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EAA Adds More Astronauts, F-35 Heritage Flight To AirVenture 2017 Calendar

By Geoff Rapoport

With four months to go until AirVenture 2017, EAA announced this week that Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt of Apollo 17 joined a list of five other previously confirmed Apollo astronauts who will attend AirVenture to celebrate the 50thanniversary of the program. “This will be a rare, unforgettable gathering of the people who met the challenge of flying to the moon and safely returning, representing hundreds of thousands of individuals who contributed to its success,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member benefits. Conventions vary on the exact start date of the Apollo Program, but 1967 saw publication of the official Apollo mission numbering scheme as well as the first fatalities during the Apollo 1 fire that killed Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee. EAA also announced this week that the Air Force has committed to providing an F-35 Lighting II and an A-10 Thunderbolt II for a heritage flight demonstration celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the U.S. Air Force. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels demonstration team is also scheduled to perform. EAA AirVenture will be held July 24-30 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.