Two iconic aircraft types from the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, Fairchild and Travel Air, will celebrate their centennial years during activities at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025. The 72nd annual Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in convention takes place from 21 to 27 July at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The 100th anniversary year for each aircraft will welcome these aeroplanes to the AirVenture flightline, with additional programmes and activities held in conjunction with the Fairchild and Travel Air type clubs. All owners of Fairchild and Travel Air aircraft are invited to be part of the centennial activities.
“Each of these aircraft companies was founded in 1925 but took very different paths through their histories,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programmes, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “Each of these aircraft types made unique contributions to the world of flight, especially the momentous era from 1920 until 1940.”
Fairchild Aircraft was founded in 1925 as a builder of aircraft stable enough for aerial photography and mapping. While the company created a significant number of civilian passenger aeroplanes in its first 15 years, it was during the Second World War that the company turned to military aircraft production, particularly trainers and transports. It continued that focus through acquisitions of Hiller Aircraft and Republic Aircraft in the 1960s. Its final major production aircraft was the legendary A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog, from 1972 through to 1984.
The EAA Aviation Museum currently has the oldest Fairchild aircraft in existence, a 1927 FC-2W model. It is in early American Airlines markings, as it served as an early carrier after flying for Interstate Airlines.
The Travel Air Manufacturing Company’s short history was a partnership of three famous names in aviation history: Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, and Lloyd Stearman of Wichita, Kansas. The three men were part of the Swallow Aircraft Company but, in 1925, struck out on their own to create versatile biplanes in a 30-by-30-foot space in downtown Wichita. After some early success, the partnership separated, with Stearman and then Cessna moving to their own businesses. The company was eventually absorbed into the Curtiss-Wright Corporation in 1929 and ended production in 1931 during the Great Depression.
EAA continues the legacy of the company with its Travel Air 4000, which is one of the oldest aircraft in the world offering passenger flights with its seasonal operations at the EAA Aviation Museum’s Pioneer Airport.
