The annual EAA AirVenture event at Oshkosh, Wisconsin remains the largest aviation celebration in the world. STEPHEN BRIDGEWATER reports from his latest pilgrimage to ‘Aviation mecca’.

Over the last five decades the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture event at Oshkosh, Wisconsin has gained a reputation as the largest, friendliest and most diverse aviation event in the world. I first attended the event in 2003 and this year was my tenth visit to this ‘mecca’ of aviation. It’s difficult to explain to somebody who has never been, but AirVenture is part airshow, part tradeshow and part festival. People visit from across the globe to meet old friends, make new ones and soak up the atmosphere. In fact, AirVenture is often likened to Brigadoon – for it is a mysterious town that appears for only one week of the year and then disappears leaving its lovers pining for its eventual return.

Time to buzz the tower! For one week of the year this tower becomes the busiest in the world. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) With more than 10,000 aircraft on site during the week-long convention, just coordinating the arrivals is an air traffic control tour de force. Aircraft as diverse as ultralights, kitplanes, vintage biplanes, piston- and jet-powered warbirds and modern military aircraft arrive from all corners of the USA and even further afield and this year 65 FAA controllers guided them to a safe arrival on the hallowed Wittman Field tarmac. According to the FAA: “The controllers are divided into 16 teams of four persons each. One veteran controller serves as the team leader and a second veteran may also be part of the team. Each of these controllers will have three or more years of previous EAA AirVenture experience. “At least one member of the team will have one to two years of EAA AirVenture experience. This group is identified as the Limited category. The final member of each team will be new to AirVenture duty and is identified as a Rookie.” It is important to note that even an “Oshkosh rookie” has many years of training and experience and is a Certified Professional Controller (CPC) in his or her home facility. These teams stay together throughout the convention as they rotate through the Oshkosh control tower, the Fond du Lac tower, at FISK VFR Approach Control and at the mobile departure platforms known as MOOCOWs (Mobile Operating and Communications Workstations). Elsewhere, additional FAA controllers are on duty throughout the US Midwest to take on additional workload and responsibility to ensure flights to and from AirVenture are as safe and efficient as possible.

Not so much rocking his wings as waving at the crowd, Skip Stewart appeared during the airshow segment in his Pitts Special-based Prometheus II biplane. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) Arriving at the VFR initial approach point at the city of Ripon at 1,800ft, the NOTAM advises pilots to slow to 90kts, listen to the ATIS frequency and then switch over to Fisk approach control and start listening. Unusually, you do not make a radio call to announce your presence, pilots await a message that fits the description of their aircraft – for example “red and yellow high winger”. As they approach the town of Fisk, the controllers (using binoculars) will visually identify the arrivals and pilots then receive the iconic “rock your wings” call. This is to ensure that they are, indeed, the intended aircraft and your will then be given your landing clearance. At this point, an inbound pilot has still not made a call on their radio!

The Boeing Eco Demonstrator was one of the larger visitors to AirVenture 2022. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) The normally quiet Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) is a hub of activity during the week, in fact 27% of its annual operations take place in the ten days that the AirVenture NOTAM is in effect. Even more impressive is that KOSH becomes the busiest airport in the world during the seven days of the event. These mass arrivals are accommodated in a very simple manner, with pilots told to land on coloured dots on the runways. Each measuring 50ft in diameter, the white, green and orange dots are on Runway 9/27 and blue, pink, yellow and purple dots can be found on Runway 18/36. The latter runway is also a dual strip, separated as 36L and 36R. Rather than waiting for each incoming aircraft to land and exit the runway one at a time, the dots allow AirVenture controllers to land multiple aircraft at once. Normal FAA rules call for 3,000ft separation between landing single-engined aircraft but an exemption is granted to allow 1,500ft distancing at the event and it is common to see dozens of aircraft streaming in on long final to land on the dots. They serve as both easy-to-spot reference points for pilots and the perfect way for controllers to gage separation. So, from arriving at Fisk, a typical AirVenture approach ‘conversation’ might sound something like: ATC: “Red and yellow high winger, rock your wings.” ATC: “Red and yellow high winger, cleared to land runway three six left, yellow dot” Pilot: “Red and yellow high winger, three six left, yellow dot” No further radio transmissions are required or expected but pilots are invariably greeted with a friendly “Welcome to Oshkosh” upon touchdown and you will occasionally hear a “great landing” or “nice airplane” acknowledgement from an enthusiastic controller. Landing on the dots at Oshkosh is a rite of passage for many pilots, and something I have been lucky enough to on three occasions. It certainly makes for a treasured logbook entry.

