JBtheExplorer
Native Plant Gardener
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This was my ninth time going up to Oshkosh for Airventure since 2003 and it arguably had some of the most interesting varieties of aircraft I've seen there! I got there about 8:30am and the night show didn't end until 10:30pm, and then we were stuck in the parking lot until midnight. Probably between 170,000 to 200,000 people there on Saturday if I had to guess. The whole week pulled in over 700,000 people. Wednesdays and Saturdays are always the busiest because of their full night airshow and fireworks.
Frankly there were so many highlights I don't know what to share, so I'll post as many as I can and also include two slideshows I posted on youtube if you really want to see most of the photos I took while I was there.
This P-51C "Thunderbird" was a 1949 air race winner and once owned by Jimmy Stewart. It crashed in 1955 and was eventually restored/rebuilt in 2023.
This is the second time I've seen it at Airventure.
This Pink Strong L-39 was impossible to miss. I've heard that the pilot has hopes of forming an entire team of pink L-39's, but I don't know if that's a legitimate plan for the future or just a hope.
This plane is owned by a Youtuber named Trent Palmer. I watch his videos all the time, so it was cool to see the plane in person.
Here's the U-2 I saw fly over Milwaukee last weekend. This will most likely be the last time I ever see one. I took a photo just like this of one in 2007, but those photos were all lost and I hadn't seen a U-2 since, so I'm glad I got one last chance to do it again!
There were three harriers on display this year. It'll also be the last time they ever visit Airventure. They're being phased out and replaced by the F-35B.
The Joby S4 is a prototype of an electric air taxi. The propellers tilt forward like an Osprey, so it lands and takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane.
I actually fly this all the time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, so it was cool to see the real thing! I wish they could have done a public demonstration.
The highlight for many this year was the ME 262 reproduction. Not an original, but based on original blueprints. There are a few originals in museums in the U.S., but there are no airworthy originals anywhere. This is one of only a few airworthy reproductions in the world. The biggest difference is that this one has reliable engines. This is the world's first operational fighter jet and this aircraft type is one of the few that have never been to Airventure. It also flew during the start of the night airshow.
This is the only airworthy PB4Y-2 in the world. I was looking forward to seeing it fly at Milwaukee but it only flew Saturday, and I went Sunday.
However, at Airventure I got to see it both on display and in the afternoon airshow.
EAA owns this Ford Trimotor and it gives rides all day, every day during the event.
This is a rare formation of all of the military Grumman "Cats", aside from the F-14 Tomcat.
From left to right: Bearcat, Hellcat, Tigercat, and Wildcat.
A favorite of mine, the Jet Waco. A replica 1929 Taperwing Waco with a jet engine strapped onto it.
De havilland Vampire, the Royal Air Force's first single-engine fighter jet. My first time seeing this aircraft, and I actually saw two while I was there.
This year, Airventure had their first F-35B demonstration. The "B" variant is the short takeoff and vertical landing version, it can hover like a harrier. After seeing the F-35A for so many years, it was weird seeing the B hover like that!
C-47 'Placid Lassie' is usually at Airventure every year but it's always fun to see. It was one of the C-47's involved in D-Day.
P-51D 'Gunfighter' is also an aircraft that usually makes the trip to Airventure each year. If I remember right, a model of this plane appears in a scene in Top Gun: Maverick.
And lastly, it's not aviation related, but it was really fun seeing this Acura ARX-05 DPi racecar in the Honda Tent. They're so much smaller than they look on tv.
If you have the patience or interest, you can see just about all of the photos I took at Airventure in these two slideshows:
Frankly there were so many highlights I don't know what to share, so I'll post as many as I can and also include two slideshows I posted on youtube if you really want to see most of the photos I took while I was there.
This P-51C "Thunderbird" was a 1949 air race winner and once owned by Jimmy Stewart. It crashed in 1955 and was eventually restored/rebuilt in 2023.
This is the second time I've seen it at Airventure.
This Pink Strong L-39 was impossible to miss. I've heard that the pilot has hopes of forming an entire team of pink L-39's, but I don't know if that's a legitimate plan for the future or just a hope.
This plane is owned by a Youtuber named Trent Palmer. I watch his videos all the time, so it was cool to see the plane in person.
Here's the U-2 I saw fly over Milwaukee last weekend. This will most likely be the last time I ever see one. I took a photo just like this of one in 2007, but those photos were all lost and I hadn't seen a U-2 since, so I'm glad I got one last chance to do it again!
There were three harriers on display this year. It'll also be the last time they ever visit Airventure. They're being phased out and replaced by the F-35B.
The Joby S4 is a prototype of an electric air taxi. The propellers tilt forward like an Osprey, so it lands and takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane.
I actually fly this all the time in Microsoft Flight Simulator, so it was cool to see the real thing! I wish they could have done a public demonstration.
The highlight for many this year was the ME 262 reproduction. Not an original, but based on original blueprints. There are a few originals in museums in the U.S., but there are no airworthy originals anywhere. This is one of only a few airworthy reproductions in the world. The biggest difference is that this one has reliable engines. This is the world's first operational fighter jet and this aircraft type is one of the few that have never been to Airventure. It also flew during the start of the night airshow.
This is the only airworthy PB4Y-2 in the world. I was looking forward to seeing it fly at Milwaukee but it only flew Saturday, and I went Sunday.
However, at Airventure I got to see it both on display and in the afternoon airshow.
EAA owns this Ford Trimotor and it gives rides all day, every day during the event.
This is a rare formation of all of the military Grumman "Cats", aside from the F-14 Tomcat.
From left to right: Bearcat, Hellcat, Tigercat, and Wildcat.
A favorite of mine, the Jet Waco. A replica 1929 Taperwing Waco with a jet engine strapped onto it.
De havilland Vampire, the Royal Air Force's first single-engine fighter jet. My first time seeing this aircraft, and I actually saw two while I was there.
This year, Airventure had their first F-35B demonstration. The "B" variant is the short takeoff and vertical landing version, it can hover like a harrier. After seeing the F-35A for so many years, it was weird seeing the B hover like that!
C-47 'Placid Lassie' is usually at Airventure every year but it's always fun to see. It was one of the C-47's involved in D-Day.
P-51D 'Gunfighter' is also an aircraft that usually makes the trip to Airventure each year. If I remember right, a model of this plane appears in a scene in Top Gun: Maverick.
And lastly, it's not aviation related, but it was really fun seeing this Acura ARX-05 DPi racecar in the Honda Tent. They're so much smaller than they look on tv.
If you have the patience or interest, you can see just about all of the photos I took at Airventure in these two slideshows:
