The state of Wisconsin might not bring to mind the most exciting or glamorous images, but it is a state with a lot of personality. In addition to boasting amazing micro-brews, world-class cheeses, and one serious football team, the state plays host to the nation's largest air show, EAA's AirVenture, held annually in Oshkosh. The small town sits about 150 miles north of Chicago, not far from Wisconsin's eastern shoreline, and for one week each year it attracts more than half a million aviation enthusiasts from all over the glob. Hamilton is one of AirVenture's sponsors and was kind enough to invite us to the show this year to witness the event first hand. Read on for our full account, and of course some incredible photos.
Oshkosh is home to around 66,000 people and the quiet community is transformed by AirVenture every summer, when over 500,000 visitors from around the world arrive to be a part of the week's events. Wittman Regional Airport, which sits at the southern edge of town, right along lake Winnebago, handles around 15,000 small aircraft during the show, making the regional airport's air traffic control center (temporarily) the world's busiest. The event has been dubbed the "Super Bowl" of air traffic control and competitively selects staff to man the tower during the week.
To call the atmosphere around the runways at AirVenture controlled chaos would be an understatement. All 15,000 of those incoming planes are parked in rows, filling up every spare acre of lawn space in sight. The pilots take up residence in tents that they erect next to (or with the help of) their planes. This village of planes and tents serves as an open forum for enthusiasts to connect and share resources, many of them having built their planes themselves. Custom paint jobs and unique designs are all paraded about for the crowds to admire. Flying yourself into the show is a right of passage and a real benchmark for many of the homebuilders.
While many of the planes are of the small recreational type, there are sections of the field dedicated to vintage re-builds and even wartime planes or "warbirds" as they're called. Classics like the P-51 Mustang and T-28 are plentiful, some even for sale. At the end of the show these planes all get off the ground together and create a stunning battle re-enactment, complete with dogfights and pyrotechnics on the ground.
Also making an appearance at the show was a WWII era B-17 "Flying Fortress" complete with turret guns and pin-up gal under the cockpit. There are only 11 such B-17s still flying as of today. And we got go for a spin in this one. This B-17, which went by the name "Aluminum Overcast" was first flown in 1945, its only real action coming in mapping operations over countries including Arabia, Libya, Lebanon, Iran, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt and Jordan. An imposing figure on the ground, Aluminum Overcast performs surprisingly gently in the air. Noise is the only real issue here, thanks to its four massive propeller engines and open panels along the roof. Inside the plane you're transported back to the mid 1940s, with guns, ammo cans, period radio equipment, and a stark substructure.
EAA AirVenture is an immense experience covering a massive plot of earth. People come in droves to see the latest and greatest in aviation accessories and equipment, and end up coming back year after year for the relationships. It's best to localize your experience at the event by focusing on the people and events, taking in as much of the surrounding planes and performances with little urgency. If you have even a passing interest in aviation, AirVenture should be on your bucket list. Enjoy our photos of the experience below, and thank you to Hamilton for the experience.
Hamilton Inside Basel.Geneva 2012 Germany 8415