"We had nearly perfect weather," EAA Chairman Jack Pelton said in his closing news conference at AirVenture on Sunday, "and it really felt like we're getting back to our culture -- that's what we've been striving for, these last three years." On Tuesday, the show logged "the most aircraft arrivals ever," with more than 3,000 landings, Pelton said, and as of Sunday morning the tower had logged 16,278 arrivals and departures. Pelton credited a quick response by the airport emergency crews for saving lives during the one accident this year, a Piper Malibu crash, which caused some injuries but no fatalities. Attendance is the highest it has been since 2005, with about 550,000 visitors as of Sunday morning. Camping was up about 4 percent, Pelton said, and Aviation Gateway Park, aimed at attracting young people to aviation careers, has proved to be a successful concept that will continue to grow. "How to top all that?" he asked. "Next year, we're going to inundate you every day."
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/pelton-a-tremendous-week-for-eaa-airventure