A Fairchild PT-23 in the bucolic splendor of Wisconsin's Fox River Valley. Photo by Jim Koepnick
The week of Oshkosh AirVenture 2019 has come and gone. It was a spectacular week, with stories you've likely read and planes you might have seen. But this show, Oshkosh as we all still call it (even if "AirVenture" has grown on me), is so much more than news and planes, and to its eternal credit, EAA gets it. The organization, which started in a suburban Milwaukee basement, spends nearly the whole year getting its house ready for party guests who stay for an entire week. And it shows. The grounds are massive and the preparations required to open every inch of it on Day One, and to keep it running throughout the week, are nothing short of staggering.
And as you probably know, too, this year EAA had huge challenges to making that happen. The week before it opened the archway to attendees, Oshkosh got soaked. And by the time exhibitors were arriving to set things up, the earth was saturated, and even given good weather for doing that, and the weather was perfect, it still takes time for the ground to dry enough to move even small planes from one spot to another.
And EAA crushed it. To do this, it had to shut down the field for nearly all arrivals for the better part of three days, Saturday through Monday, and campers with their Airstreams and pup tents were put anywhere the ground was dry enough to accommodate their weight. Some passed the week encamped in available retail parking lots near the field. And the traffic getting into the show was terrible. But everyone was patient, and as Tuesday dawned clear and bright, it was easy to forget anything had ever happened. There was just so much to do.
I won't go into all that happened at OSH. It's not possible to discuss everything that happened there, but there were highlights, such as EAA's salute to Apollo 11---its Eagle lunar lander touched down on the moon 50 years ago now. Michael Collins, who commanded the Lunar Orbiter for Apollo 11, was at the show and spoke in front of a sold-out house at the Theater in the Woods.
There were fighters everywhere, too, from current-day frontline planes---the F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters---to gorgeous ghosts from the past---Corsairs and Mustangs galore. And so much more. Check out our EAA Oshkosh AirVenture 2019 coverage on planeandpilotmag.com.
And when it came right down to it, Oshkosh was amazing because of the people who were there. It's the one time we can put away the day-to-day details of life and obligation and live immersed in airplane culture. It truly is heaven on earth, as they say, though at OSH, there's plenty of heaven flying just overhead as well.
Isabel Goyer
There are astronauts among us! Civilian space flyer Mike Melville tests the effect of weightlessness on M&Ms. Photo by Jim Koepnick
A gorgeous Beech Staggerwing (is that redundant?) soaking up the early-morning sun in the Antiques parking area. Photo by Jessica Voruda
By the third day of the show, the parking areas were jammed, as one expects to see at OSH. Earlier in the week, they were largely empty as the organizers waited for the ground to dry out after heavy rains the week before. Photo by Jim Koepnick
Once more, the Old Glory Honor Flight took Vietnam veterans, 115 of them, from Oshkosh to Washington, D.C., and back again. Here, a large crowd salutes these heroes and sends them off. Photo by Jim Koepnick
Air show performer Kyle Franklin wrings out his highly modified biplane known as Dracula. Photo by Jim Koepnick
A participant in the STOL challenge with everything hanging out descends to land against the backdrop of the setting sun. Photo by Jim Koepnick
A USAF Lockheed Martin C-5A Galaxy prepares to head home after a few days dominating Boeing Plaza and hosting tours for thousands of airplane fanatics. Photo by Jessica Voruda
If you want to know how getting a ride in a cool plane feels to a young person, then look no further. On a perfect summer day, this M-Squared Breese ultralight-style LSA is the perfect chariot. Photo by Jim Koepnick
The Night Airshow at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019. Photo by Jessica Voruda
The spectacular pyrotechnics of the Night Airshow silhouette a pair of fighter jets as the smoke rises. Photo by Jim Koepnick
The original legendary entrance arch at OSH no longer serves an official function. Itâs a well-loved monument thatâs the setting for innumerable selfies and group shots. Photo by Jim Koepnick
âWell, yes, I have been to more than one Oshkosh. Why do you ask?â With this year commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first EAA at Oshkosh, nostalgia was in the air, and the name of Paul Poberezny, the organizationâs founder, was heard in snippets of conversation everywhere you turned. Photo by Jim Koepnick
EAA set out to break the world record for the most pedal planes to have "flown in" to a single place. Photo by Jessica Voruda
At Oshkosh, even the stars of the show become shameless fans of the greatest around them. Photo by Jim Koepnick
EAA gave a salute to water bombers, even though the last thing the grounds at Oshkosh needed was more water. Here, a Viking (formerly Canadair) CL-215 makes its drop just off Runway 18. Photo by Jim Koepnick
On Wednesday, EAA hosted the annual WomenVenture group photo. More than a thousand women aviators posed for the shot in front of a United Airlines 787 and a UPS 747, both flown into the show by all-female crews. Photo by Jessica Voruda
Future aviators using the buddy system as they take in the planes at the greatest aviation event in the world. Photo by Jim Koepnick
The engine enclosure of a UPS Boeing 747-8F GE engine opened up for the viewing pleasure of those waiting in line for a tour of the heavy iron legend. Photo by Jessica Voruda
The panel of an American Airlines Boeing 737 NG that served as the air taxi for 115 veterans who made their way to Washington, D.C., as part of the Old Glory Honor Flight and EAA's salute to America's veterans. Photo by Jim Koepnick
Extra Aircraft used the occasion of AirVenture to announce a new model, the gorgeous all-composite Extra NG. Photo by Jim Koepnick
Who should do an impromptu flyby of Wittman Field but the USAF Thunderbirds! Photo by Jim Koepnick
A couple of showgoers are completely prepared to watch the first real day of arrivals, including that of a pretty yellow Cubbie. Photo by Jim Koepnick
A Republic Seabee serves as an impromptu clothesline on the first day of the show. Photo by Jim Koepnick
A bare metal P-51 sits pretty at the warbird area known as Fighter Town. Photo by Jim Koepnick
To be honest, nobody thought Sean D. Tucker was really going to retire, and weâre all lucky that heâs still flying! Here he is in formation in his highly modified Pitts Oracle Challenger III as one-half of Team Oracle along with the amazing Jessy Panzer in the Oracle Extra 300L. Photo by Jim Koepnick
AirVenture 2019 was the year of the fighter, and airshow goers were lucky enough to see the worldâs best fighter jet perform more at one event than it has at any other, ever. The things it can do seem to defy the laws of aerodynamics and physics. Photo by Jessica Voruda
