Introducing Staff, Stringers, Videographers, And People Who Make It All Work

Anyone who's ever been to Oshkosh knows that there are hundreds of events and activities as well as tens of thousands of people that descend (some quite literally) on Wittman Regional Airport in mid-summer. While we have a very hard-working and dedicated staff, ANN could not provide you with the extensive information we do without the help of some equally ... some might say more ... dedicated volunteers who give a week of their time to make sure you have the best possible coverage of the show. As we lead up to this year's edition of AirVenture, we'll be introducing you to the people that make all of that possible.

Eric Van Gilder (ictured) will be joining the ANN crew for his sixth year at Oshkosh providing photographs throughout the week. He says that he feels blessed to have found two passions in life; aviation and photography. To be able to put them together has taken him on journeys that exceeded his own imagination.

Eric began snapping photos early in his life with a Polaroid camera, progressing through a range of cameras over the years and honing his skills with each camera. He spent several years in Europe in the USAF, photographing a wide variety of aircraft as a hobbyist. “I wish digital SLRs would have been around in those days.” Eric  said in a recent interview. “It would have been so much easier than changing film in the rain at places like RAF Mildenhall.”

Eric has published numerous articles and photographs in many different publications, both aviation and non-aviation related. He contributed many photographs to children’s books published in the UK. He has also published three books of his own.

Eric has provided photographic services for museum and non-profits in addition to lecturing on a variety of aviation related subjects. His passion for aviation finds him always seeking new subjects in aviation history and modern technology to follow and learn about.

“Over the years, I have learned that when I press the shutter, I may be catching something that will be historic and I won’t know it at the time.”.  He has caught a number of performers over the years at their very first airshow performance, including Chuck Aaron and Sammy Mason.

(Image provided by Eric Van Guilder)

FMI: www.aero-news.net