The EAA Airventure 2017 was one of the biggest military aviation events, wherein the audience that showed up at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was approximately 590,000 strong. The event has marked the 75th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid, one of the most iconic moments in World War II history, and featured a sight not seen in more than six decades: two B-29 Superfortresses flying in formation.
This made Wittman Regional Airport the busiest airport in the world, having exceeded 10,000 aircraft movements, which comes out to be around 123 aircraft movements in an hour. Adding to the excitement were the US Navy Blue Angels, whose breathtaking displays mesmerized one and all in the air throughout the week.
Wednesday morning focused entirely on the Warbirds area, where several B-25 Mitchell bombers gathered to perform a reenactment of the Doolittle Raid. The bombs launched off Oshkosh’s runway, operating from a scenario modeled after their takeoff from the USS Hornet in 1942, as an appropriate salute to the valor of the original raiders. The flying demonstration that evening was enhanced with pyrotechnics.
There were also modern military aircraft on show. A Boeing B-1B “Lancer” bomber—known to its fans as the “BONE”—made several passes, followed by a dramatic vapor cloud created by the humidity and its four afterburners. In the end, the USAF Heritage Flight with its 4-ship formation of an F-35 Lightning II, an A-10 Thunderbolt II, and two P-51 Mustangs showed future military airfare joining past military airfare.
Historic aircraft made the Warbird contingent particularly interesting and diverse. A dozen B-25 Mitchell bombers were aligned in a tight nest formation, as they would have been aboard the USS Hornet before their famous raid on Japan. Many warbirds were featured in the “Fighter Town” area at the northeast corner of the airport; the Grand Champion: World War II title was won by Rod Lewis’ Douglas A-20J Havoc.
A rare gathering of three P-63 Kingcobras and one P-39 Airacobra marked the first time that aircraft together in such a number since World War II. The unique display allowed still the rare photo opportunity that these aircraft are together.
Joining this potent military assembly was the first civilian air show appearance of the Airbus A400M of the British Royal Air Force, adding to the international character of the show. The “year of the bomber” ended with the much-anticipated tight formation flight of the B-29s “FiFi” and “Doc” and accompanying B-17s, B-25s, all the way up to modern USAF bombers B-52, B-1, and B-2.
EAA Airventure 2017 was befittingly the world’s greatest aviation celebration, touching all the right chords, not a single moment to spare in anything, something new and exciting every day, presented in an ambiance and an atmosphere not seen anywhere else. Though this coverage tries to take readers through what it was like, the actual way the EAA Airventure must be seen to be believed.