The recent Air Venture at Oshkosh, which drew 700,000 attendees and 20,000 campers, showcased the largest assembly of electric aircraft ever, revealing a market far broader than the flying car narrative. Lisa Wright, founder of Landings, attended both the main event and the Vertical Flight Society's Electric Aircraft Symposium, and her observations challenge the dominant industry focus on passenger eVTOLs. While electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft were well represented, the real story was the electrification of traditional aircraft. Wright noted, “Cessna Caravans that land on water are being electrified. There were a lot of Pipistrels. Traditional aircraft that are being converted to electric as well.” These conversions, such as the eBeavers, are flying now, not waiting for FAA certification, expanding the use case ecosystem immediately.
The market's diversity was further highlighted by companies like Air EV, an Israeli-based firm, which is targeting production of 30,000 aircraft a year, aiming to sell them like cars. This scale, enabled by the new Mosaic rule, represents a fundamental shift from boutique aircraft to automotive-scale manufacturing. Skyfly is similarly pursuing Mosaic-level approvals, freeing them from traditional commercial restrictions. The implications are clear: the market extends beyond urban air taxis to include rural operations, emergency services, agriculture, and logistics.
A defining moment occurred when a Beta aircraft took off during Tim Jackson's presentation on electric aviation futures. Wright interrupted, and the audience rushed outside to watch the conventional-wing Beta fly. Beta reported that particular aircraft had flown 60,000 miles, and their test fleet had accumulated 175,000 miles. These are not just prototypes; they are accruing operational miles that inform real-world deployment and certification.
Walking through the vast array of aircraft, Wright observed the diversity of aviation innovation over a century. “When you see 20,000 planes in front of you... you realize that innovation has always meant every plane is so totally different,” she said. This diversity is now being applied to electric aviation, with no single correct design or charging standard emerging. That's not a problem; it's how aviation innovation works.
For infrastructure developers and communities, Oshkosh signals that the electric aviation market is arriving now, not in 2028 or 2029. Conversions of existing platforms are operational, mass production is planned, and use cases are being validated in real time. The infrastructure opportunity is not limited to passenger vertiports in cities; it extends to rural networks supporting traditional aircraft conversions, emergency response, agriculture, and logistics. Landings is building a network of 2,000+ rural vertiports to meet this demand, as highlighted by founder Lisa Wright. The future of electric aviation is broader than flying cars, and it's already taking off.
