An afternoon shot of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh’s Boeing Plaza, with just some of this year’s 686,000 attendees milling around a massive B-52 Stratofortress on display.

ALPA’s Professional Development Group (PDG) premiere outreach effort continues to be EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) AirVenture Oshkosh, where this year’s event tagline, “Inspiring the Future of Aviation,” perfectly aligned with the union’s purpose for being there. With a large outdoor booth adjacent to Boeing Plaza, the epicenter of activity for the “world’s greatest aviation celebration,” ALPA was keenly positioned to engage and interact with many of the 686,000 who attended the fly-in convention and air show during the last full week of July.

As in recent years, ALPA’s decision to attend AirVenture was based on an important component of the union’s strategic plan “to promote the profession and inspire the next generation of aviators.” “Oshkosh,” as the event is commonly called, routinely draws crowds of young people, their parents, and many others interested in learning more about flying for a living. Scores of them clustered around the union’s informational desk at the northeast corner of the booth, seeking insights from this year’s knowledgeable team of pilot volunteers.

Members like F/O Larry Brennan (United), F/O Karen Larson (United), F/O Robert Knebel (FedEx Express), and his spouse, F/O Kelly Knebel (Alaska), staffed the desk, drawing from their own personal experiences and promoting the Association’s many resources, including its clearedtodream.org website for aspiring airline pilots.

The booth also featured two Redbird Jay Velocity flight simulators, allowing potential airline pilots the chance to “earn their wings.” An adjoining theater provided the Association with the opportunity to conduct daily presentations. In addition, the venue gave the union a place to stage its popular dinners for members, retirees, and their families. The Delta and United pilots graciously sponsored and hosted two of this year’s evening meals.

Earlier this year, the EAA began to transform the grounds of Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisc., to accommodate the event’s more than 860 exhibitors, including ALPA, and the legions of airline, general aviation, military, and vintage aircraft this annual event draws. The EAA air show and fly-in has grown in prominence and size since it first took place in September 1953 in Milwaukee, Wisc., when only a handful of airplanes were on display and fewer than 150 attended.

For 11 days beginning July 18, Wittman tallied a total of 16,780 aircraft operations. Averaging nearly 113 takeoffs and landings per hour while the facility was open, this enormous amount of traffic made Wittman Regional Airport the world’s busiest airport for that brief period of time.

Educating the Public

Throughout the week, ALPA scheduled presentations at its adjoining theater, enabling PDG volunteers to talk about specific details of the airline piloting profession and field questions from the audience. Each day at 11:00 a.m., F/O Justin Dahan (FedEx Express), ALPA’s Education Committee chair, spoke to the large crowds that attended about “A Day in the Life of an Airline Pilot,” outlining activities like bidding schedules, flying trips, and other aspects of the job.

During the subsequent segment, F/O Camila Turrieta (JetBlue), ALPA’s Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion (DEBI) Committee chair—and later in the week DEBI member F/O Mark Bomber (United)—presented “Landing an Aviation Scholarship.” The two acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges for aviation students can be determining how to finance their education and training. Fortunately, resources are available through ALPA and other aviation organizations.

“Pathways to the Airlines,” presented by F/O Mark Lockwood (Delta), ALPA’s Leadership Committee chair, and later Capt. Glen Gorrie (WestJet), a Leadership Committee member, examined ways to build flight time and streamline the process for meeting the minimum requirements to fly for an airline.

The final PDG segment, “Military Vets to Airline Jets—Funding Your Airline Career,” featured Capt. Taylor Hitson (Endeavor Air), ALPA’s Veterans Affairs Subcommittee chair; Capt. Kandy Bernskoetter (FedEx Express), the Association’s Membership Committee chair; and Capt. John Tabet (Spirit), a Membership Committee member, depending upon the day. Each discussed strategies to make transitioning from the armed services to airline piloting careers as simple as possible.

This year, PDG leaders expanded the subject format to include presentations from two ALPA members who are AirVenture aerobatic performers. Capt. William “Skip” Stewart (FedEx Express), a headliner and an Oshkosh regular, addressed the Tuesday booth audience, outlining his preparations for flying Prometheus. The modified Pitts S-2S biplane has a climb rate of 4,000 feet per minute.

Stewart is the recipient of the 2013 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship and the 2015 Art Scholl Award. He was joined by his wife, F/O Cari Stewart (FedEx Express), another MD-11 pilot who he occasionally has the opportunity to fly with at FedEx.

