I have made the trek to Oshkosh for EAA’s AirVenture so many times I cannot count them. 2025’s journey was different in a few ways, though. First of all, rather than flying to Appleton, WI, or Green Bay on Sunday before the event, I flew to Traverse City, MI.
Twin & Turbine’s director of advertising sales, Jenna Reid, had set up some meetings with the executives and managers at our publisher, VP Demand Creation Services (VPDCS). It was an eye-opening experience to learn about and understand the broad scope of services that VPDCS (formerly Village Press) can provide to its advertisers and other customers. Not only is its printing capability rivaling the best in the world, but it also provides marketing asset management and fulfillment to make marketing leaders’ lives much easier and efficient. You’ll see Jenna’s contact information toward the back of this issue if you’d like to learn more about VPDCS’s services.
From Traverse City, we enjoyed the journey across Lake Michigan to Appleton, WI. But rather than flying direct, which would probably take around 25 minutes in the typical regional jet, we had to fly to Chicago’s O’Hare airport, connect to another regional jet, then finally take another short hop to Appleton. It ended up being a fairly long but very beneficial day. I was ready to zonk out in our welcoming host family’s home. It has always struck me as incredibly odd that, from Appleton to Fond du Lac, families open up their homes to strangers for one week a year so that we can work and enjoy EAA’s AirVenture.
Another way this year was unique was that I had the opportunity to spend time with three fraternity brothers, two of whom I hadn’t seen in probably 20 or 30 years. The one I had seen recently isn’t a pilot, and he had never been to AirVenture. The two pilots, one a Global Express driver, the other a senior Delta captain, are Oshkosh veterans. The non-pilot has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, along with a doctorate in something that gives him the ability to cure diseases and make people’s lives better. It was a fun group. We spent Tuesday night on the South 40 reminiscing, eating BBQ, and talking about everything we were going to do and see that week. It was like we had just seen each other after class and were planning a college-era weekend.
On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to sit down with Will Cutter and his daughter, Anna. They had just announced an agreement with Tecnam to become its newest aircraft dealer in the southwest. You’ll hear more about that next month, but while we were at the Tecnam display area, I was positively impressed by the airplanes and the company that Cutter Aviation will be representing in Arizona and California.
The change in perspective this year came from the experience being more fun than usual. I am not quite sure why, but this year had a different aura. Maybe it was from Jenna’s ever-present energy, seeing friends I hadn’t seen for years, or maybe learning about the Cutters’ newest OEM partner. It was probably everything combined. The cherry on top was the amazing airshow on Wednesday night. I see it every year, but this year it was more stunning than usual.
