By Debbie Hersman
As I work on this entry, I am getting ready for my trip to Oshkosh, Wis., home of EAA AirVenture, which every time this year is one of the largest gatherings of aviation enthusiasts. I’m told AirVenture attracts about a half million people from more than 60 countries. Many people —about 10,000 — fly their own aircraft to AirVenture, making Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport, for a few days at least, the world’s busiest airport.
I’m excited about my AirVenture schedule this year. Since air show safety has been on the NTSB’s agenda this past year, I’m looking forward to meeting EAA’s safety operations program manager as well as FAA’s national air show coordinator. My schedule is full and growing, but what I enjoy most is meeting and talking with GA pilots.
The NTSB takes advantage of this annual gathering to take our safety message directly to the people who can benefit from some very hard-learned safety lessons. A number of NTSB employees will be at AirVenture. You can talk with our air safety investigators at our exhibit in the Federal Pavilion, hear about our investigations and findings at a number of safety seminars, and I’m hosting two sessions as well — Meet the NTSB Chairman on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in the Honda Pavilion and a session on our recent safety study of experimental amateur-built aircraft on Thursday at 10:00 a.m., also at the Honda Pavilion. And, as I did last year, I’ll be talking with EAA Radio, another one of the great activities that the many volunteers make possible at AirVenture each year.
If you’re at AirVenture and see me, stop and introduce yourself. I hope you enjoy your visit as much as I know I will!
NTSB Safety Compass Blog 