Two days later, Capt. Jimmy Fordham (Delta, Ret.) explained what it’s like to fly the slot position for the heralded Titan Aerobatic Team. Piloting North American AT-6 Texans, the Titan crewmembers are known for their tight formations and keenly executed maneuvers, and Fordham discussed the attention, skills, and amount of practice necessary to perform the team’s routine without a hitch. He and his fellow Titan pilots have been regulars at AirVenture for years, and, in addition to daytime performances, the Titan Aerobatic Team was prominently featured in this year’s Wednesday and Saturday evening air shows.

With more than 1,600 forums, workshops, and presentations to choose from this year, it was critical that ALPA reach as many of the attendees interested in learning more about airline pilot flying as possible. To keep the AirVenture visitors apprised of the union’s planned activities for the week, ALPA created a dedicated public webpage, alpa.org/oshkosh. The Association also listed all of its daily presentations in EAA AirVenture Today newspapers, on the organization’s online forums and workshops pages, in the air show app, and in the EAA AirVenture official visitors’ guide, where ALPA also ran an ad.

In addition, ALPA arranged for those within a one-mile radius of Boeing Plaza to receive prompts to visit the union’s booth via social media ads. The Association also cosponsored the EAA Runway 5K held Saturday morning on the airport tarmac to further promote the union’s visibility.

Taking to the Air(waves)

In another component of this year’s outreach efforts, ALPA participated in a series of interviews at the onsite EAA Radio station. Capt. Paul Preidecker (Air Wisconsin, Ret.) and “Wireless” Mike Stromberg, announcers for the daily Squawk 1200 program, queried Turrieta on Tuesday afternoon about “The Impact of Diversity on Flight Decks Today.” The DEBI chair underscored ALPA’s efforts to prioritize safety and also maintain a robust pilot supply by breaking down barriers and promoting the profession across a much broader pool of job candidates than airlines have traditionally targeted.

The next day, as a highlight of WomenVenture Day, the EAA announcers conversed with Bernskoetter, who discussed the recent FAA reauthorization legislation and her experiences in making recommendations to the regulatory agency, Congress, and the aviation industry as a member of the FAA Women in Aviation Advisory Board.

She invited two other members of the board to join her for the discussion—Lauren Haertlein, policy and regulatory deputy general counsel at Joby Aviation, and Dr. Becky Lutte, chair of graduate studies and an associate professor at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University.

On Thursday, July 25, Capt. Wendy Morse, ALPA’s first vice president and national safety coordinator, chatted with Preidecker and Stromberg about “The Importance of Having Two Pilots on the Airline Flight Deck.” She acknowledged that the push by certain corporate interests to save money by reducing the number of pilots at the controls of an airliner is deeply concerning and introduces added, unnecessary, and unacceptable risk.

Listeners could hear these programs on the local frequencies 96.5 FM and 1210 AM as well as online and through airfield loudspeakers. In addition, ALPA participated in another EAA Radio format as longtime host Capt. Jeff Montgomery (United), aka “J Mont G,” broadcasted his On the Fly program. He interviewed a variety of aviation personalities live from various locations around the Wittman grounds, including the facility’s seaplane base along nearby Lake Winnebago that Saturday afternoon.

ALPA Everywhere

ALPA had a vast number of members present at this year’s EAA AirVenture. In addition to volunteering at the union’s booth, numerous airline pilots flew in the air show, displayed aircraft, represented other aviation organizations, gave presentations in other locations, or simply enjoyed the spectacle that’s Oshkosh. AirVenture showcases everything related to aviation and, virtually everywhere you went on the airport grounds that week, ALPA members could be found.

Many pilots could be seen signing one of the rosters for airlines—domestic and foreign, past and present—in the EAA airline crew headquarters tent. ALPA members could also be seen in the skies during the afternoon and evening air shows. In addition to Stewart and Fordham who spoke at ALPA’s booth, other daily aerobatic performers included Capt. Jeff Boerboon (Delta), who flew spectacular routines in his Extra 330SC, a Lycoming AEIO-580-powered single-seat aircraft with an amazing wing design, which has been described as “arguably the world’s premiere aerobatic competition and air show plane.”

In previous years at Oshkosh, Boerboon piloted a YAK-110, an American-engineered twin-fuselage aircraft made from two Yakovlev Yak-55 airframes. He is a two-time Advanced National Aerobatic Champion and a previous member of the U.S. advanced and unlimited aerobatic teams. Boerboon was also named the 2010 U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Champion.

Another featured solo performer was F/O Scott “Scooter” Yoak (Delta), who took his North American P-51D Mustang Quick Silver through various aerobatic maneuvers during the week. Since 2008, he’s showcased this World War II-era fighter at air shows around the United States, demonstrating its ability to roll, loop, and climb.

