Flying Bulls to Make U.S. Appearance at EAA AirVenture 2026

One of the world’s most renowned aviation teams is bringing part of its famed fleet of historic aircraft to EAA AirVenture in 2026, the association announced on Wednesday.

The Flying Bulls will make their only U.S. airshow appearance of the year at the annual fly-in convention next July, and accompanying the team will be a 1944 Lockheed P-38 and 1958 Douglas DC-6B. Both aircraft have an illustrious past and are two of the crown jewels in the Flying Bulls fleet. 

After more than 55 years of racing and airshow performances, the P-38 was acquired by the Flying Bulls in 2007. It underwent a three-year restoration process before being shipped overseas, where the aircraft remains in better-than-new condition. The twin-tail, World War II-era warbird is one of the few P-38s still operational today, and is the only P-38 left in Europe. 

The DC-6B was used by multiple heads of state before finding itself in the arms of the Flying Bulls team. Built to compete with the likes of the Lockheed Constellation in the commercial market, the aircraft was first owned by Yugoslavian airline JAT before being sold to Zambia leader Kenneth Launda in the 1970s as his personal transport. After the aircraft was abandoned in the Zambian capital, the Flying Bulls rescued the vintage airplane in 2000, restoring it to its former glory. 

“The moment has arrived – we are crossing the Atlantic and we’re coming to Oshkosh,” said Eskil Ambal, CEO of the Flying Bulls. “Our ride across the Atlantic is in a DC-6, just as she was meant to do. But we couldn’t let her go alone. You never, ever, ever leave your wingman. So the P-38 is coming with her.”

In a YouTube video announcing the Oshkosh trip, Simon Pircher, the Flying Bulls’ head of projects and events, explained that during the 11 to 12-month lead up to the trip’s announcement, as it was being planned, a number of logistical hurdles with the two aircraft had to be considered. 

According to Pircher, the only limiting factor between the two is the range. The P-38’s range is a bit more restrictive than the DC-6 and because the team wants to keep them together, supporting each other along the trip, the plan is to do multiple hops across the Atlantic while en route to America, likely beginning in the U.K., to Iceland, and then Newfoundland before arriving in the U.S., Pircher said. 

Based in Salzburg, Austria, the Flying Bulls collection of historic aircraft and helicopters started in 1980 when Sigi Angerer, a Tyrolean Airways pilot, began collecting vintage warbirds. Angerer developed a relationship with Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz and after some time plans were developed to build a new hangar next to Salzburg airport. In 1999 the Flying Bulls were established as a company, and the team has continued to maintain and fly its vintage fleet. 

At Oshkosh, both Flying Bulls aircraft will be featured on the event’s showcase at Boeing Plaza and will appear in the afternoon airshows.