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.