EAA Aviation Museum Schedules New Summer and Fall Special Events for 2026
The EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, added four events to its 2026 summer and fall schedule. This year-round museum adjacent to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s headquarters features more than 200 historic airplanes and a range of galleries and exhibits. See eaa.org/eaa-museum for details on visiting.
Photo credit: Connor Madison for EAA
Wings on Strings returns on May 30 after a decade-long hiatus. Kids of all ages are welcome to bring kites or build one inside the EAA Aviation Museum to fly at Pioneer Airport. Members of the Wisconsin Kiters Club will showcase premium kites during demonstrations throughout the day. All activities are included with regular museum admission.
Discovery Day debuts on June 6 at the museum’s Youth Education Center. This one-day event is for kids ages 13 and up to participate in hands-on aviation experiences such as a drone challenge, soldering and flight simulators. Discovery Day is free to attend, though online pre-registration at eaa.org/education/eaa_discovery_day is required.
Roads and Runways takes over Pioneer Airport on Sept. 19. Classic car enthusiasts are invited to bring their vintage vehicles to the museum to take part in a car show at the airport. The event is included with regular museum admission.
ScaleVenture makes its long-awaited return on Oct. 17. Model aviation will be on full display throughout the museum as builders bring the best pieces from their collections to showcase. The October edition of the Museum Speaker Series will coincide with the event, with former F-14 pilot Meagan Flannigan leading a discussion and a Q&A session about the F-14 Tomcat, an aircraft that has been featured in movies such as Top Gun. ScaleVenture and the Speaker Series presentation will be included with regular museum admission. Source: eaa.org
Senate Committee Passes Pilot Mental Health Bill; AOPA Plans Online Resource Hub
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association applauded the unanimous passage of the Mental Health in Aviation Act by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on April 14. The House of Representatives passed a similar bill in September.
The bipartisan bill, introduced by Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., would require the FAA to revise regulations to encourage voluntary disclosure of mental health conditions and treatment, regularly review the special issuance process to expand treatment options and approved medications, and provides funding to reduce the special issuance backlog.
In addition, the bill would implement recommendations from the 2024 Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearance Aviation Rulemaking Committee, in which AOPA participated.
The committee examined industry culture, persistent stigma, mistrust of the aeromedical process and the often-complicated path to obtaining a medical certificate before issuing a 164-page report outlining 24 recommendations to encourage pilots and air traffic controllers to disclose mental health conditions and treatment.
Building on those recommendations, AOPA said it plans to highlight mental health in May in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month – delivering meaningful education, training and resources to general aviation pilots and flight instructors. At the end of the month, AOPA will consolidate all its related content into a permanent mental health resource center on its website. Source: aopa.org
NBAA Cheers Grassroots Success in Repealing Onerous Washington State Aircraft Tax
At the end of March, the National Business Aviation Association welcomed the repeal of an unduly burdensome tax on most general aviation aircraft in Washington state, which was enacted last year and set to take effect on April 1.
Specifically, the repealed measure would have established a 10% tax on the purchase of new and existing aircraft valued at more than $500,000. A new bill, signed on March 31 by Gov. Bob Ferguson, replaces and supersedes the annulled bill with a 7-cent per gallon increase to the state’s aviation fuel tax and a moderate increase to aircraft registration fees.
The Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association and NBAA galvanized a broad coalition of stakeholders – including other allied associations, local business owners and representatives from across the business aviation community – to make their united voice heard about how the originally planned tax would harm businesses and communities in the state. Source: nbaa.org
AOPA Seeks Member Feedback on Potential Bylaw Changes
In April, the AOPA board of trustees released for member input seven potential changes to its bylaws – changing among other things how trustees are nominated and elected, how long they may serve, the qualifications and term limits for the chairman.
AOPA said the board and senior staff based these governance changes, in part, on member requests. The board will review all member input before finalizing the bylaw changes that will ultimately be voted on in the fall.
The organization posted the current and potential bylaws at aopa.org/about/governance/aopa-by-laws/changes-to-aopa-by-laws along with notes explaining each change and a feedback form. Source: aopa.org
Wisconsin Enacts Landmark Legislation to Further SAF Production
Advocacy by NBAA, with support from the Wisconsin Business Aviation Association, recently culminated with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signing an innovative bill to further the development and production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in the Badger State.
The bill authorizes the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to create a manufacturing zone to support production of aviation biofuel derived from woody biomass, including trees and tree limbs, needles, leaves and forestry residues. It further allocates up to $120 million in tax credits for a company to produce SAF derived at least 80% from Wisconsin-sourced woody feedstocks over five years.
SAF is a drop-in jet fuel produced from bio-based feedstocks and can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% over legacy fuels. The new law reflects a key theme underscored by the U.S. aviation industry’s CLIMBING. FAST. advocacy campaign (climbingfast.com): Business aviation is an incubator for sustainability innovation, with a united goal to achieve net-zero emissions from aviation by 2050.
In February, NBAA praised the bipartisan Senate bill – the Securing America’s Fuels Act – that would restore the full value of the SAF tax credit ($1.75 per gallon) and extend it through 2033, key steps to scaling domestic production of the low-carbon fuel. This is the companion bill to one introduced last year in the House of Representatives. Both proposals follow congressional passage of legislation in 2025 that extended the 45Z tax credit but reduced its value, rendering many new SAF projects less financially feasible. Source: nbaa.org