It begins with an almost imperceptible up-tick in the message count on our in-boxes and builds to a torrent of product announcements and press releases that tickle our server and bury us mere mortals in mounds of aviation information. The trickle has turned to a flow this week as aviation begins preparations in earnest for the annual migration to Wisconsin and EAA AirVenture. We’re getting ready, too, with four published reports from the show (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Monday) and three podcast features (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) fleshing out on our virtual whiteboard. And while it’s unlikely we’ll see again the magnitude of accomplishment and innovation that was represented at last year’s show (SpaceShipOne, Global Flyer, HondaJet, Mustang, etc…) there’s plenty of new stuff for patrons to see and do. One center of this year’s buzz will be Cessna’s light sport aircraft. The aircraft lineup looks interesting, if not exactly revolutionary. There’ll be a B-1 Lancer on display and a C-17 Globemaster will be in Aeroshell Square when it’s not taking part in flight demonstrations. There will also be a good collection of World War II heavy bombers at the show. A Lancaster, B-24 and up to five B-17s will be on the field.
