EAA Aviation Museum Adds Two Record Breaking Aircraft to Collection

Photo above – AutoGyro MT-03 on display at EAA.

The EAA Aviation Museum is displaying two new aircraft that made appearances during EAA AirVenture 2019. These two displays include the BlackFly from Opener and the AutoGyro MT-03 from AutoGyro GmbH, adding to the world-class collection at the museum.

BlackFly

The BlackFly is the very first addition to the EAA Aviation Museum that operates entirely on electric power. This single seat, ultralight aircraft had its first manned flight in 2018 and is scheduled to be available for purchase to the public later this year. The BlackFly was on display outside the Urban Air Mobility exhibit at this year’s AirVenture, showing a small glimpse at the future of personal aerial vehicles. Opener displayed the BlackFly initially during AirVenture 2018 and then donated the aircraft to the EAA Aviation Museum during AirVenture 2019 on July 22.

The AutoGyro MT-03 is the most recently notable one of five AutoGyro aircraft on display at the EAA Aviation Museum, two of which (including the MT-03) are world record holding aircraft. In 2019, Irishman Norman Surplus completed the very first around-the-world journey flown in an AutoGyro. Surplus made his way through 32 countries over the 9-year journey across the globe. The AutoGyro MT-03 will be on display in the museum through AirVenture 2020 and will feature a map pinpointing the exact flight path and various stops Surplus made along the way.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.