Airventure—or as old-timers still call it “The Fly In”–predates Oshkosh by 17-years.
The first edition was held in 1953 at what is now Timmerman Airport in Milwaukee. In 1959, EAA founder Paul Poberezny moved it to Rockford, Illinois—where it enjoyed a decade of growth. But when the event grew too big for that airport, Poberezny’s good friend Steve Wittman convinced him to move it to Oshkosh in 1970—at the airport he ran—and that now bears his name.
It was in Oshkosh that the Fly In would become a world-class aviation event—and be renamed Airventure. In an interview with Poberezny before his death, he admitted he never thought his Fly In would become what it is today. He says none of them realized it would make Oshkosh known throughout the world.
Some of the aircraft that were on display at the first Oshkosh Fly In will be back this year—as will the largest collection of Warbirds in Airventure history.
