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Photo feature: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022
This year's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh was worthy of the tagline “Unlike Anything Else.”
By Bradley Wentzel | August 12, 2022
Estimated reading time 7 minutes, 3 seconds.
After years of restricted events around the globe, the 2022 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow, held from July 25 to 31 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, did not disappoint. With near-perfect weather for the 10,000+ aircraft that flew in to Wittman Regional Airport and other airports nearby, this year’s event was “unlike anything else,” according to the Experimental Aircraft Association. At Wittman airport alone, there were 18,684 aircraft operations in the 11-day period from July 21 to 31. A total of 3,226 show planes were registered, including vintages, homebuilts, warbirds, ultralights, seaplanes, rotorcraft, and aerobatic aircraft.
Most notable was the attendance, which broke records with over 650,000 attendees from 93 countries, in addition to the 5,000 volunteers who worked tirelessly each day from sunrise until long after sunset.
There was plenty to see this year both on the show grounds and in the sky, including some firsts for AirVenture. One of those firsts occurred when Rod Lewis and the Lewis Air Legends crew brought two F7F Tigercats, an F8F Bearcat, an F4F Wildcat, and a B-25 to the show. The team partnered with the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum, which brought its F6F Hellcat to complete a four-ship sortie for the “Year of the Cat” flight during the AirVenture airshow. This was followed with aerobatic performances by Stewart Dawson in the Tigercat and Gordon Richardson in the Bearcat.
The Polaris Dawn crew also marked an AirVenture first when they arrived with their MiG-29, wowing the crowds. The crew performed in the airshow with a unique sortie consisting of the MiG, two Alpha Jets, and three L-39s — all of which were painted in a strikingly modern grey, white, and black camouflage scheme.
When attendees weren’t looking to the sky, they may have found themselves in an endless sea of exhibitor booths filled with some of the latest industry technology. But aside from the beautiful aircraft and innovative technology on display, one of the best parts about AirVenture is the people.
The camaraderie at AirVenture is truly unique; one minute you’re watching F-35 Demo Pilot Kristin “Beo” Wolfe perform an eardrum-rattling performance, and the next, you find yourself pulling up a chair alongside new friends to enjoy the rest of the show. It’s a great reminder that the foundation of the aviation industry is the people that it’s made up of.
Next year’s event is sure to be just as exciting, as the EAA will be celebrating its 70th anniversary. See you in 2023!