Compiled by Willie Bodenstein
Photos by Abri and Amelie Kriegler & Supplied
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Innovations Day
Throughout Boeing Plaza, air shows, and exhibits at AirVenture Oshkosh 2025, the newest innovations in aircraft are on display. Each Tuesday of AirVenture EAA celebrates Innovations Day, sponsored by Airbus, specifically to highlight the newest and most innovative technologies in aviation.
There's a lot of technological development these days focused on electric and hybrid aircraft, uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), both autonomous and remotely piloted, and VTOL for personal transportation. Here are a few of the companies that will be showcasing their latest developments this year:
American Drone
American Drone is an agriculture company using UAS to distribute products to support American growers. They provide protection for crops through pest control, plant propagation, and crop health monitoring using drone technology. American Drone will perform spraying demonstrations using unmanned aircraft on Tuesday.
BETA Technologies
Based in South Burlington, Vermont, BETA Technologies is an aerospace company manufacturing electric aircraft, designing aircraft for the cargo, medical passenger, and military aviation industries. The company has also developed a network of chargers that can supply power to their aircraft and other electric vehicles. BETA will be bringing their two flying models that will be showcased in their exhibit, on Boeing Plaza, and during their flight.
MagniX
MagniX's Harbour Air retrofitted de Havilland Beaver seaplane will be in their exhibit and in Boeing Plaza. First taking flight in Vancouver, Canada, the Beaver was the world's first to fly as an all-electric commercially focused aircraft. MagniX developed an electric-powered Robinson R44 and completed the first piloted flight by a hydrogen-electric helicopter.
Pivotal
Pivotal will be attending AirVenture with their most popular design - the BlackFly. It's an American electric-powered VTOL personal air vehicle designed by Canadian engineer Marcus Leng. It was publicly revealed in 2018, after nine years of development. The BlackFly is the world's first ultralight fixed-wing, all-electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and the first ultralight eVTOL to be sold to customers complete and ready to fly.
Starlight Aerial Productions
Starlight is known for their stunning drone light shows, including providing the drones for the AirVenture night shows on Wednesday, July 23, and Saturday, July 26. They use their drones to create captivating performances, turning visions into reality and synchronized to music for an immersive experience.
Longtime FAA employees Tim Fitzgerald, EAA 1462033, and Boyd Martin, EAA 1509012, now work at EAA to help put together Innovations Day each year.
“Innovations Day is yearly every Tuesday; it's when EAA tries to showcase new technologies as it relates to airplanes flying,” Boyd said.
Tim agreed, “There's always a lot of innovations at Oshkosh, certainly in the displays and exhibits.”
There will be displays of the new and innovative aircraft, but EAA is also making efforts to showcase technologies that may have been around for a while, but you just don't see very often, like the Goodyear blimp.
“Everybody knows the Goodyear blimp, but there's just not that many flying,” Boyd explained. “So, we try to take the opportunity to showcase … rarely seen technologies.”
Both Tim and Boyd emphasized the fact that the EAA audience is a little different from your average air show crowd. Tim said that the EAA crowd is very intelligent when it comes to aviation.
“It's a very intelligent crowd around aviation, homebuilt, experimental, and as well as trying to make flying as affordable for the everyday person,” Boyd said. “And so, I think it's always important to show them where the industry is going, not just from a performance [view], but from industry, from technology.”
Tell Them You Wish They Were Here
Visitors to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025 can once again share their love of aviation with friends and family around the world through the popular free postcard activation hosted by Discover Oshkosh and Oshkosh-area community partners.
In 2024, more than 2,500 visitors stopped by the Oshkosh booth to write postcards to loved ones. Postcards were sent to all 50 states and more than 30 countries worldwide, including Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, China, India, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Uruguay, and the United Arab Emirates.
The program is back to spread smiles across the world. During AirVenture 2025, attendees can participate by visiting the Oshkosh Visitors Information Centre, located next to the control tower, to write their postcards. Whether it's a quick note to family back home or a cheerful greeting to aviation friends worldwide, let them know that you were thinking of them.
Don't miss your chance to send a free postcard - Discover Oshkosh and its partners provide the postcard, postage, and mailing to help you share your Oshkosh experience with those who matter most.
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