This piece originally ran in the October 2024 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
“AirVenture” goes by many names: Some call it “the convention,” others simply “Oshkosh,” locals call it “EAA,” but in 1969 it was the “Sport Aviation Convention.” The event was held in Rockford, Illinois, that year, and the majority of aircraft registered were homebuilts, with 289 aircraft attending. EAA gained 684 new members during that convention and boasted its highest aircraft movement number yet, with 34,087 movements. Forums were still as popular as they are now, spilling out of the two tents and some being informally held under nearby trees. Illinois Gov. Richard B. Ogilvie made an appearance and declared August 2 in the state of Illinois as “Experimental Aircraft Association Day.”