Fancy an F-35 but don't have the budget? The Greek-designed Archon SF-1 could be just for you! (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) For many, AirVenture is purely a fly-in, a party and a festival of the air but it is increasingly becoming an important tradeshow, with exhibitors bringing their latest products and future design concepts to share with the knowledgeable and enthusiastic audience. This year was no exception and Daher Aerospace unveiled its Kodiak 900 on the opening day of the show. It is a 1.2 metre stretch of the earlier Kodiak 100 and boasts a 900hp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6A-140 in place of the 750hp unit in its predecessor. This gives the new Kodiak a higher cruise speed of 210kts (instead of 183kts), a higher useful load and an increased range. Deliveries are slated to begin in January 2023, while the Kodiak 100 Series III will also remain in production. Textron Aviation’s 75th anniversary special edition Beechcraft Bonanza also debuted at AirVenture. It honours the legendary Olive Ann Beech and features the ‘Mrs Beech Blue’ colour adopted by Walter Beech’s wife on the advice of fashion designer Oleg Cassini. The commemorative Bonanza G36 incorporates the colour on the exterior paint scheme and the interior’s window panels, carpet and accents. Kitplanes remain a key focus at AirVenture and among the stars at this year’s event was the F-35-esque SF-1 Archon, which is powered by a choice of 80-140hp Rotax engines in a ducted fan style configuration. SportairUSA were taking deposits for mid-2023 deliveries during the show. The mock-up of the new six-seat Comp Air 6.2 kitplane was also on show. It will be available with a choice of piston or turbine engines and Comp Air will run a factory-based programme enabling builders to complete their aircraft in four weeks. The kit, less engine, engine mount, paint, upholstery, battery, avionics and propeller was being marketed at $125,000.

Minnesota-based Skylab Engineering showcased the part-completed prototype of its hybrid electric aircraft. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) Looking to the future, the Ampaire hybrid-electric EEL demonstrator aircraft flew 1,879 miles from Camarillo, California to Oshkosh and the trip included the longest nonstop flight ever made by a hybrid-electric aircraft (1,135 miles). Based on the twin-engine Cessna 337 Skymaster, the EEL is a parallel hybrid, retaining one conventional piston engine and with one independent electric drivetrain. Ampaire say it demonstrated fuel savings of up to 40% versus a standard aircraft. There was significant interest in electric, hybrid and other sustainable power sources at AirVenture 2022. Electric Power Systems (EPS) and Safran unveiled the new 130kW ENGINeUS 100 electric motor designed for the Diamond eDA40. EPS provides the battery pack – known as a ‘string’ – with half the batteries under the cowling and half in a belly pod under the fuselage. The batteries are only liquid-cooled during the recharge process, when most heat is generated, whereas most other systems are constantly cooled. Elsewhere, Aeromarine displayed a wing section from its Merlin Lite Extreme STOL DEPOD (Distributed Electric Power On Demand) prototype. With double-slotted Fowler flaps, leading edge slats, blown ailerons and DEPOD motors mounted within the wing the company claims the two-seater can take-off and land in less than 100ft, making it suitable for operations from helipads. Meanwhile, Minnesota-based Skylab Engineering showcased the part-completed prototype of its hybrid electric aircraft. According to the company the aircraft will have a MTOW of around 1,900lbs, a range of 575 miles and be powered by a gasoline-fuelled genset located aft of the cockpit, although it ultimately plans to switch to a fully electric power solution when one exists. Crucially, it uses distributed electric thrust to enable blown wing technology and an emergency battery capable of flying the machine for 12 minutes if the genset fails. Boeing’s latest ecoDemonstrator made its first public appearance during the show and was open for internal tours for much of the week. The public also had the chance to fly the Opener Blackfly eVTOL simulator and watch Wyatt Warner demonstrated the real think in the airshow. This single-place craft is aimed at the owner/pilot recreational market and powered by eight electric motors. It is not a tiltwing or tiltrotor design, instead, the entire aircraft changes pitch from a 45 degree nose up attitude on the ground to level in flight. Aeromarine's Merlin Lite Extreme STOL DEPOD (Distributed Electric Power On Demand) prototype uses motors mounted within the wing to blow air across the flying controls. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS)

