AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 Review
The Experimental Aviation Association’s AirVenture Oshkosh Fly-In is held annually in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA which brings people from around the world to celebrate the spirit of aviation. This year, just like in years past, it was so action packed that it went by in a blur and after it ended, it set some impressive new records. According to the EAA website, multiple new event records were made in terms of aircraft attendance, general attendance, commercial exhibitors and social media presence. One statistic that really drives the scale of AirVenture Oshkosh is the sheer number of aircraft movements during the eleven days the airport was open for AirVenture attendees. They reported a total of just less than Twenty-Two Thousand (22,000) aircraft operations in those eleven days. Now for scale, that’s roughly Two Thousand (2,000) aircraft movements per day and the airport only operates from 0700 to 2000 local time! Those are incredible numbers!
The one statistic that I always look forward to is the total number of warbird aircraft that attended. This year’s edition of AirVenture brought in 380 registered warbirds to the Oshkosh area. That number is the highest it has been in several years and it was a mix of regular attendees and quite a few new ones. As per tradition at Oshkosh, warbird restorers love to show off their latest projects and this year was no exception.
Several newly finished restorations were on hand which included two aircraft from Dakota Territory Air Museum. First was the P-51C Mustang “Thunderbird” (serial number 43-6859) which is famous for winning the 1949 Bendix Trophy race which pilot Joe BeDona set a piston powered speed record of 470 mph (756 kph). That aircraft was previously owned by Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart and Jacqueline Cochran.
The other aircraft from DTAM was the P-47D “Bonnie”. This was one of two restorations I was excited for as this aircraft was rescued from the Dobodura airstrip in New Guinea and has been under restoration at AirCorps Aviation for the past eight years. This P-47D Razorback Thunderbolt (serial number 42-27609) is currently the only one flying that was built by Republic Aviation. This aircraft wears the livery of the 460th Fighter Squadron, 348th Fighter Group piloted by Brigadier General William “Bill” Dunham. Gen. Dunham named every aircraft he flew “Bonnie” as that was his loved one’s name back home. Rightfully so, this aircraft won the Grand Champion in the Warbird category for overall best warbird entered to be judged.
There was one aircraft at the top of many people's list to see this year and that was the C-121 Constellation. This was no regular C-121 though as this was VC-121A “Bataan”. This was General Douglas MacArthur’s personal aircraft back in the 1950s. This aircraft has been under periodic restoration at the Planes of Fame Arizona location since they acquired it in 1993 in a trade with the U.S Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama. It flew back to Chino in 2016 from Arizona for a full-on restoration after Rod Lewis purchased the aircraft. On 20 June 2023, the Constellation took to the air after its lengthy restoration in preparation for the cross-country trip to Oshkosh. After a few maintenance delays, Bataan graced the AirVenture grounds for 3 days before departing back to California then eventually north to Oregon to start the interior work. Surely, Rod Lewis will bring this aircraft back to AirVenture to share with the world after its completed restoration.
The military normally shows up with both a static and flying presence every year. This year, AETC (Air Education and Training Command) was the major focal point from a US Air Force standpoint with numerous commands sending aircraft and personnel to demonstrate their missions. Along with AETC, several other Air Force units visited throughout the week including fighters, bombers, reconnaissance, and transport aircraft showcasing their capabilities to the public. It wasn’t all Air Force aircraft that participated as all five branches that have aircraft: US Army Aviation, US Navy, US Marine Corps, and the US Coast Guard all brought aircraft this year. There were multiple demonstration teams that also attended including the Air Force F-22 Raptor Team, the C-17/KC-135 joint team, the US Navy EA-18G Growler team and the West Coast Rhino demo team along with the F-35C demo team.
For the private sector, this has been a growing popular attraction each year at AirVenture. This year, Boeing and Airbus led the way again by bringing in their products to showcase their products people may see at their local airport. Airbus in conjunction with Delta Airlines bought one of their Airbus A350-9 series and American Airlines brought their Medal of Honor livery A321-231(WL) for the yearly Honor Flight to Washington D.C for veterans. Boeing in conjunction with Southwest Airlines brought a newly accepted 737-8 MAX with the “Destination 225” livery aspiring to attract pilots to fly with Southwest. Boeing also brought one of their 747-4H6(LCF) Dreamlifter aircraft. This aircraft is used to transport odd-sized aircraft components between plants to continue the flow of production. Another aircraft that visited AirVenture which carries odd-sized cargo would be the Aero-Spacelines B-377 aircraft, otherwise known as the Super Guppy. NASA was gracious enough to bring this marvel to the convention for the first time since 2000.
Overall, the main concentration of AirVenture goers is the GA (General Aviation) sector. More than ten thousand (10,000) aircraft visited Oshkosh and the local airports around the area this year. With all these GA aircraft brings in all types of exhibitors. This year saw almost eight hundred and fifty (850) exhibitors displaying their products ranging the whole spectrum in aviation and then more services outside the sector.
AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 was one for the record books and is already looking towards topping those records next year. One of the main themes next year is the one-hundred-year anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force which is expected to bring in several Canadian forces including their national team the Snowbirds. AirVenture never fails to deliver on having an aviation related theme for everyone. From current military aircraft and piston/jet powered warbirds to vintage, homebuilt aircraft, ultralights, and seaplanes, the fly-in convention has every aspect of aviation for attendees to enjoy. I have only scratched the surface on the number of things that this event has to offer. The only advice that I can give to anyone in the airshow/aviation community that asks the question on what that one event would be an individual should attend in their life; my answer will always be AirVenture Oshkosh. Once you go and experience the atmosphere of AirVenture, it will be hard not to go back the following year. AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 is not too far off, and I look forward to attending what will be my ninth AirVenture!