Other ALPA pilots participated in formational fly-bys and simulated dogfights when they weren’t answering questions in Wittman’s Warbird and Fightertown sections, talking with aviation enthusiasts about their aircrafts’ history and performance. Capt. Jeff Linebaugh (FedEx Express) flew Gunfighter, another P-51D Mustang, several times during the week. Manufactured in March 1945, the airplane was originally shipped to England where it was assigned to the “Mighty Eighth” Air Force for the balance of World War II. Gunfighter currently flies with the Commemorative Air Force.

Oshkosh regular Capt. Stuart Milson (FedEx Express) also piloted a P-51D Mustang, Gentleman Jim, several of the afternoons on behalf of the American Honor Foundation.

Whether visible in the skies or parked in Boeing Plaza, the B-29 Superfortress Fifi was a fixture at this year’s AirVenture. This high-altitude strategic bomber was a technological marvel compared to its World War II counterparts, featuring a pressurized cabin and an analog computer-controlled firing system, which allowed a single gunner and a fire-control officer to direct four remote machine gun turrets. One of the flyers piloting this airplane was F/O Curt Lewis (Delta).

Three Sun Country pilots—Capts. Eric Herman, Andy Bredeson, and Nicholas Stolley—took turns talking to Oshkosh attendees and flying the Mitchell B-25J-20-NC Miss Mitchell. The American twin-engine World War II bomber served in the 57th Bomb Wing of the 12th Air Force in North Africa and Italy during World War II, completing a remarkable 130-plus missions.

Other ALPA members flying in large formations across the Oshkosh sky included Capt. Jeremy Keyes (Kalitta Air), his pilot group’s Master Executive Council chair. He piloted a 1960s-era Nanchang CJ-6A, a Chinese military trainer previously operated by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. Capt. Dan Booker (Delta) displayed and flew a Russian variant of the Nanchang—a Yakovlev Yak-52 known as Red Starlet—in these aerial configurations.

F/O Jeff Shetterly (Spirit) serves on the EAA Warbirds of America’s Board of Directors and last year flew a North American SJN-6 in the air show. This week, he kept his feet on the ground, meeting with the organization’s Aerobatic Competency Evaluation group, which discussed potential policies and procedure changes used to assess pilots who want to fly in future AirVenture air shows.

In between these and other ALPA air show performances, attendees stopped to sample Wisconsin culinary treats like cheese curd tacos, listen to occasional bagpipe band performances, or enjoy one of the event’s many other entertaining diversions. All of this activity was peppered with the ear-piercing sounds of flying Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptors coupled with the distinct clatter of the Ford Trimotor’s radial engines, reminding Oshkosh attendees of the incredible progress aviation has made in just over a century.

Reliving History

The allied invasion of Normandy, France, a major turning point in World War II, began on June 6, 1944. Some of those who participated in the 80th anniversary in France earlier this year traveled to Oshkosh to continue this tribute.

In addition to storming the beaches on that fateful day, many troops were transported as airborne units using Douglas C-47 Skytrains. Soldiers were dropped behind enemy lines, and a reenactment of this exercise was conducted during Tuesday’s air show.

Piloting That’s All Brother was Capt. John Bixby (United). The aircraft he flew in the Tuesday afternoon program has seen its share of refurbishments, but the basic structure of the airplane led a formation of 800 other aircraft 80 years ago, dropping nearly 13,000 paratroopers. Lewis, who flew B-29 Fifi throughout the week, piloted That’s All Brother to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, after this year’s AirVenture concluded.

Nearby, F/O Billy Janus (Delta) flew the Tunison Foundation’s C-47 Placid Lassie, which also crossed the English Channel to transport troops at that time.

Among those making this year’s jump were Capt. Martin Gerhard (United) and F/O Steve McGarry (Envoy Air). In full paratrooper uniform and face paint, the two members of the World War II Airborne Demonstration Team leapt from Wild Kat. Unlike the other two aircraft, Wild Kat was originally built to serve as a civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner but was appropriated by the U.S. Army for use in the war. This was Gerhard’s 100th jump with the team.

As part of the AirVenture experience, EAA sold tickets allowing guests to fly on several vintage transports including the Trimotor, an early airliner introduced in the mid-1920s that could carry as many as eight to nine passengers. Among the pilots crewing these aircraft were retired United Capts. Gary Baker, Bill Sleeper, Bill Thacker, Terry O’Brien, and Steve Craig.

Back in Boeing Plaza, the U.S. armed services displayed several airplanes currently in use. Among them was a KC-135 Stratotanker, an aircraft type that has provided aerial refueling capabilities for the U.S. Air Force for more than 60 years. From the left seat of the aircraft’s flight deck, Capt. Bill Peters (United) answered questions from the long lines of those who queued up to walk through the massive aircraft. He explained what it’s like to fly for the 128th Air Refueling Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard.