The 60th anniversary of Pete Bowers' famous Fly Baby kitplane was marked during the show. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) The EAA was founded to look after the needs of homebuilder and those who build their own aircraft from kits or plans are still the essence of this festival of flight. The onsite EAA Museum pays homage to some of the legendary, iconic, prolific or one-off own designs that have graced the skies and out on the airfield the site is awash with newly completed or returning aircraft built in hangars, garages and dining rooms across the USA. This year, 1,156 homebuilt aircraft were in attendance with several important types also marking milestone anniversaries. One of the most unusual homebuilt aircraft designs, the delta winged Dyke Delta marked its 60th anniversary, as did the Bowers Fly Baby while half centuries were celebrated by the EAA Acro Sport (designed by EAA founder Paul Poberezny), the Rutan VariViggen and the Van’s RV series.

As part of the Van's 50th anniversary programme 50 RV designs overflew the airshow on Monday in formation. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) “While aircraft kits have existed for more than a century, it was 50 years ago that Richard ‘Van’ VanGrunsven introduced a model that would move the homebuilt movement into an age where kit aircraft would become dominant,” said Charlie Becker, EAA’s director of chapters and homebuilt community manager during the show. “Today, more than 11,000 completed RV models are the direct descendants of that first RV-3 in 1972. More than 400 kits each year are shipped to builders around the world from the Van’s factory in Aurora, Oregon and Van himself was on hand during the week to meet many of pilots whose dreams of owning their own aircraft had become reality thanks to his designs. Developed from a Stitts Playboy, the first RV-1 is now on display in the museum at Oshkosh and elsewhere it was possible to see examples of every RV design yet produced from RV-3 to RV-14, apart from the sole RV-5 (The RV-2 was never completed and the RV-13 designation was skipped for superstitious reasons).

The Van's RV-15 was so popular that the only chance to photograph it without a crowd around it was at night! (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) Van also chose AirVenture 2022 to unveil his latest design, the RV-15. Although thousands of RVs have now been built and flown the RV-15 is the first high wing model to join the range. It first flew in June and is claimed to take off and land in less than 400ft and have a top speed in level flight of at least 140kts. The prototype was swamped with eager spectators throughout the week and if this attention is any indication of potential success we should see squadrons of RV-15s taking to the air in years to come.

Impressive line up of classic Howard DGA aircraft. Benny Howard named his design the DGA as it was a "Damn Good Airplane". (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS)

For AirVenture week the 1,400 acre airfield is divided into sections with warbirds, kitplanes, ultralights and vintage and classic aircraft all having distinct zones.Within the vintage and classic sector, visitors could this year peruse gems such as a Curtiss JN-4 ‘Jenny’ – which albeit a new-build example created to original plans was simply stunning. Joining it were myriad Wacos, Stinsons, Stearmans, Fairchilds and other vintage types alongside rarities such as Howard DGAs, Lockheed 12s and one of just two Howard 500s still flying. Douglas DC-3s and Grumman flying boats shared the grass with classics such as V-tail Beech Bonanzas, Douglas DC-3s and Beech 18s while line-ups of radial-engined Cessna 195s stretched into the distance.

A highlight for many was this rare formation of Grumman Wildcat, Hellcat, Bearcat and Tigercat. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) Many visitors attend Oshkosh primarily for the warbirds and this year there were 369 registered. Ranging from liaison types (L-Birds) such as the Grasshopper and Bird Dog via piston- and jet-powered fighters to transports and bombers there was something for everyone. As is traditional, many of the training types arrived en masse during Monday’s flying display with dozens of T-6 Texans, T-28 Trojans, T-34 Mentors joining forces with Yak-52s and Nanchang CJ-6s (the so-called Red Stars) to criss-cross the airfield in large formations. Fighters in attendance this year included five Vought Corsairs, more than 20 P-51 Mustangs, three Douglas Skyraiders and four P-40 Warhawks along with rarities such as a P-39 Airacobra, P-63 Kingcobra, Westland Lysander, Yak-9, de Havilland Mosquito, Boeing B-29, A-26 Invader. Yak-9 and Hispano Buchon – the latter modified with an Allison V-12 engine.

