Professor Ronnie R. Gipson Jr. leads Penn State Dickinson Law CLE sponsorship at EAA's Air Venture

August 2025—Penn State Dickinson Law Visiting Associate Professor of Law Ronnie R. Gipson Jr. grew up near the municipal airport in Austin, Texas. He loved standing in his backyard to watch the planes passing right over his head in the hill country of Texas as they landed. He waved to the pilots, and they waved back.

“As a child, the planes and the pilots made an impression on me,” said Gipson. Indeed, that prompted a lifelong fascination with aviation that led him to earn his private pilot’s license, work as a flight attendant to put himself through law school, and practice aviation law. After shifting into academia, Gipson continued to focus much of his scholarship and expertise on aviation law.

This summer, Gipson’s personal and professional interest in aviation merged at Air Venture, an annual event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that drew a record 704,000 aviation buffs from 94 countries who spent an average $300 per day. As chair of the Legal Advisory Council (LAC) for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), which sponsors the annual event, Gipson engaged with others who love flying just as much as he does while also supervising more than a dozen LAC activities throughout the week.

Those included three continuing legal education (CLE) classes sponsored by Penn State Dickinson Law. That was two more than Air Venture offered in the past and reflects Gipson’s efforts to boost LAC service to EAA’s membership following a number of retirements on the council. The CLEs covered a range of topics, including “Lessons Learned from an Aviation Tort Trial,” presented by LAC Attorney Don Andersen; “A Review of the NTSB ALJ’s Docket,” presented by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Staff Attorney Chad Mayer, NTSB Acting Chief Administrative Law Judge Stuart Couch, and NTSB Administrative Law Judge Darrell Fun; and “How to Avoid Illegal Charter Operations,” presented by LAC Attorney Greg Reigel.

Gipson presented the LAC forums to EAA members on “Hot Topics in Aviation Litigation” and “Airport & Land Use Issues,” which packed the room with attendees eager to ask questions. That engagement is typical of the event. “When I went to my first Air Venture about 15 years ago, I was blown away. I walked from one end of a long field to the other and saw all the aircraft parked in rows on the grass. I met the builders, and I asked them to tell me about their aircraft and the experience of building them. After that trip, I was hooked,” said Gipson. “The people at Air Venture focus on the experimental aircraft community, the builders, and they take a lot of pride in their aircraft to make sure they are safe. It was incredible to see how much they trusted what they had done.”

LAC work at Air Venture

EAA uses Air Venture to bring together industry and government, with the goal of achieving legislation and rules that work for the aviation industry. Gipson served on the LAC for several years before becoming chair in 2020. The council comprises aviation attorneys from across the country who provide policy and legislative advice to EAA’s CEO, Advocacy & Safety Department, and Government Affairs Department. The LAC’s guidance includes insight on aviation-related legislation before Congress and weighing in on rulemaking at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “When I joined, I was the new kid on the block, and I was in the room with legal giants. The attorneys on the LAC when I joined ushered aviation through deregulation, and I was in absolute awe of them,” said Gipson.

The all-volunteer council had thinned by the time he took over as chair. Those older lawyers retired, and the open LAC roles were not refilled. Gipson began a mission to expand the council and spark interest in new corners. “We have gone on a recruiting spree,” said Gipson. Last year, LAC welcomed four new members, and he set his sights even further into the future.

With the support of EAA Vice President of Advocacy Sean Elliott, Gipson initiated a program creating a pipeline for law students interested in aviation law. The past two years, he brought his two research assistants from his previous law school to the event as part of the program. Next year, he hopes to bring Penn State Dickinson Law students. Gipson says exposing the next generation of lawyers to aviation law is critical for the growth and development of the industry. Moreover, aviation law is usually an untapped resource as a legal career, mainly because law students have no idea what the practice entails. The hiring decision-makers in both government and industry attend Air Venture, so building relationships there is crucial to law students’ future success in the industry.

“During this week, the law students get exposure to the Office of Administrative Law Judges with the National Transportation Safety Board. They get to see attorneys from the FAA, Department of Defense, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Boeing, and so many more. If you are in the aviation industry, you are at Air Venture, and you have attorneys with you,” said Gipson.

Excitement at Air Venture

This year’s Air Venture program included many significant moments. From daily yoga sessions to morning coffee chats sponsored by different groups to seminars on paint care, metal-shaping, and generative artificial intelligence for aviation, the event truly had something for everyone.

The big headline, beyond the record-breaking crowds, came when U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced that the FAA signed the final rule on the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) program. “EAA initiated MOSAIC, and it took nearly 10 years to get implemented,” said Gipson. “MOSAIC cuts the costs associated with primarily flight training and increases the aircraft that qualify for the Light Sport Aircraft category.”

The Goodyear Corporation sent two of its blimps, which Gipson said were hugely popular among EAA’s members. Several cast members from the show M*A*S*H appeared on a panel celebrating the MASH units of the Korean War. Organizers screened nightly movies and entertainment, including the ever-popular film Top Gun, and of course, daily air shows took place, highlighting aircraft of all kinds.

“It was a full week, and by Saturday, the LAC was exhausted and ready to rest. But I am already looking forward to next year,” said Gipson.