The Glory Of Oshkosh AirVenture In Photos

The EAA's annual summer rites of flight at its Oshkosh AirVenture fly-in are all about the sights and sounds of aviation. And for as long as it has been an event, some of the best photographers in the world have gathered there, long lenses in hand, to capture the glory of it all---the color, the motion, the faces, the explosion of excitement that is the world's greatest aviation event.

Like every year, it's impossible to select every photograph we'd like to feature, as our editors were sitting around the virtual table going over virtual slides---forgive the metaphor. We've been doing this since the days of Kodachrome---we kept on adding image after image to the stack. We needed shots of seaplanes, fighters, vintage planes, sport planes, good old GA standards, of course, but we also wanted fireworks and scale and, lastly but so importantly, people loving the greatest show on earth.

Well, at some point, we had to say "when," and we're delighted to be able to share with you this spectacular collection of images, some of which you might have seen, but which stand up, we're certain, to seeing again and again. And a special thanks, too, to the EAA for its help with this project.

So here are the sights of AirVentures past. Yes, this year is different, as you know, because there will be no AirVenture. Sure, people are sad about that, but something unexpected has happened, too. People have started gearing up for AirVenture 2021. Yes, it's 13 months away still, so it sounds improbable, but we're totally getting fired up for it, too.

These photos won't make Oshkosh 2021 come any faster, but they'll definitely remind you of what we're all missing.

A helicopter's eye view of the main drag at EAA Oshkosh AirVenture, including Boeing Plaza, where the heavy iron or, in a few cases, composites, hang out. Photo by EAA: Michael Steineke

A typical busy day at Oshkosh at the Four Corners. Photo courtesy of EAA, Craig Vander Kolk

A lucky few night-airshow goers feeling the heat from atop the wing of a Canadair water bomber. Photo courtesy of EAA, Chris Miller

A view of the show from the flight deck of a Douglas C-47. Photo courtesy of EAA, Andrew Zaback

Float planes lined up at the EAA Seaplane Base. Photo by Jim Koepnick for Plane & Pilot

Two rock stars, EAA head honcho Jack Pelton (left) and jet pilot/country music superstar Dierks Bentley. (And the crowd goes wild!) Photo courtesy of EAA, Michael Kelly

A lineup of P-51s, their props ablur, ready to take to the Oshkosh skies. Photo courtesy of EAA, Camden Thrasher

Photographers line up to get that perfect shot of the night airshow. Photo courtesy of EAA, Steve Dahlgren

An early-model North American P-51 with fastback canopy. Photo courtesy of EAA, Connor Madison

Fireworks from the Wednesday night air show. Photo by Jim Koepnick

Every year EAA gives away a plane, or two, at OSH. Yeah, we want it too. Photo courtesy of the EAA, Andrew Zaback

Where the magic happens. Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the surrounding area, which transforms from a quiet mid-sized town to the craziest aviation locale on the planet for one week a year. Photo courtesy of EAA, Phil High

A pilot looking at a pretty Bonanza. Photo by Jim Koepnick

A gorgeously restored De Havilland Chipmunk. Photo courtesy of the EAA, Jim Koepnick

An impeccably restored Ryan PT-22 primary trainer. Photo courtesy of EAA, Ed Hicks

The folks who work the flight line, whether FAA regulars or EAA staffers or volunteers, are the best in the biz. Photo courtesy of the EAA, Craig Vander Kolk

KOSH transforms in the evening to a quiet and sleepy airport (albeit with thousands of airplanes) before the noise and flying begins again bright and early the next morning. Photo courtesy of the EAA, Alden Frautschy