EAA AirVenture 2021: A Look at the Numbers

The first EAA AirVenture convention since the COVID-19 pandemic began is in the books, and officials have released statistics and figures for this year’s event.

AirVenture 2021 saw 608,000 attendees, the third time attendance has surpassed 600,000, according to officials.

The following is a list of additional statistics and figures from the event:

Total aircraft: More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. At Wittman alone, there were 16,378 aircraft operations in the 10-day period from July 22-31, which is an average of approximately 116 takeoffs/landings per hour when the airport is open. Total showplanes: 3,176 included: A record 1,420 vintage aircraft registered, plus 1,089 homebuilt aircraft, 354 warbirds, 148 aerobatic aircraft, 112 seaplanes, 33 ultralights, and 27 rotorcraft. Camping: More than 12,000 sites in aircraft and drive-in camping accounted for an estimated 40,000 visitors. Volunteers: More than 5,000 contributing in excess of 250,000 hours.

Commercial exhibitors: 747.

Forums, Workshops, and Presentations: A total of 1,055 sessions hosted throughout the week. Social Media, Internet and Mobile: More than 18.95 million people were reached by EAA’s social media channels during AirVenture, with engagement of 1.08 million; EAA video clips during the event were viewed 3.48 million times.

International guests: Despite travel restrictions that greatly limited the number of attendees from other nations, EAA still welcomed visitors from 66 countries during the week.

The Gathering shines: The EAA Aviation Foundation’s annual event to support its aviation education programs attracted more than 500 people and raised more than $1.7 million dollars that will be focused on EAA’s mission of growing participation in aviation.

Media: 567 media representatives on-site, from four continents.

Economic impact: $170 million for the five counties in the Oshkosh region (Winnebago, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Brown). * - based on 2017 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh economic impact study Officials say that planning for EAA AirVenture 2022 is underway. Next year’s convention is scheduled for July 25-31 in Oshkosh.