By David Dent 

Oshkosh. To a mother it means clothes for kids. To a trucker it means big trucks. But to aviation people it means Wisconsin in July. Heat, thunderstorms, mosquitoes, corn, people and...aircraft.

Every July the Experimental Aircraft Association, the EAA, hold their fly-in at Wittman field in Oshkosh Wisconsin. It’s been held at Wittman Field every year since 1970.

This year over 260 Australians made their way to Midwest America, the largest international group after the Canadians. About 75 English people made the trip. Amazing when you consider the size of our population and the distance we have to travel. So why do so many Aussies (in past years as many as 400 attended) go and so many return?

Apart from seeing the multitude of aircraft and watching the Air Show, I think most people go because of the people. The amazing diversity of people. From all walks of life, from every economic strata of life, some with incredible military backgrounds, astronauts, movie actors, billionaires, musicians, but all with one common thread in their lives: a love of all things aviation.

If you go to Oshkosh make sure that wherever you are on the field or in the city, at a restaurant or sitting having a hamburger, strike up a conversation with the people around you. It opens doors into other people’s lives and you will be so much richer for it. Sounds a bit corny but every person I know who has visited Oshkosh has come away with a new respect for America and has made many lifelong friends. You may be a bit surprised at the very strong military awareness that permeates the American lifestyle. They are very proud of it and certainly don’t hide it.

I always tell people that there are two things that will happen when you go to Oshkosh, that is, firstly you will kick yourself that you put it off for so long and, secondly, you will most likely be going back. Sure it’s too big, it costs too much, it gets hot, it’s noisy but it is great fun.

Oshkosh, or ‘Airventure’ as EAA call it, was a little smaller this year, partly because of the cost of fuel and the flooding in the Midwest earlier in the year, but it was still a blast. To try to list all the new aircraft and new products would take pages and what is of interest to one is boring to another.

One of the announced highlights was the Martin Personal Flying Machine from New Zealand. Thousands stood around in the morning heat in Aeroshell Square to witness the public debut of this petrol powered backpack. Some were disappointed when it started and sounded just like a two stroke whipper snipper! The remaining thousands were a bit disappointed when having waited over an hour, all we got was a 50 second flight with two helpers holding it down. Bit of an anticlimax, and at $100,000 a pop I don’t think we’ll see too many of those. 

There were the usual new small jets, all the new avionics, new anti-collision equipment, new GPS receivers and new glass cockpit displays. Lycoming revealed their new I0-233-LSA 100 HP engine. This has roller tappets, electronic ignition and throttle body fuel injection. Expect to see this engine in the new Cessna 162 Skycatcher sometime soon.

In the warbird area a fresh restoration of a P51-B was on display, the culmination of 35,000 hours of restoration. This aircraft had crashed during the war while on a training flight in Florida and the restoration was competed by Cal-Pacific Automotive of Salinas California. The P-38 Glacier girl and a second P-38 were also parked on the field. Glacier Girl was the P-38 Lightning retrieved from under 200 feet of ice by some very brave men. An amazing restoration. Over 20 P-51’s, Kittyhawks, Caribou, Hellcats, Corsairs, TBM Avengers and many other warbirds were in attendance. The Bell Tiltrotor flew in, as did John Travolta in his Qantas 707, the Boeing Dreamlifter, three Ford Trimotors, six Howard DGA 15s and many others.

The great thing about Airventure, Oshkosh, whatever you call it, is that by and large, all the warbirds, antiques, homebuilts, experimental aircraft, current US Airforce aircraft and visiting aircraft are parked with no barricades or fences around them. The exceptions are aircraft like the U-2 and the Raptor F-22. If you want stick your head up the tailpipe of an F-4 Phantom an F-18 go for it.

What is hard to imagine until you actually see it, is the sight of over 10,000 aircraft parked on the one field. A broad canvas of Warbirds of all types, Antique and Classics, Experimental, Ultralights, Helicopters and over on Lake Winnebago, a gaggle of seaplanes. Add in camping grounds with 40,000 campers and this becomes a city in its own right. 

For one Australian, this year and last year were special. Matt Chapman, a young LAME from Sydney, had the pleasure of being paid to attend Airventure.  Last year, straight out of his apprenticeship, Matt applied to Mike Goulian, the well known Red Bull contestant and airshow pilot, and now finds himself on the American Airshow circuit, working for Mike and maintaining his airshow Extra. And getting paid. Dreams do come true.

So is Oshkosh a magical place or just another airshow? How can 200,000 people spend a day on the grounds and at the end of the day the place is just as clean as it was at the start? There is no fence keeping the crowd back from the taxiway, just a line painted on the ground. You don’t hear any angry words, no heated arguments, there is no theft from parked aircraft or from the camp grounds. There is an atmosphere that is tangible, a friendliness and warmth. You walk into the international tent and even if you haven’t been there for a couple of years you’re still greeted like a long lost friend. It’s real. There is a bit of magic about the place.

If you plan to go next year for the first time, don’t be hesitant. Accommodation is easy if you don’t want a hotel room. EAA can provide phone numbers for residents who will rent a room or a house and you can always camp if you are an EAA member. If you want a hotel room, plan to book 10 years in advance or at some distance from town. Also, if you plan to drive from Chicago or Milwaukee do it early and try to hire away from the airports: bit cheaper.

If I sound biased, you’re spot on. I get a kick out of all the lifelong friends I have made at Oshkosh Airventure. Plan on spending a week there but don’t be surprised when you discover you didn’t see it all. It is what you make of it.