INTERVIEW: EAA turns 70

OSHKOSH, Wis. (WBAY) - WBAY-TV is not alone in Northeast Wisconsin celebrating a 70th anniversary this year. EAA turned 70 years old on Thursday. The first meeting of the Experimental Aircraft Association took place on January 26, 1953, in Milwaukee.

In September, the first fly-in was held at Timmerman Field in Milwaukee. Fewer than 150 people were registered.

Seven decades later, both the organization and the fly-in, now known as EAA Air Venture, are massive: 260,000 members, 900 local chapters for EAA, 18,684 airport operations in a single week, and 650,000 visitors at the 2022 Air Venture.

We spoke with EAA Director of Communications Dick Knapinski, who shared with some some remarkable film footage you can see. We find out what he knows about that first meeting, when EAA started to catch on internationally, and what strikes him most about what’s in that film.

Copyright 2023 WBAY. All rights reserved.