in thousands of small airplanes. As a flight instructor, Wittman trained hundreds of military pilots during the World War II era and countless more throughout his 70-plus years of flying.

An early member and supporter of the fledgling Experimental Aircraft Association, Wittman helped nurture the organization as an aircraft builder and as manager of the Winnebago County Airport. When EAA sought a new home for its annual fly-in in 1970, Wittman encouraged the organization to come to Oshkosh, where it remains today. The EAA fly-in, known today as EAA AirVenture, has become the world’s largest general aviation event and is still at the Oshkosh airport, which now bears the Wittman Regional Airport name. A State of Wisconsin historical marker now notes the location of Wittman’s hangar on the north side of the airport.

During the April 3-5 events, the Wittman Hangar will showcase several of his designs, from his first "Hardly Ableson" model that used a surplus Harley-Davidson engine, to his racing and pleasure aircraft. During the April 5 evening program, Wittman biographer Aaron King and EAA founder Paul Poberezny will be among those who offer recollections of the famed aviator.

FMI: www.eaa.org

Advertisement

More News

Unfortunate... ANN/SportPlane Resource Guide Adds To Cautionary Advisories

The Industry Continues to be Rocked By Some Questionable Operations Recent investigations and a great deal of data has resulted in ANN’s SportPlane Resource Guide’s rep>[...]

ANN FAQ: Turn On Post Notifications

Make Sure You NEVER Miss A New Story From Aero-News Network Do you ever feel like you never see posts from a certain person or page on Facebook or Instagram? Here’s how you c>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.29.24): Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI)

Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) An airport lighting facility providing vertical visual approach slope guidance to aircraft during approach to landing by radiating a directio>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.28.24): Airport Marking Aids

Airport Marking Aids Markings used on runway and taxiway surfaces to identify a specific runway, a runway threshold, a centerline, a hold line, etc. A runway should be marked in ac>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.28.24)

Aero Linx: The Skyhawk Association The Skyhawk Association is a non-profit organization founded by former Skyhawk Pilots which is open to anyone with an affinity for the A-4 Skyhaw>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC