A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh journalism program is living a dream as he directs publication of EAA AirVenture Today—a daily newspaper and online source of information and feature stories from the week-long aviation fly-in and convention in Oshkosh.
Ti Windisch, ’17, a native of Milwaukee, serves as editor of the impressive free souvenir paper.
“I really enjoy it,” he said, from his place in an AirVenture Today building on the AirVenture grounds at Wittman Field. A whiteboard mounted on the wall near his computer, showed the line-up of more than a dozen stories being produced by 4-5 writers for the Wednesday edition. Most days during AirVenture, the crew of writers, editors, photographers and designers cranks out a beefy 56-page product filled with news, photos and features.
A total of 30,000 copies of the newspaper is distributed daily throughout the show, in campgrounds and throughout Oshkosh, including the UW Oshkosh campus and surrounding communities. AirVenture Today also is available online in a digital format. The event draws an annual attendance in excess of 600,000 and welcomes more than 10,000 aircraft from around the world.
Windisch said he starts his day at 7 a.m. Deadline is at 5 p.m., though he tells writers and editors it is at 4 p.m.
“I try to slot as much as possible,” he said about story line-up for the week of the fly-in and convention. Strong storms over the opening weekend and the impact of saturated camping areas were a big part of coverage Sunday and Monday.
A couple of milestones are a cornerstone of coverage for 2019 AirVenture.
This year celebrates EAA’s 50th year in Oshkosh. Another significant event, the 50-year anniversary of the Apollo 11 spacecraft landing on the moon (July 20, 1969), is being remembered.
Windisch, who has a history minor, served as an intern for a year with the Experimental Aircraft Association before being hired as a full-time writer in 2018. He credits UW Oshkosh journalism professor Vince Filak for telling him about the internship. Aside from AirVenture Today, Windisch writes for EAA’s other publications, including a weekly newsletter.
Before graduation, Windisch served two semesters as editor of the Advance-Titan, the independent student newspaper at UW Oshkosh.
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