How To Get The Most Oomph Out Of Oshkosh

With the Experimental Aircraft Association (EEA) Oshkosh less than a month away, we decided to put together a guide to help you get the most out of the United States’ largest air show. This year, the Oshkosh, Wisconsin air show will take place between Monday, July 22, 2024, and Sunday, July 28, 2024.

During the week of the EAA AirVenture air show, Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, becomes the world’s busiest airport, with thousands of planes flying in for the event. Attractions include hundreds of workshops, forums, daily afternoon, and two nightly air demonstrations performed by civilian and military aerobatic teams.

The Air Show is spread over 1,390 acres

Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) occupies an area of 1,390 acres and is divided into neighborhoods, each with its unique assortment of aircraft:

Boeing Plaza: This is the EEA marquee display area and the home of many of the air show’s top attractions, such as vintage military aircraft.

Homebuilts: The EEA was founded by home aircraft builders in the 1950s and still has recreational aircraft builders and restorers at the event’s heart and soul. In the Homebuilt neighborhood, you can see the results of passionate aircraft builders and restorers realizing their dream aircraft.

Warbirds: In the Warbird’s neighborhood, visitors to Oshkosh can marvel at 400 to 500 vintage military aircraft that took part in military conflicts such as WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Today, many vintage aircraft have been expertly restored with colorful paint schemes that add a little extra to their original glory.

Vintage: In the vintage neighborhood, you are invited to travel back in time to the early days of aviation, built before September 1, 1945. Biplanes, triplanes, and some of the world’s first metalplanes are on display.

Aerobatics: Many of the world’s top aerobatic pilots show up at Oshkosh each summer to wow the crowd with their dramatic displays of skill. When they are not performing, their aircraft are parked in the aerobatics neighborhood so people can see them up close.

Ultralights, LSA, & Rotorcraft: Encompassing a 900-foot grass runway, the Ultralights, LSA, & Rotorcraft neighborhood is dubbed the fun fly zone because of all the home-built light aircraft on display.

Seaplane Base: Offering a quiet escape from all the other neighborhoods, the Oshkosh Seaplane Base is located in a quiet, picturesque cove on Lake Winnebago. Visitors can take a free pontoon boat ride to see the planes at their moorings or pull up a lawn chair on the shore and relax as they watch the planes take off and land.

EAA Aviation Museum: The EAA Aviation Museum is home to over 20,000 historical aviation objects and 150 airplanes of all shapes and sizes. The museum also has an extensive library where EEA members can research aircraft and restoration projects.

Flights in vintage airplanes and helicopters

While the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show is all about seeing the aircraft and the amazing air displays, did you know you could also ride a vintage aircraft and see for yourself just how big the air show is? At this summer’s Oshkosh Air Show, you can take a pleasure ride in one of the following aircraft:

Ford Tri-Motor

Nicknamed the “Tin Goose,” the Ford Tri-Motor emerged after Henry Ford invested in the Detroit, Michigan-based Stout Metal Airplane Company. At the time, building a metal aircraft was revolutionary and unlike any aircraft of the day. Modeling the plane on the Fokker F.VII Trimotor and a fuselage and wings pioneered by Junkers, the Ford Trimotor immediately had an impact on commercial aviation.

At the air show, the EEA offers flights on a lovingly restored nine-passenger Ford 4-AT-E Trimotor on Thursday between 14:00 and 17:00 and Friday through Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00. The 15-minute flight costs $99 for adults and $75 for children under 17.

North American B-25 Mitchell

First introduced in 1941, the North American B-25 Mitchell was a medium American bomber that saw action in every theater of war during WWII. The B-25 became famous after being the first aircraft to bomb mainland Japan during the 1942 Doolittle Raid in retaliation for the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

The EEA Berlin Express North American B-25 Mitchell can accommodate eight passengers on a first-come, first-serve basis. After booking your flight, arrive at the designated spot one hour before your flight to familiarize yourself with the aircraft and attend a safety briefing. Each flight lasts around 18 minutes and costs $495 for non-EEA members and $475 for EEA members.

Bell 47 Helicopter

Easily recognizable thanks to its soap bubble canopy, the Bell 47 was widely used by the United States Army during the Korean War (1950-1953). It starred in the hit television series M.A.S.H. Tickets for the five-minute flight can be purchased at Pioneer Airport’s Pitcairn Hangar, located behind the EAA AirVenture Museum.

Flight times are Sunday before the airshow, 09:00 -17:00, Monday to Saturday, 08:00-18:00, and Sunday, 10:30-15:00.

Tickets cost $65 per person.

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Getting to the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show

You can, of course, arrive at Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) by private plane or fly to the following airports and take a shuttle bus to the air show:

• Appleton International Airport (ATW) is 25 miles away in Appleton, Wisconsin.
• Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) is in Green Bay, Wisconsin, 60 miles north of Oshkosh.
• Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA) is in Mosinee, Wisconsin, 90 miles northwest of Oshkosh.
• Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) in Madison, Wisconsin, located 90 miles southwest of Oshkosh.
• Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is 90 miles south of Oshkosh.
• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is 175 miles south of Oshkosh.

Ticket prices for the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show:

• Adult Non-Member Daily $60.00
• Veteran & Active Duty Military Non-Member Daily$43.00
• Adult Non-Member Adult 2-Day $102.00
• Adult Non-Member Sunday (7/28) $27.00
• Veteran & Active Duty Non-Member Sunday (7/28) $22.00

Thanks in part to the partnership of Boeing, entry to all people 18 or under is free.

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Parking at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show

Of course, many people will arrive at the Oshkosh Air Show by car and can pay to park at one of the five EEA parking lots. Daily and weekly tickets for cars, trucks, motorhomes, motorcycles, and other motor vehicles can be purchased. Please note overnight parking is not permitted.

Shuttle buses transport you to and from the parking lot to the air show. They run from 08:00 to 20:00 Monday through Saturday and from 08:00 to 12:00 Sunday.

Parking prices:

• Advance Purchase Daily $15
• Day Ticket on-Site $25
• Weekly Ticket $90

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show accommodation

While most people like to camp out on the AirVenture grounds, there is a three-day minimum stay, and one of your party must be an EEA member. Oshkosh has hotel, motel, and boutique lodging options for people who don’t want to camp. You can also find private rentals on booking.com and Airbnb.

Photo: Thierry Webber | Shutterstock

Food & Drink

At the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show, there are many food and drink options, with around 30 vendors having concession stands. Besides old favorites like A&W, Chick-fil-A, Papa John’s, and Dunkin’ / Baskin-Robbins, new for 2024 is Jersey Mike’s submarine sandwiches.

You will also find plenty of food options in Oshkosh, ranging from pub grub to high-end dining.