The EAA Antique/Classic Division, which was founded in 1971 as a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) for vintage aircraft enthusiasts, has changed its name to the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, better reflecting its scope and mission within recreational aviation.

The group will remain as a full Division of EAA and offer its ever-increasing program of activities and benefits for vintage aircraft owners. It will, however, utilize a new logo designed specifically for the renamed organization.

"Over the years, the Antique/Classic Division has grown to include airplanes that go beyond the strict definition of 'antique' or 'classic,'" said Butch Joyce, president of the Vintage Aircraft Association. "We wanted to acknowledge that change within the Division and allow room for further growth as other classifications of aircraft become eligible for vintage designation in future years. With EAA's help, this Division will continue to attract enthusiasts of these magnificent aircraft."

The Vintage Aircraft Association strives to achieve a number of goals, including:

• Encouraging and aiding restoration of antique, classic and contemporary category aircraft;
• Maintaining a library devoted to aviation history, as well as construction, repair and preservation of vintage aircraft and engines;
• Improving aviation safety and education involving these aircraft;
• Conducting forums, workshops and other activities for the vintage airplane enthusiast.

The organization's magazine, sent each month to all Vintage

Aircraft Association members, will continue to be published as Vintage Airplane. The magazine, however, has been updated and refined to offer enthusiasts more technical and feature articles for their use and enjoyment. The magazine's "new look" will be evident beginning with the February 1999 issue.

Any EAA member is eligible to become a Vintage Aircraft Association member. Yearly VAA membership is $27, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane.

Current Antique/Classic chapters, located in communities throughout North America, will now be known as Vintage Aircraft Association chapters. They will continue to host numerous events and activities of interest to aviation enthusiasts throughout the year, as well as participate in the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh event each summer.

The world's finest air show performers and a new air show competition highlight the daily afternoon air shows at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh '99, which will be held July 28-August 3 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis.

The afternoon air show is a traditional part of EAA AirVenture, dating back to the first fly-in in 1953. The lineup includes some of the finest aerobatic competitors in the world, as well as thrilling team aerobatics, Warbird formations and performances, and longtime EAA favorites.

"With AirVenture's major theme this year involving air show legends, the daily afternoon air show at Oshkosh has drawn even more interest in 1999," EAA AirVenture Chairman Tom Poberezny said. "These world-class performances are one of the most visible and popular activities each day. The addition of the new Northcoast Aerospace Air Show Pilot Challenge Series will be a special highlight of each afternoon's aerial activities." The Air Show Pilot Challenge Series is a new competition for air show pilots in 1999, organized by the Championship Air Show Pilots Association (CASPA), it includes three rounds of flying activities each day. A compulsory round requires flying pre-determined, high-energy maneuvers; the freestyle round contains a series of maneuvers decided by the pilot; and the challenge round pits two pilots against each other during a spectacular four-minute head-to-head competition. The current list of air show performers by day (subject to change without notice):

• Wednesday, July 28: Delmar Benjamin, Ken Brock, Bill Beardsley, EAA Warbirds of America, Jim Franklin, French Connection, Wayne Handley, Liberty Parachute Team, Northern Lights, Gene Soucy, Sean Tucker, Patty Wagstaff, Bobby Younkin.
• Thursday, July 29: Ken Brock, Julie Clark, Bob Davis, EAA Warbirds of America, Marine Corps' Harrier, Bob Hoover, Liberty Parachute Team, New this year: Northcoast Aerospace Air Show Pilot Challenge Series, Northern Lights, Howard Pardue, Patty Wagstaff.
• Friday, July 30: Julie Clark, Jim Franklin, French Connection, EAA Warbirds of America, Wayne Handley, Liberty Parachute Team, Marine Corps' Harrier, Northcoast Aerospace Air Show Pilot Challenge Series, Howard Pardue, Patty Wagstaff.
• Saturday, July 31: Ken Brock, Bill Beardsley, Bob Davis, EAA Warbirds of America, Marine Corps' Harrier, Bob Hoover, Liberty Parachute Team, Northcoast Aerospace Air Show Pilot Challenge Series, Northern Lights, Howard Pardue, Patty Wagstaff, Bobby Younkin. Sunday, August 1: Delmar Benjamin, Julie Clark, EAA Warbirds of America, Jim Franklin, French Connection, Wayne Handley, Bob Hoover, Liberty Parachute Team, Marine Corps' Harrier, Northcoast Aerospace Air Show Pilot Challenge Series, Northern Lights.
• Monday, August 2: Delmar Benjamin, Ken Brock, Bill Beardsley, Bob Davis, EAA Warbirds of America, Jim Franklin, French Connection, Wayne Handley, Bob Hoover, Liberty Parachute Team, North American T-6s, Gene Soucy, Patty Wagstaff, Bobby Younkin.
• Tuesday, August 3: Delmar Benjamin, Ken Brock, Bill Beardsley, Bob Davis, EAA Warbirds of America, Jim Franklin, French Connection, Wayne Handley, Liberty Parachute Team, North American T-6s, Patty Wagstaff, Bobby Younkin.

The air show begins each day at 3:30 p.m. except for AirVenture's final day (Tuesday, Aug. 3), when it begins at 2 p.m.

One of the first airplanes to use a readily available automobile engine will be recognized on its 70th anniversary during the 47th annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh at Wittman Regional Airport, which will be held July 28-August 3.

Nearly two dozen Pietenpol Air Campers are expected to be part of this year's EAA AirVenture festivities. Several of them will be powered by Ford Model A engines - the same engines that were used in the original design of the airplane.

"The Pietenpol Air Camper is a significant achievement in homebuilt aircraft," AirVenture Chairman Tom Poberezny said. "The design is just as practical today as it was when it first appeared in 1929. We are pleased to host this gathering of Pietenpol enthusiasts and recognize them during this year's event."

Members of the Buckeye Pietenpol Association are organizing the gathering. Up to two dozen Pietenpols are expected to fly to Oshkosh and park in a designated area for EAA AirVenture. A special multimedia will be part of the evening programs schedule during the event. The Pietenpol Air Camper was designed by the late Bernard Pietenpol, a self-taught mechanic who lived in southern Minnesota. In the late 1920s, he experimented with Model A engines in his designs until he created the first successful two-place airplane to be powered by a readily available and inexpensive auto engine.

In the early 1930s, in response to popular demand, Pietenpol designed the Sky Scout. That one-seat airplane used a Ford Model T engine. Both designs remained popular with homebuilders through the years. Pietenpol also designed an Air Camper using a Chevrolet Corvair engine in the 1960s. In all, more than 30 different engines have been used by Pietenpol builders modifying the original designs. The wood-and-fabric Pietenpols remain among of the most economical designs in the homebuilt category, often built for less than $10,000. The Air Camper has a cruise speed of 80 miles per hour and a range of 350 miles while the Sky Scout offers a 55-mile an hour cruise speed with a 200-mile range. Each design takes about 1,000 hours to build, on average.

EAA previously honored Pietenpol's legacy when the organization moved his hangar from Cherry Grove, Minn., to Oshkosh and placed it at EAA's Pioneer Airport complex. There, Pietenpol's last self-built Air Camper is on display along with many items of memorabilia. Pietenpol died in 1984 at age 83.