World's Biggest Aviation Event

Flying fanatics are flocking to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the 54th annual fly-in of the Experimental Aircraft Association this week, through Sunday.

What has become the world's biggest aviation event will draw some three-quarters of a million people to Whitman Field, officials say. They'll see 10,000 aircraft from all over the United States, ranging from early biplanes to the latest military jets.

When Paul Poberezny conceived the idea for the EAA in 1952, there were about 90,000 private airplanes in the country and 376,000 pilots, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Now, there are more than 211,000 general aviation aircraft, but only 241,000 Americans hold a private pilot's license, according to the bureau.

--LiveScience Staff

• Amazing Images: Photos You Submit
• Image Galleries: Science All Around You
• Videos: Science and Nature in Action

Credit: Credit: Dawn Dietrich, AP