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EAA has announced that the Pioneers of Flight collection is returning to AirVenture to showcase original and reproduction aircraft from the early years of flight.
The featured aircraft will be from the first 25 years of flight after the Wright brothers' initial success in December 1903. The featured aircraft include:
1907 Demoiselle
1909 Blériot XI
1915 Morane-Saulnier Type L
1916 Standard J-1
1927 Swallow biplane
1927 Spirit of St. Louis reproduction
The Demoiselle, Bleriot XI and Morane-Saulnier were showcased last year at AirVenture 2025. The Santos-Dumont Demoiselle replica was built by Club Aéro des Garrigues in France. The Demoiselle is a lightweight monoplane that was first built in 1907 and weighed less than 300 pounds. The aircraft was built by Alberto Santos-Dumont and has a fuselage made of bamboo. The Bleriot XI and Morane-Saulnier Type L replicas are part of EAA's collection. The Bleriot was created and popularized by Louis Bleriot, who famously flew over the English Channel in July 1909. The Type L is a fighter aircraft from World War I and the first type to shoot down an enemy aircraft through the propeller.
The Standard J-1 was restored by EAA volunteers in 2013-14 to flying condition and the Swallow is an early air mail biplane that still flies at EAA's Pioneer Airport. The Spirit of St. Louis reproduction was built by EAA in honor of Charles Lindbergh.
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AirVenture 2025 showcasing replica aircraft from the pioneer era of aviation
"The earliest designs were conceived by individuals and appear fragile by today's standards, but they accomplished many of the first milestones in flight," said Rick Larsen, EAA VP of communities and member programs. "The pace of innovations during aviation's first quarter century is astonishing as one looks at where it started to where it was by the late 1920s."
EAA plans to reveal more vintage aircraft in the line-up in the coming months. There will be also evening programs about aircraft of the era, forums hosted by EAA's Vintage Aircraft Association and select aircraft demonstrations during the afternoon air shows.