What started more than a decade ago as a small gathering of aviation entrepreneurs has in 2018 grown to a eagerly-awaited presence of men and women excited to share their “next big thing” with the tens of thousands of visitors to Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport. The cutting-edge technology and products expected to drive general aviation’s next generation will come together for a single day on Tuesday, July 24, with an Innovations Day of programming and events. Dave Chaimson, EAA’s vice president of marketing and business development said, “Many of the innovations seen at Oshkosh over the past five decades are now commonplace in aviation.”
The daylong series will bring together the brightest minds in aviation innovation to discuss topics such as electric and hybrid technology, artificial intelligence for the cockpit, future avionics, uses of unmanned aircraft and more. The day ends with “An Evening With Innovators” at Theater in the Woods, featuring judging of the third annual Founder’s Innovation Prize with a $25,000 check to the winner. Aviation Gateway Park will also feature more than 20 new exhibitors demonstrating the technology they believe will change the industry.
It all begins at 9 a.m. on the 24th at the Lindbergh Innovation Forum, Aviation Gateway Park Forum Tent. Entrepreneurs, inventors, and trailblazers will participate in presentations and panel discussions on a variety of technology shaping tomorrow’s aviation environment. Participants include representatives from Uber Elevate, Boeing, Insitu, Ampaire, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and others.
At 1 p.m., there’s the Innovation Trends in GA Avionics Executive Roundtable at the Aviation Gateway Park Forum Tent with discussions that include GA founders and CEOs from the avionics industry.
The evening session starts at 8 p.m. with “An Evening With Innovators” featuring the Founder’s Innovation Prize at Theater in the Woods presented by Airbus. Highlights include the top five 2018 entries in a “Shark Tank”-style format, where judges from throughout the aviation and aerospace world review the best and brightest ideas to reduce GA’s loss-of-control accident rate. The winner receives a cash prize of $25,000, with additional cash prizes for second and third place.
