EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018: Record Setting EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wraps Up

The biggest airshow in the world flirts with perfection.

Plane & Pilot

Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at 07:54 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 was a record-breaking success, with approximately 601,000 attendees, surpassing the previous year's record total by nearly two percent.
The event was deemed "nearly perfect," attributed to outstanding programs, aircraft variety, a robust economy, good weather, and the efforts of 5,000 volunteers.
It featured massive participation, including over 10,000 aircraft, 12,300 filled campsites, 867 commercial exhibitors, 1,500 forums, and 2,714 international visitors from 87 nations.
The article highlights anticipation for the 2019 event, which will celebrate the 50th EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.

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EAA said it perfectly in its comments on the conclusion of the world’s greatest airshow:

“A ’perfect’ event may be unattainable, but AirVenture 2018 came about as close as one could imagine. The combination of outstanding programs, aircraft variety, a robust economy, and good weather combined to complement the efforts of our staff and 5,000 volunteers throughout the grounds. The week was upbeat, exciting, and filled with many ’Only at Oshkosh’ moments.”

And the numbers were stupendous. While it’s hard to compare historic EAA Oshkosh shows, the last couple of years have been simply outstanding in terms of participation, engagement, attendance and spectacle. According to EAA, attendance was “approximately 601,000, nearly two percent above of 2017’s record total.” EAA President Jack Pelton, added that “EAA members and aviation enthusiasts attended in large numbers, even without the presence of a military jet team as we had in 2017. Our efforts to create unique attractions and aviation highlights across the grounds were incredibly successful. Attendance on opening day was the best in our history, as the vast majority of our guests came to Oshkosh early and stayed throughout the week.”

Some highlights:

More than 10,000 aircraft came to OSH and nearby airports.
More than 12,300 camp sites got filled up for a total of 40,000 campers. Happy campers, we’ll add.
There were 867 commercial exhibitors, and they had some cool stuff.,
There were a total of 1,500 forums and seminars of various discriptions.
An impressive total of 2,714 international visitors from 87 nations came to OSH.
There were 976 members of the media registered for the event, as well.

And lest you think 2018 will be the climax of great Oshkosh adventures (and AirVentures), next year promises to be extra special, as it will mark the 50^th EAA event in the fair Wisconsin city of Oshkosh! The event runs from July 22-28, 2019. We’ll be there next year for sure!