EAA Air Venture – Oshkosh Air Show

One of the biggest aviation events in the world is EAA Air Venture which is held in Oshkosh, WI each July. This is the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual major event and this is a must see for any pilot. I think I am one of the few pilots that I know of that has not attended this event (and I plan to go next year).

It is hard to describe Oshkosh to somebody that has not been there and I will not try to describe it here. But I will say a few things that I have heard and read about. Thousands of privately owned small airplanes fly into Oshkosh from all over the country each year just to attend. People camp out with their tents and sleeping bags next to their airplanes for a week to enjoy the air shows, the exhibitions, the various manufacturer presentations, visit with long lost pilot friends and view all the airplanes parked all over this large airport. If you have seen a photograph of the airport from overhead you will see rows and rows of parked airplanes on every inch of ground except for the runways. I have been told that pictures do not do it justice. I will have experience it myself which I plan to next year.

I was able to experience Oshkosh on a small scale recently. Our local airport sponsored fuel at a discount price for Oshkosh bound aircraft stopping here. Our location is just the right distance for most aircraft before arriving at Oshkosh. This allows most planes to stop, refuel and take a break.

Our local pilots association uses this opportunity to raise money to help our airport. We cook hamburgers, brats and hot dogs as well as offer sodas, water and snacks to the arriving pilots and their passengers. We ask for donations for the items provided and most pilots are quite generous. We do this on the weekend before and the weekend after Oshkosh. Through our efforts and the donations of the many aircraft passing through, we have raised a large amount of money to be spent on improving our airport.

Along with a dozen or so other local pilots, we all parked ourselves in front of the pilot shack (or FBO as it is called in the aviation world) to watch the show. We take turns cooking the food, taking donations, talking with pilots and enjoyed the arriving and departing aircraft.

We watched all kinds of planes from slow 2 seat Piper Cups to War Birds coming in, refuel, take a break to enjoy our offerings, and then give us a quick mini-air show on their departure. We get to peek in the plane, talk to the pilots and learn some little know secrets of these unique aircraft. Many of these planes return here year after year to enjoy our food and company. Each plane left its own story to tell.

We had a War Bird show up and give us a mini- show. First, the plane did a slow roll over the airport. Then the pilot flew down the runway with smoke coming out of the back, just like an air show. On the ground we said we enjoyed the show and we asked him why those particular maneuvers. He said, “I had to roll over to see the airport and then I had to mark the runway so I could land.” Well, any excuse to show off I guess. We all enjoyed it.

We had a flight of 3 Piper Cubs come in. The pilots fly from the back seat and the front seat was full of sleeping bags, tents, clothes and other supplies for a week of camping. These are not known for speed and we saw them coming in from a distance. And we watched, and watched as they slowly approached.

We had a small home built experimental aircraft show up. I could not remember the name but it was so small that I thought it was a large radio controlled airplane. And boy it was fast. It flew down the field at well over 300 mph (as reported by the pilot). Just watching it go down the runway at 100 feet and you knew it was fast.

We had the regular run of Cessna, Piper and Beechcraft aircraft visit, refuel, enjoy our food, talk to us and fly off only to return the next week on the way back. Some only had the pilot in it while others had every seat full. We saw complete families and even a couple of grandfathers with their grandkids. Overall we had a couple of hundred planes stop by and enjoy our airport. Many said they have been here before and many first timers said they will be back next year.

This is what we, the local pilots, want. We want these pilots coming back here and enjoying our airport. We are trying to make our airport better, one pilot and airplane at a time. Someday, I want to be at another airport and say I am from Kirksville and hear somebody say, “Kirksville? I have been there. Boy, you have a nice airport.” We are working on it.