This award winning Choctaw still carried battle damage from the Vietnam war and was flown in by members of her original crew. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) However, the undoubted star of the show was Dr Bruce Winters’ newly restored Messerschmitt Bf109G-6, which was recovered from a lake in the former USSR and subjected to an in-depth restoration that resulted in it winning the coveted Grand Champion WWII award. It also got a Phoenix Award, as did the Lysander that Dave Hadfield flew all the way from Ontario. Reserve Grand Champion was a beautiful C-47 Skytrain based in the USA but owned by Hugh Mathys from Switzerland. Best Jet was awarded to Doug Matthews’ new F-86E Sabre, the Allison-powered Buchon (the so-called AlliSchmitt) won Best Foreign Fighter and the Best Helicopter award went to a rare Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw that still carried battle damage repairs from its time in Vietnam and was flown into the event by members of her original wartime crew.

A US Navy E/A-18 Growler flies past during one of the twilight shows, sucking moisture from the air as its burners light up the sky. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) The current US military invariable supports AirVenture in style and this year the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force were all out in force. Flying display appearances were made by the USAF’s F-35A Lightning II (flown by Captain Kristin ‘Beo’ Wolfe), C-17 Globemaster III, A-10A Thunderbolt II and Lockheed U-2, whereas the USMC provided an Osprey and the Navy flew the F-35C Lightning II, a pair of E/A-18 Growlers and a two-ship of E-2C Hawkeyes. Meanwhile, the static displays included a CH-47 Chinook, AH-64E Apache, UH-60 Blackhawk and UH-72 Lakota from the US Army and swathes of USAF ‘assets’ including KC-135, C-5 Galaxy, F-15 Eagle and multiple T-38 Talons and T-6 Texan II trainers.  Although perhaps confused by many as ‘military’ exhibits, the Northrop CF-5D and Mikoyan MiG-29UB Fulcrum that appeared at the show were actually privately-owned! Whereas the CF-5 was for sale the MiG was proudly owned (and flown) by Draken International founder Jarad Isaacman and forms part of his Polaris Dawn organisation. Isaacman also brought a pair of Dassault Alpha Jets and three L-39 Albatros trainers to the show alongside the Fulcrum.

Access to aircraft is unrivalled with fences, ropes or barriers a rarity. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS) If you’ve ever been tempted by a visit to Oshkosh please don’t be intimidated by the scale of the event or the travel logistics. The airfield is around two hours north of Chicago and the area is awash with accommodation options. From camping on site or staying in the nearby university halls of residence to more luxurious hotel options in the local town and surrounding cities there is plenty of choice, although booking early is always advisable. AirVenture is what you make of it. You will never see every aircraft, attend every seminar, visit every workshop, watch every film or lecture or meet up with everybody you want to see, but if you pace yourself, use the free onsite tram network and plan ahead you can have as relaxing or hectic a week as you desire. But be warned… once you have been once, AirVenture has a habit of getting into your blood and can become an addiction! Next year will be two decades since my first visit to the world’s greatest aviation celebration and I have so many memories of aircraft that I’ve seen, talks I’ve attended, bands I’ve seen and friendships I have made on this far-flung airfield Wisconsin. I’ll be back to celebrate that 20th anniversary next year; it really has become a pilgrimage.

Boeing Plaza is the heart of AirVenture but represents just a small proportion of the aircraft on site. (Connor Maddison/EAA) 

TIM ROBINSON FRAeS, STEPHEN BRIDGEWATER, BELLA RICHARDS and CHARLOTTE BAILEY provide a look at some of the most exciting news and highlights ahead of the first trade day at the Farnborough Air Show 2022.

TIM ROBINSON FRAeS, STEPHEN BRIDGEWATER, BELLA RICHARDS and CHARLOTTE BAILEY report on some of the most exciting news and highlights of the first trade day at the Farnborough Air Show 2022.

TIM ROBINSON FRAeS, STEPHEN BRIDGEWATER, BELLA RICHARDS and CHARLOTTE BAILEY report on some of the most exciting news and highlights of the second trade day at the Farnborough Air Show 2022.

TIM ROBINSON FRAeS, STEPHEN BRIDGEWATER, BELLA RICHARDS and CHARLOTTE BAILEY report on some of the most exciting news and highlights of the third trade day at the Farnborough Air Show 2022.

TIM ROBINSON FRAeS, STEPHEN BRIDGEWATER, BELLA RICHARDS and CHARLOTTE BAILEY report on some of the most exciting news and highlights of the fourth and final trade day at the Farnborough Air Show 2022 and provide a summary.