Reporter’s Notebook: Only at Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 is (literally) in the record books and I’ve had a few days to recover and reflect on my week at the world’s largest aviation event.

Why did I join a record-setting 686,000 people in celebrating everything aviation?

And why have I kept coming back for more than 40 years??

It’s because of those “only at Oshkosh” moments that quickly become cherished memories.

Burt Rutan

Having followed the careers of Burt and Dick Rutan over the years, I was excited to hear that Burt would return to Oshkosh after a five-year absence. He gave six presentations to large crowds during the week, five of which I attended.

Burt arrived in style as a passenger in one of the few remaining airworthy Beechcraft Starships. The subject of one of his forums was why Beech did not replace King Airs with Starships.

Since AirVenture 2024 marked the 50-year anniversary of the introduction at Oshkosh of Rutan’s revolutionary VariEze canard design, examples of many of his revolutionary planes were featured during the week.

“The Boomerang was my best general aviation design,” Rutan told the Oshkosh crowds.

With the goal of improving on the safety record of conventional twin engine planes such as the Baron, the Boomerang, a unique asymmetrical twin introduced in 1996, can safely fly on either engine.

On the flip side, Burt told the AirVenture crowds that he “wasted” six years of his retirement in Idaho on designing and building his unique experimental SkiGull amphibian.

First announced at AirVenture 2015, Rutan broke his longstanding rule of never revealing a new aircraft design until it had successfully flown.

“I hate that airplane,” Burt said of the SkiGull which, according to his wife, Tonya, was underpowered and could not get off the water.

However, she added that she had enjoyed being at Burt’s side during the multi-year building and testing process.

Dick Rutan, Burt’s older brother, had hoped to make it to Oshkosh one more time but, sadly, he died in May 2024 at the age of 85 of an incurable lung disease.

Fully aware that he would die quickly without continuing the massive amounts of oxygen he was on, Dick assembled his loved ones after a couple of bad nights and announced that he was ready to quit fighting, remove the oxygen, and “pull the chocks,” according to Burt.

Appropriately, the Monday night program at Theater in the Woods honored Dick’s memory with comments by Burt and the premier of a professional video now available on YouTube chronicling Dick’s life and many accomplishments.

Air shows

After decades of watching Oshkosh air shows, I usually don’t sit still long enough to watch an entire afternoon program of performers. However, this year I was hosting an AirVenture first-timer, and I learned that the cure for being somewhat jaded regarding air shows was to see it through the eyes of a newbie.

Fans of current-issue F-22 and F-35 military jets got an earful during several impressive demo flights. Afterburners were used early and often, and the raw power allowed maneuvers that would seem impossible. (Note to self: Bring hearing protection next year!)

World War II aircraft are always well represented at Oshkosh. Where else could you see two B-29s and a British Lancaster bomber flying overhead in formation? A huge B-52 also spent some time on display.

In my opinion, the Titan (formerly Aeroshell) T-6 aerobatic team is still the best at converting avgas to noise, and their smoke systems are second to none. The same goes for the multitude of lights they turn on for their night air show routine.

Drones

Speaking of the popular night air show, held on Wednesday and Saturday, hundreds of lighted drones were an impressive addition this year. They flew synchronized formations along with the pyrotechnics that AirVenture has become known for. One can only imagine the programming that went into the drone performance.

Jet Teams

The Canadian Snowbirds were the featured weekend jet team this year. The Frecce Tricolori jet team from Italy also performed during the week, while the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels surprised the crowd as they did fly-bys on the way to other air shows.

Two-Thirds P-38

EAA has always featured homebuilt aircraft and it’s inspiring to see the projects that show up at Oshkosh. This year the main attraction at the coveted Brown Arch parking spot was a two-thirds scale P-38 replica that was completed over a period of 25 years.

Jim and Mitzi O’Hara devoted their lives to scratch building the plane, which is now owned by their nephew, William Pressler.

Elvis Jet

Although it will never fly again, another unique aviation project on display was the jet once owned by Elvis Presley. Jimmy Webb, who documents his aviation adventures on YouTube as “Jimmy’s World,” mounted the JetStar fuselage on a 38-foot motorhome chassis and drove it from Florida to Oshkosh.

I’m already counting the days until AirVenture next year and I hope to see you there. The 2025 show will be held July 21-27.

For more information: EAA.org