Theater in the Woods Highlights

June 22, 2017 - Theater in the Woods, sponsored by M&M’S, has another great lineup of events this year to provide an ideal close to each day at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017.

The first event of the year begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 23, with the traditional “An Evening With Champions” presentation. This year, airline pilot Capt. Danny Flanagan, aviation humorist Jerry Cockrell, and aviation adventurer Dick Rutan will be featured in the event.

On Monday, July 24, a Bob Hoover tribute will take place in the Theater in the Woods at 8 p.m. Hosted by David Hartman, this salute to Bob Hoover will feature storytelling from Sean D. Tucker and Clay Lacy.

Tuesday, July 25, brings a multitude of events to the Theater in the Woods. First up is the Bill Barber Award at 6:30 p.m., closely followed by Uber Elevate – “Urban Aerial Ridesharing.” Uber’s Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden will discuss the company’s vision for high-speed urban mobility through electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft at 7 p.m.

Finally, to wrap up Tuesday night, the Founder’s Innovation Prize will be awarded after the Shark Tank-style face-off featuring innovations to improve safety in aviation by preventing loss of control in flight, which beings at 8 p.m. Judged by legendary designer Dick VanGrunsven, astronaut Charlie Precourt, test pilot Dave Morss, air safety investigator Gregory Feith, and aerobatic performer Michael Goulian, the Founder’s Innovation Prize will award a combined $40,000 to the first-, second-, and third-place finishers.

The EAA Concert Band will kick things off on Wednesday, July 26, with a 40-minute performance starting at 5 p.m. Then, at 6 p.m., Theater in the Woods will be home to the 75th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. Honoring the Jimmy Doolittle-led raid on Tokyo that served as an important morale boost after Pearl Harbor, this event will feature Jimmy Doolittle’s grandchildren, Joanna Doolittle and Col. Jimmy Doolittle III, as well as Daniel Martinez, the chief historian for World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument.

Thursday, July 27, will begin with a NASA presentation entitled “New Aviation Horizons – Ready for Flight” that will feature NASA research center directors Thomas Edwards of Ames Research Center, David McBride of Armstrong Flight Research Center, Janet Kavandi of Glenn Research Center, and David Bowles of Langley Research Center at 7 p.m. At 8 p.m., a Scaled Composites presentation called “Never Do The Same Thing Twice,” given by lifelong aviation enthusiast and Scaled Composites President Ben Diachun, will cover Scaled’s approach to creative design, rapid building, and safe testing in an environment of like-minded dreamers.

The 2017 Blue Angels team will be introduced on Friday, July 28, at 7 p.m. Then, at 8 p.m., the Salute to Apollo program, hosted by David Hartman, will kick off. Scheduled to attend are Apollo astronauts Walt Cunningham, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, Buzz Aldrin, Dick Gordon, Fred Haise, Al Worden, Jack Schmitt, Joe Engel, and flight director Gene Kranz.

Finally, on Saturday, July 29, the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force and 75th anniversary of the 8th Air Force will be celebrated. A presentation by Gen. Robin Rand, commander of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, will highlight these anniversaries. A panel discussion with crew members of the B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress will be part of the event as well.