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Planes-and ticket sales-up at EAA

Advance ticket sales up 33 pct for EAA AirVenture MILWAUKEE (AP) — The public will get its first in-person glimpse of the aircraft that could launch tourists into space Monday at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture in Oshkosh.

Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, or “VMS Eve,” arrives on the annual convention’s opening day and makes four appearances during the seven-day run about 80 miles north of Milwaukee.

“(EAA) is the mecca of experimental flying and it’s become the natural place to take it to,” said Virgin Galactic President Will Whitehorn in a telephone interview Friday.

AirVenture officials hope the WhiteKnightTwo and this year’s high-powered lineup — including the crew of the US Airways flight that crash-landed in the Hudson River and the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airliner — help offset the recession blues.

Last year high fuel costs and the sagging economy forced a drop in attendance.

So far this year advance ticket sales are up 33 percent and early camper arrivals and registration is about 4 percent ahead of last year.

Tom Poberezny, EAA president and AirVenture’s chairman since 1976, suspected lower fuel costs this year could help. He predicted a “solid to very good year” for attendance.

“This is the best year ever in terms of variety of airplanes and people and programs that we’ve ever had,” Poberezny said.