Leaders in Aviation, Leaders at Oshkosh
Phillips 66 Aviation celebrated EAA AirVenture alongside
the Phillips 66 Aerostars, EAA Young Eagles and partners at Afton Chemical
After a muddy start for the world's largest general aviation gathering, hundreds of thousands of attendees, sponsors and exhibitors came together to celebrate the 67th Annual Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) AirVenture fly-in convention, the 50th consecutive event at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Prior to the event’s opening day, thunderstorms dropped five inches of rain that soaked campgrounds, drenched parking lots, and caused power outages from Oshkosh to Appleton. Although this resulted in some delays and a little extra hassle, “The Spirit of Aviation” remained unbroken.
To kick off the week, the Phillips 66® Aviation team coordinated several media rides with the Phillips 66 Aerostars. True mentors in the industry and leaders in aerobatics, this team of four gave media what some called the highlight of their week and their “wildest Oshkosh moment.” Check out this story from Airplanista and this video from AVweb for an inside look at their thrilling experience.
Additionally, Phillips 66 and Afton Chemical led a discussion about the current industry efforts to create an unleaded 100-grade aviation gasoline during a forum on Tuesday, July 23.
According to the FAA’s latest update regarding avgas and PAFI, the focus during the first half of 2019 has included screening testing of three fuels not previously part of the PAFI program – one of which is the Phillips 66/ Afton Chemical unleaded avgas. Representatives from the companies presented an overview of their effort to develop a fully compatible unleaded replacement for 100LL avgas, and discussed the challenges and risks associated with development and commercialization.
Speakers included Zach McAfee, Sr. R&D Engineer, Afton Chemical; Enrico Lodrigueza, Fuel Quality Director – East/Gulf, Phillips 66; Kyle Kress, Technical Coordinator, Phillips 66® Lubricants.
Celebrating another leader in aviation Bob Epting received this year’s Phillips 66 EAA Young Eagles Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding Young Eagles volunteers that have supported the future of aviation by going above and beyond the basic Young Eagles flight. Epting has flown Young Eagles for a quarter of a century – almost since the inception of the program in 1992. He’s flown 3,150 Young Eagles flights, which ranks him No. 4 out of 55,000 volunteer pilots worldwide. Many of the children he’s flown are burn victims from local hospitals.
Eric McMurphy, Sales Manager, General Aviation, Phillips 66, honored Epting at the Young Eagles Awards Dinner on Wednesday, July 24.
Despite a bumpy beginning, the Wisconsin skies couldn’t have been clearer for the 10,000 aircraft and record-breaking 642,000 attendees that landed in Oshkosh this year. As the Phillips 66 team reflects on the experience, one thing is certain. We are committed to the aviation industry and proud to be among those who lead innovation and inspire future aviators.
See you at Oshkosh in 2020!