Highlighting the Merits of Flight

AirVenture provides countless opportunities to learn more about the wonders of aviation, and numerous ALPA members provided informative presentations in other parts of the airfield throughout the week. In the WomenVenture Center just north of the control tower, Capt. Theresa Claiborne (United, Ret.) spoke on Tuesday about “Transforming the Face of Aviation Through Access, Opportunities, and Advocacy.”

The first African American woman to become a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, Claiborne later transitioned to United where she retired earlier this year flying the B-787. President of Sisters of the Skies and an advocate for Black women pursuing airline piloting jobs, she noted, “There are a group of women coming up behind me who are members of our organization carrying on that legacy.”

Capt. Lynn Rippelmeyer (United, Ret.) gave a presentation in the EAA Museum Hilton Theater discussing her remarkable experiences as the first woman to fly the B-747 for an airline and the first woman to captain a “jumbo jet” on a transatlantic flight. She first flew the B-747 as a first officer for Seaboard World Airlines in 1980 and four years later captained the aircraft on a flight across the ocean while flying for People Express Airlines.

On the day of the latter flight, Rippelmeyer flew from Newark, N.J., to London Gatwick Airport, where she was greeted and congratulated by Princess Anne of the British royal family. Rippelmeyer was later featured in the BBC special Reaching for the Skies.

Many of this year’s AirVenture presentations were based on personal experiences. On Forum Stage 7, Capt. Charles “Buck” Wyndham (United), who flew the Fairchild Republic A-10 Warthog in numerous missions for the U.S. Air Force, talked about his encounters during Operation Desert Storm. F/O Tina Druskins (United) explained what sport pilot flying is and what it takes to acquire the requisite certification.

In the theater section of the EAA Homebuilders Hangar, Capt. Linda Sollars (JetBlue) kept the audience riveted with her account of working with Sling Aircraft in South Africa to build the first customer high-wing airplane. She explained how she flew it across the Atlantic and up from the Caribbean in 2022 to present it at EAA AirVenture that year.

Across the street from ALPA’s booth, Capt. Jason Depew (Delta) discussed “Flight Experience: More Quality for Less Money,” in the 75-plus-seat theater that’s part of the booth for the National Association of Flight Instructors.

One of the worst accidents in the history of aviation occurred at Tenerife North Airport on Mar. 27, 1977, when two B-747s collided on the runway, killing nearly 600 people. Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, located off the coast of Spain, and Capt. Laura Savino (United) outlined the details of the disaster and what the aviation industry learned from the experience.

Supporting Other Aviation Organizations

The Wednesday of each EAA AirVenture week has become known as WomenVenture Day, and includes a special breakfast followed by the annual group photo at 11:00 a.m. Thousands gathered in Boeing Plaza in front of a parked B-52 Stratofortress for the shot, including Turrieta; Bernskoetter; F/O Kaori Paris (United), ALPA’s PDG lead; F/O Stacey Jackson (WestJet), the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations executive vice president, Technical & Safety Standards, Canada; and Capt. Jolanda Witvliet (United).

Many of those who posed for the group photo spent the balance of the day participating in activities focused on the importance of recruiting larger numbers of women into the aviation field.

Other ALPA members represented interesting aviation-industry niches including Capt. Jim Davis (United), who worked the Soaring Society of America booth, an umbrella organization representing glider clubs in the United States.

Over in the EAA Career Center, several carriers, particularly the individual American Eagle airlines, conducted pilot recruiting. F/O Ahkeel Leach (Envoy Air) and Capt. Aron Dahl (Envoy Air) talked about the merits of flying the E175 with potential job candidates. F/O Jeremy Schoggins (Air Wisconsin) and F/O Colleen Whitehouse (Air Wisconsin) acknowledged the lucrative contract their pilot group negotiated last year and how it benefits new hires.

F/O Brady Fries (Piedmont) and, nearby, Capt. Cameron McMillan (PSA), F/O Chris Hackett (PSA), and Capt. Jonathan Silva (PSA) also promoted the advantages of flying for their respective airlines.

F/O Maggie Eickhoff (Delta) and Capt. Valerie Scott (United, Ret.) endorsed joining the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, and Jackson staffed the nearby Women in Aviation International booth. Meanwhile, Larson spent time representing the Recreational Aviation Foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists in the funding for and education about new airstrips on public lands.

These were just some of the many ALPA members demonstrating their commitment not only to the airline industry, but also to the larger aviation community. Their collective engagement helped underscore that AirVenture is just as much about pilots as it is about the aircraft they fly. ALPA will continue to attend events like Oshkosh to promote the airline piloting profession and to celebrate both the pilots and aircraft that help to connect the world.