Sunny skies for the opening day of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019. Photo by Jim Koepnick
Key Takeaways:
Oshkosh 2019's opening day experienced perfect weather, attracting surprisingly good crowds despite earlier rain causing soft grounds and necessitating metered aircraft parking.
The airshow showcased a diverse array of aircraft, including military fighters (A-10, F-22), historic planes like the B-29 "Doc," unique homebuilts (Dyke Delta), and new aviation technologies like Airbus's electric plane and the Extra NG.
Attendees enjoyed a vibrant atmosphere with impressive fly-bys, aerobatic performances by pilots like Gene Soucy and Kyle Franklin, and opportunities to interact with various aircraft.
Heaven? Well, it sure seemed that way on the opening day of Oshkosh 2019. After a few rough pre-airshow days of wet, wet weather, Monday was, well, perfect.
Because of the soaking, however, the grounds were too soft in many places and so EAA was metering in the traffic to the parking areas that were dry enough and able to handle the weight of a small plane.
Enjoy these photos from award-winning photographer Jim Koepnick.
An A-10 flies by during a series of fly-bys of fighter planes from different eras for this AirVentureâs theme, The Year Of The Fighter. Photo by Jim KoepnickAirbus is big into electrics these days. While the technology has yet to realize commercial applications, the company is positioning itself to be there when it does. Photo by Jim KoepnickThe motor on the electric Airbus. Photo by Jim KoepnickThe Boeing B-29 âDocâ is at the show for the second straight year. It is one of only two flying B-29s in the world. Photo by Jim KoepnickA proud soldier with the C-47 Chinook helicopter heâs assigned to. Photo by Jim KoepnickThe crowds were surprisingly good on Day One. With gorgeous weather and room to move around, it was an ideal day for the local show goers or early birds to take in the planes that had arrived. Photo by Jim KoepnickOne of the coolest old designs youâve probably never heard of, the Dyke Delta is a homebuilt delta configuration wing design. Photo by Jim KoepnickAgain doing things it shouldnât be able to do, or at least not as effortlessly as it does, an F-22 Raptor shows us its belly and then its twin fire makers on a low flyby. Photo by Jim KoepnickGene Soucy flies his famous biplane routine for the home crowd on Monday. Photo by Jim KoepnickThere werenât many customers walking the line on Monday, but this pretty HondaJet in the companyâs exhibition hangar will be ready for them when they come. Photo by Jim KoepnickA crew member of the USAF KC-135 refueler stands proud in front of his big bird. Photo by Jim KoepnickAir show performer Kyle Franklin wrings out his highly-modified biplane known as Dracula.Attendees can actually tour the Chinook, and apparently, if you ask questions, youâre likely to get answers. Photo by Jim KoepnickOshkosh just isnât the same without the accordion music of Jerryâs One Man Band, so the organizers set up a tribute. Photo by Jim KoepnickHeaven? Well, it sure seemed that way on the opening day of Oshkosh 2019. After a few rough pre-airshow days of wet, wet weather, Monday was, well, perfect. Because of the soaking, however, the grounds were too soft in many places and so EAA was metering in the traffic to the parking areas that were dry enough and able to handle the weight of a small plane. Photo by Jim KoepnickAt the show, aerobatics aircraft manufacturer par excellence Extra introduced a new model at the show, the Extra NG. Photo by Jim Koepnick
A commercial pilot, Isabel Goyer has been flying for more than 40 years, with hundreds of different aircraft in her logbook and thousands of hours. An award-winning aviation writer, photographer and editor, Ms. Goyer led teams at Sport Pilot, Air Progress and Flying before coming to Plane & Pilot in 2015.
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