Every year during the last week of July Oshkosh, WI becomes the mecca of all air shows for airplane enthusiasts. AirVenture is a week long event that is a bucket list event for everyone who is an airplane enthusiast. Attendance we a bit over 500,000 in 2017. I've liked airplanes as long as I can remember and looked up every time I heard a plane approaching the farm where I grew up in eastern Michigan. I earned my private pilot license in 1975 and added an instrument rating a few years later but never got to "The Show" until this year.
My BIG dilemma is explaining and showing a bit of our week but how do I select just a few photos from the couple thousand that I took. Lets start with our camping spot. Camp Sholler is really just a big alfalfa field that is mowed fairly short a week before the show starts. How big? It was estimated there were 40,000 campers in 2017. That takes a lit of space and my farm boy estimate is around a square mile of solid campers. Fortunately, there is a decent shuttle system to get everyone to and from the main area.
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| Find a spot and make your home for the week |
Immediately, we heard aircraft overhead and learned we were camped near the flight of the "ultralights".
and overhead, a skywriter was making smiley faces.
Yep, we came to the right place to enjoy ourselves for a the week.
Many pilots fly in and camp along the flight line.
The schedule was full with some special treats. There were all the "experimental" airplanes but there were also many antiques and military aircraft. 2017 was the 75th anniversary of the WWII Doolittle raid so there would be shows with B-26's commemorating that event. This was also the unveiling of the 2nd B-29 bomber named "Doc" who would fly with FiFi the only other airworthy B-29.
There are unique home builds like this Sub Sonex personal jet (above) and rows of antiques like the Boeing Stearman ships that shine like they just came from the factory.
and the Ford Tri-Motor. It wasn't that many years ago that the Tri Motor was used and a daily air taxi from Pt. Clinton to Put-In-Bay, an island in the west end of Lake Erie.
The days can be filled going to countless seminars and learning sessions or lingering among the displays of aircraft and pilot paraphernalia but the airshows are a highlight of each day. The shows are a patriotic affair with each air show opened with a parachute drop of the American flag and singing of the National Anthem. It's amazing to watch a hundred thousand people stop in their tracks to honor the opening ceremonies.
Each day, the air show is a bit different with a mix of air show performers and military aircraft. These little guys can put on quite a show
The night shows were SPECTACULAR!
Highlights were the nearly 20 B-26's reenacted the 75th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. Here are a few of my favorite B-26 photos.
Not to be outdone, FiFi and Doc put on a show. These are the only two air worthy B-29's out of 1,620 that were built.
The amazing B-52 first flew in 1952 and continues to be a valuable asset to our U.S. Air Force.
The B-1 Lancer is supersonic and has variable sweep wings. We were able to hear his sonic boom as he passed through the sound barrier.
The B-2 Spirit is the latest bomber. Introduced in 1997, it is known for it's stealth characteristics.
The Oshkosh finale was an amazing performance of the Navy Blue Angles. We have seen them perform a few times in the past and their shows never get old. Bravo, BLUES!
There is really no way to capture the whole Oshkosh experience in a blog. The sounds of old radial engines on the Ford Tri Motor or the 12 cylinder Rolls Royce's on the P-51 Mustangs and whir of modern jets is only part of it. I suppose it's the camaraderie of 500,000 people that come together for a week to see AVIATION. We'll be back.
