EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 served something for everyone

Another EAA AirVenture Oshkosh weeklong gathering of all stripes of aviation enthusiasts and professionals concluded Sunday afternoon, July 30, 2023.

Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) officials report there were 677,000 visitors — a record — and more than 10,000 airplanes at the show, which created a living organism of aviation interests on Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Highlights? Pick your passion.

The mirror-finished VC-121A Constellation’s arrival and departure did it for some.

For others it was the remotely piloted Wisk electric aircraft demonstrator.

Two especially anticipated warbird restorations did not disappoint: The razorback P-47D Thunderbolt from Dakota Territory Air Museum, rebuilt with fantastic attention to detail by Aircorps Aviation, was complemented by a P-51C in 1940s air race markings like it wore when Jimmy Stewart sponsored a crew to fly it to victory.

There’s always something going on at AirVenture. One day, a black U-2 spy plane made a couple of passes for the crowd before departing in a steep climb-out. Another time, a B-52H Stratofortress flew down the length of the runway and continued on its sortie.

NASA’s venerable Super Guppy outsized transport was joined on the showcase ramp by Boeing’s huge expanded Dreamlifter carrier, based on a 747 airframe.

Show planes came and went, refreshing the display ramp during the week.

Vintage aircraft, ranging from a 1926 OX-5-powered Waco biplane to a host of civilian classics, staked claim to their patch of green turf.

More than 300 warbirds populated the north part of the huge AirVenture campus, while homebuilts held sway not far away. Ultralights, parawings, and allied light fun machines gathered.

The various subsets of recreational aviation draw returning participants, some of whom have been attending for decades. Newcomers to the fold each year add to the health of this vibrant organism.

EAA CEO Jack Pelton says it is impossible to adequately describe the scope and excitement of AirVenture to someone who has never attended. He’s right — AirVenture is one of those rare events that is actually better than it can be described.

This year, the weather retreated and advanced with sunshine, clouds, storms, smoke from distant fires, and a few deluges that sent the EAA mop-up crew into action at all hours of the day, siphoning off pools of rainwater and compacting the ground with added material where helpful.

The weather fluctuations did nothing to subdue the energy of AirVenture. The airport becomes a campground city of more than 12,000 campsites and possibly 40,000 residents, with thousands of volunteers performing sanitation, security, and other duties to keep the city humming.

In addition to fields of aircraft to stroll amongst, AirVenture hosts workshops on aircraft construction techniques, and forums on topics ranging from avionics to insurance to more.

Vendors offer a wide array of aviation merchandise, giving attendees a chance to see items in person instead of through the veil of the internet. Government agencies are in full force at the show, from the FAA to NASA to Customs and Border Protection.

And, of course, every afternoon — and some nights — Oshkosh crowds were thrilled by the daily air show, which featured the top performers in the industry.

All of this is conducted with the time-honored mindset of “Oshkosh-nice,” a pleasant Midwest way of getting along with a half-million fellow aviation enthusiasts.

Unfortunately, on Saturday, July 29, two separate crashes killed four AirVenture attendees. A T-6 Texan trainer plunged into nearby Lake Winnebago around 9 a.m., while a gyrocopter and helicopter collided and crashed on the field in the afternoon. Causes of the mishaps are still under investigation.

Next year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is set for July 22-28, 2024.

More Photos From EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023