Newsletter #6 – July 14, 2026 – The countdown is on to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. From July 20 to 26, hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts will fly in and drive to Oshkosh to celebrate all facets of aviation. There will be many tributes to the nation’s 250th birthday and the 124 years since Orville and Wilbur Wright from Dayton, Ohio conquered human, powered flight along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers’ 1911 model, the Wright B Flyer, was the first commercially produced aircraft in the United States. They made about 100 of the aircraft. The Wright B Flyer Museum in Dayton built a “Look a Like” Wright B that is operable. On July 21 and July 23, weather permitting, it will be flying in the skies over Oshkosh. In 2022, I interviewed Rich Stepler, the Wright B Flyer chief pilot, at the museum as he sat in the Wright B “cockpit,” a two-seat, open-air configuration. Rich had many little known, fascinating details about the brothers. As the brothers designed their flying machine, they would purposely take opposite sides of an issue to debate the pros and cons of a design element. Once both brothers agreed, the debate ended amicably and the design was finalized. I can’t wait to see the Wright B fly in Oshkosh!
See our Wright B flyer video with early aviation clips:
On Wednesday and Thursday, July 21 and 22 in Oshkosh, Southwest Airlines will have their “Independence One” airplane on display at Boeing Plaza to honor America 250. These are just two highlights of more than 1,000 presentations that will be offered to attendees during the week.
On Wednesday, July 22 at 2:30 p.m. I will be showing Crosswinds: The Courageous Life of Cornelia Fort at the Skyscape Theater in the EAA Aviation Museum. I hope to see you there!
All the best,
Judy