Thu, May 31, 2007
First Annual Competition Puts The Vote To The Public
Six of the world's finest restored vintage aircraft will travel
to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this summer to participate in the
National Aviation Hall of Fame's first "Best of the Best" People's
Choice Award competition. These aircraft will be showcased at EAA
AirVenture, "The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration," on July
23-29 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
AirVenture visitors will have the opportunity to vote for their
favorite among these restored vintage aircraft. All six vintage
aircraft have been masterfully restored to virtually like-new
condition and are great examples of our rich aviation
history. The National Aviation Hall of Fame and the National
Aviation Heritage Invitational (NAHI) joined together to create and
sponsor the competition.
The aircraft scheduled to appear are all former winners of
various NAHI events held throughout the country since 1999. They
include the Lockheed P-38 "Glacier Girl" (owned by Rod Lewis, shown
below); Piper L-4 (owned by June and Colin Powers); Spartan
Executive (owned by Kent and Sandy Blankenburg; type shown at
bottom); Fairchild KR-21 (owned by Pat McNerney); Grumman Duck
(owned by Chuck Greenhill); and Waco ATO (owned by Alan
Hoeweler).
"We at EAA are truly excited about hosting these magnificent
aircraft," said Adam Smith, EAA Vice President/Outreach. "This
program allows the public to vote on their personal favorite from
the group, each of which is a masterful example of aircraft
restoration."
The presentation of the "Best of the Best" trophy will take
place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 28 at EAA AirVenture.
Representatives of the Hall of Fame, EAA and NAHI will be joined by
several enshrinees of the National Aviation Hall of Fame in the
trophy presentation.
This activity undertakes a completely different selection
process than that for EAA's legendary "Lindys," awards presented
each year to recognize top aviation construction and restoration
efforts. The EAA awards are based on a strict set of judging
criteria, while the "Best of the Best" program crosses traditional
aircraft categories and relies on public-preference voting.
The National Aviation Heritage Invitational promotes aircraft
restoration via friendly competition, bringing valuable aviation
treasures together in one venue. This endeavor is a joint effort
under the auspices of Rolls-Royce North America Inc., the National
Aviation Hall of Fame, the Reno Air Racing Foundation and the
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
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