With the 2020 edition called off, here’s to AirVenture 2021, with photos of the amazing planes and people and unbridled joy they bring, all of which will be back, because that’s what we do.
Fireworks from the Wednesday night air show at Oshkosh AirVenture 2019.
Key Takeaways:
The EAA's Oshkosh AirVenture is celebrated as the world's greatest aviation event, renowned for its spectacular sights and sounds captured by top photographers.
The article presents a curated collection of images showcasing the diverse aspects of past AirVenture events, including various aircraft types, night shows, and the enthusiastic atmosphere created by attendees.
Despite the cancellation of AirVenture 2020, these photos aim to evoke nostalgia and build excitement and anticipation for the return of the event in 2021.
The EAA’s annual summer rites of flight at its Oshkosh AirVenture fly-in are all about the sights and sounds of aviation. And for as long as it has been an event, some of the best photographers in the world have gathered there, long lenses in hand, to capture the glory of it all—the color, the motion, the faces, the explosion of excitement that is the world’s greatest aviation event.
Like every year, it’s impossible to select every photograph we’d like to feature, as our editors were sitting around the virtual table going over virtual slides—forgive the metaphor. We’ve been doing this since the days of Kodachrome—we kept on adding image after image to the stack. We needed shots of seaplanes, fighters, vintage planes, sport planes, good old GA standards, of course, but we also wanted fireworks and scale and, lastly but so importantly, people loving the greatest show on earth.
Well, at some point, we had to say “when,” and we’re delighted to be able to share with you this spectacular collection of images, some of which you might have seen, but which stand up, we’re certain, to seeing again and again. And a special thanks, too, to the EAA for its help with this project.
So here are the sights of AirVentures past. Yes, this year is different, as you know, because there will be no AirVenture. Sure, people are sad about that, but something unexpected has happened, too. People have started gearing up for AirVenture 2021. Yes, it’s 13 months away still, so it sounds improbable, but we’re totally getting fired up for it, too.
These photos won’t make Oshkosh 2021 come any faster, but they’ll definitely remind you of what we’re all missing.
A helicopter’s eye view of the main drag at EAA Oshkosh AirVenture, including Boeing Plaza, where the heavy iron or, in a few cases, composites,
hang out. Photo by EAA: Michael SteinekeA typical busy day at Oshkosh at the Four Corners. Photo courtesy of EAA, Craig Vander KolkA lucky few night-airshow goers feeling the heat from atop the wing of a Canadair water bomber. Photo courtesy of EAA, Chris MillerA view of the show from the flight deck of a Douglas C-47. Photo courtesy of EAA, Andrew ZabackFloat planes lined up at the EAA Seaplane Base. Photo by Jim Koepnick for Plane & PilotTwo rock stars, EAA head honcho Jack Pelton (left) and jet pilot/country music superstar Dierks Bentley. (And the crowd goes wild!) Photo courtesy of EAA, Michael KellyA lineup of P-51s, their props ablur, ready to take to the Oshkosh skies. Photo courtesy of EAA, Camden ThrasherPhotographers line up to get that perfect shot of the night airshow. Photo courtesy of EAA, Steve DahlgrenAn early-model North American P-51 with fastback canopy. Photo courtesy of EAA, Connor MadisonFireworks from the Wednesday night air show. Photo by Jim KoepnickEvery year EAA gives away a plane, or two, at OSH. Yeah, we want it too. Photo courtesy of the EAA, Andrew ZabackWhere the magic happens. Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the surrounding area, which transforms from a quiet mid-sized town to the craziest aviation locale on the planet for one week a year. Photo courtesy of EAA, Phil HighA pilot looking at a pretty Bonanza. Photo by Jim KoepnickA gorgeously restored De Havilland Chipmunk. Photo courtesy of the EAA, Jim KoepnickAn impeccably restored Ryan PT-22 primary trainer. Photo courtesy of EAA, Ed HicksThe folks who work the flight line, whether FAA regulars or EAA staffers or volunteers, are the best in the biz. Photo courtesy of the EAA, Craig Vander KolkKOSH transforms in the evening to a quiet and sleepy airport (albeit
with thousands of airplanes) before the noise and flying begins again bright and early the next morning. Photo courtesy of the EAA, Alden FrautschyA World War II vintage Douglas A-26 Invader taxis in. Photo courtesy of EAA, Will CampbellOne of the most popular, beautiful and rarest warbirds at Oshkosh, a Vought F4-U Corsair. Photo courtesy of EAA, Andy ThompsonA bare-bones vintage weight-shift, powered hang glider slips into the ultralight strip as the sun goes down. Photo courtesy of EAA, Dennis Biela
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