By Jim Kress, EAA 63552
The year was 1983, and my wife Evie and I had just relocated to Oshkosh. Surprised by the number of visitors to Oshkosh for “Oshkosh” (it wasn’t called AirVenture yet), I thought there should be a way for aviation visitors to remember Oshkosh all year long. From that thought, the mini-windsock cottage business was born. The windsock is a worldwide symbol of aviation and this unique aviation souvenir would be manufactured right here in Oshkosh.
Originally the mini-windsock was designed to be a bit larger, but Evie convinced me that it should be really mini and small enough to be displayed on a baseball cap. Turns out that was a great idea because as people bought the mini-windsocks they advertised them to others by wearing them in their hats. Soon, thousands of aviation enthusiasts were walking around the grounds with mini-windsocks in their hats. Sales were unbelievable and lines to purchase them were sometimes three deep and six wide in front of the sales booth at the Fly Market.
EAA continues to sell the mini-windsocks each year at AirVenture and they’re still manufactured in Oshkosh, just like they were 40 years ago.
Jim’s popular mini-windsocks will be available online next spring and, of course, on the grounds at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024.