Watching The Valdez Competition At EAA AirVenture Is An Adventure In Itself

As EAA AirVenture 2016 gets closer we’ll be priming the excitement pump by providing you with a heads-up about featured events. Let’s face it, when it comes to sport aviation, EAA AirVenture seems to have it all.

The Valdez STOL invitational is an example of sport and recreational aviation at its best. While it was born out of the necessity for short takeoff or landing performance needed in remote areas, what you’ll see in the competition begs the question…Why not just get a helicopter? The answer to that question is simple; because it’s more fun to do the impossible with an airplane safely and repeatedly. It’s just another variation of the “Right Stuff” at the low-speed end of the performance spectrum.

The Valdez STOL Invitational at Oshkosh will be returning to AirVenture in 2016 with a new location at the Ultralight strip for attendees to view the flights up close. It’s this up close and personal view of all the action that makes this part of AirVenture so much fun.

Seventeen STOL aircraft, which include homebuilts and other airplanes specially modified to take off and land on runways that may be less than 500 feet long, participated in the invitational last year, and EAA is looking forward to another great turnout.

Demonstration competitions will be held reflecting the Valdez competition held in Alaska every May. A display area will also be set aside in the Ultralight area for all aircraft participating in the invitational. This will give you the opportunity for a close-up look to see if helium is really involved.

(Image provided by EAA)

FMI: www.eaa.org/en/airventure