Oshkosh Oshkosh
British Airways Concorde is a pioneer in comercial supersonic travel.
Aircraft stretched as far as the eye could see earlier this month in a huge field outside a small midwestern city. Aviation enthusiasts from all over the world converged on Oshkosh, Wis. for the 46th annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Fly-In.
Thousands came by plane, hundreds of thousands more by car for the world&039;s largest sport aviation gathering called AirVenture &039;98. Estimates put the number of aircraft at 12,000. Twenty-five hundred of those were on display. The rest were transportation.
During the week-long event, the EAA figures more than 800,000 people roamed the grounds of Wittman Regional Airport. They oohed and aahed over the latest in general aviation as well as larger aircraft, including a supersonic British Airways Concorde.
One of the many enthusiastic visitors was NASA Administrator Dan Goldin. He flew in for a day to meet with EAA officials, industry partners and reporters, check out the NASA exhibits and catch an air show.
"I like to hear from our customers ... what we're doing right and what we could do better," Goldin told a group of general aviation manufacturers.
The administrator also toured both NASA exhibit halls. One building focused on the ten goals for aeronautics and space transportation technology which include aviation safety and reusable launch vehicles. A separate tent also highlighted women in NASA.
The other building displayed what NASA is doing to revitalize general aviation and the work of the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE). AGATE is a consortium of NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), industry and universities. A major attraction was the AGATE 1-B Beech Bonanza, a flying test bed for new technologies being developed by NASA and the rest of the partners.
"This is our chance to reach out to the public. We are the public's representative in AGATE. This is our chance to give something back. This is where we show them what they're getting for their money," said Paul Krasa, the Langley Systems Assurance Work Package Manager for AGATE.
AGATE has also encouraged university students to get involved in general aviation by sponsoring a design competition for the last four years. New NASA Deputy Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology.
NASA Headquarters Deputy Associate Administrator for MIssion to Planet Earth Strategic Enterprises Mike Mann handed out this year's awards at a news conference. The event included remarks from Anne Harlan, the director of the FAA's William Hughes Technical Center, Atlantic City, N.J.
Two of the winners were from Virginia. The first place award went to a 27 member team from Mann's alma mater, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. Second place honors were captured by Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. Third place was awarded to a team from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
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| Paul Krasa shows a prospective customer the AGATE 1-B. | NASA Administrator Dan Goldin toured the NASA exhibits. |
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Responsible NASA Official: John Childress For questions, contact: Dryden Web Group Page Curator: Monroe Conner Modified: September 3, 1998 |
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