EAA RANTINGS!

I recently attended EAA’s annual AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wis. I have been attending that show for more than 20 years. I attend as a part of my job — to meet and visit with clients that advertise or have the potential of advertising, to meet with readers that may be at the show and to keep up with news and changes that are taking place in the industry.

I’ve also started looking at AirVenture as a place to “recharge my aviation batteries.” I always find renewed excitement as I witness firsthand everything from daring young men in their flying machines who defy logic and stay aloft in their Gyrocopters, ex-fighter jockeys who display their vintage World War II aircraft, to up-close-and personal viewing of the latest attempt at private space exploration (Space Ship 1) and flybys of the latest high-technology fighter aircraft.

The show also brings opportunities to meet aviation enthusiasts or people who are a key part of the aviation community. A few “after show” social gatherings always prove interesting to say the least. If you listen closely enough, you always learn something new.

Here are a few stats from this year’s show:

Attendance:508,000

Total aircraft:More than 10,000 aircraft arriving at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin

Total showplanes:2,489 — including 978 homebuilt aircraft, 907 vintage airplanes, 336 warbirds, 105 ultralights, 97 seaplanes, 35 aerobatic aircraft and 31 rotorcraft

Commercial exhibitors: 802

International visitors registered: 2,078 visitors registered from 71 nations, with Canada (479 visitors), Australia (286), and Brazil (216) as the top three nations. (NOTE: This total includes only non-U.S. visitors who register at the international visitors tent, so the actual international contingent is undoubtedly larger.)

Media: 897 media representatives on-site, from five continents

So what did I learn at this year’s EAA? Probably the most interesting thing was trying to put some sort of handle on the Chinese interest in American aviation companies. I was aware of recent acquisitions by the Chinese of Cirrus, Teledyne Continental Motors, Brantley Helicopter and Superior Airparts and its recent securing of exclusive rights to negotiate with Hawker Beechcraft. While at EAA, China announced the purchase of Glasair Aviation LLC. After learning this, I joked to EAA officials about when the Chinese would purchase EAA and had a good laugh — only to round a corner after the discussion and be confronted with a new Chinese EAA Pavilion — a very large tent that housed offices for the Chinese delegation.

Shortly thereafter, I ran across Tim Archer who is CEO of Superior Aviation and is in charge of oversight and acquisitions for the Chinese firm that purchased Superior and Brantley, and is in the process of acquiring Hawker Beechcraft. For the most part, these companies were (or are in the process of being) purchased after filing bankruptcy. Archer assured me that the company that has purchased Superior and has an offer for Hawker is a private sale that’s not part of the Chinese delegation that’s making a much more broad investment in aviation. He also said that the intent of its Chinese owner is to grow the companies the purchase IN the United States. Archer points out that Superior has increased its workforce by 85 percent since the acquisition by the Chinese party, and that the Chinese are proud of their U.S.-based holdings.

If hiring Archer and appointing him CEO is any indication of the intentions of this particular company, I would say that this demonstrates a desire to keep Superior and its related holdings in America. Only time will prove this out.

On another note, I ran across ACR Artex in one of the exhibitor buildings. Artex is an Oregon-based company that was purchased several years ago by a European group called Cobham. Artex specializes in emergency locator beacons (ELTs), was recently sold to a private group (ACR Electronics Inc.) and moved to a new location in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The company now focuses on locator beacons for aviation, marine, military and other outdoor uses.

As always, EAA vendors presented a number of new and innovative products that have either hit, or will be hitting the market in upcoming months. EAA is still the equivalent of Mecca, where aircraft enthusiasts trek to annually to engage in a week of airplane worship. If you’ve ever considered travelling to Oshkosh for the Airventure Airshow, start planning early. It’s definitely worth the trip and you will likely find it to be a welcome injection of enthusiasm for all things aviation.

Greg Napert, Proud to be an A&P

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D.O.M. magazine is the premier magazine for aviation maintenance management professionals. Its management-focused editorial provides information maintenance managers need and want including business best practices, professional development, regulatory, quality management, legal issues and more. The digital version of D.O.M. magazine is available for free on all devices (iOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle).

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Joe Escobar (jescobar@dommagazine.com)
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