I Joined 704,000 People For A Whole Week Of The Greatest Airplane Celebration In The World. Here Are The Coolest Planes I Saw

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in just came to a close. The event offered up an entire week of high-flying, high-octane thrills, and for me, it was the best year yet. This year, I joined over 691,000 people – a new all-time attendance record – at the world’s greatest airplane celebration, and between those crowds were some incredible and rare flying machines. As Wittman Regional Airport cleans up, I want to reflect on the whole week of plane partying that I experienced.

This year was rather different for me. My wife, Sheryl, wasn’t able to join me for the week at all, and my parents decided to come instead. I ended up doing the show at a slower pace than usual, and still, because I was there for the whole week, I had plenty of time to get everything in. I’ve created a list of stories that I need to write, and I can’t wait to tell you all about those aircraft. Thankfully, this time I am a lot more relaxed as I’m not immediately racing across the country to purchase another car. No, that happens next week when I pick up my 1998 MGF roadster!

I want to kick off my coverage here by showing you some of the coolest planes that I saw throughout the week. I will write about some of these, while others I thought were just too cool to pass up without a photo. As always, I want you to remember that nearly all of the over 10,000 planes that come to AirVenture each year actually fly there. The event is a sort of living museum, where you know that the vintage hardware that you’re looking at had managed to fly hundreds, if not thousands of miles, to land and park where you’re looking at it. That knowledge alone makes AirVenture so much cooler.

The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh tends to center itself on a major theme with smaller sub-themes. Last year, AirVenture celebrated the heroes of the U.S. and Canadian Air Forces, as well as the aircraft that helped win World War II. This year, the main theme was ‘Endless Possibilities,’ with sub-themes being the good Samaritans who use aviation to save lives, celebrating the women in aviation, and, well, the endless possibilities offered by taking flight. This year had so much to see and so much to enjoy that I felt like a kid in a candy store from start to finish. There was so much going on that I had to stay the whole week just to see it all.

This year, my family rolled in on Sunday, July 20, before AirVenture’s official kick-off that Monday morning. Arriving on Sunday has lots of benefits. You can usually find a good spot in Camp Scholler to set your camper or tent down for the week. Things are also moving at a somewhat slower pace on the weekend before the event. The AirVenture and Camp Scholler grounds are totally a madhouse of EAA volunteers racing to finish show setup and campers angling to find a good space, and yet, it’s not nearly as wild as when the event is running.

EAA made a few interesting changes this year to accommodate the expected increase in visitors. Camp Scholler was reconfigured to put people on the south end of the event’s main runway. Doing so not only increased Camp Scholler’s capacity, but also means that the people sleeping there get to see planes flying rather than highway traffic.

We set down in the new 24-hour generator area and had some interesting neighbors. Two really basic motorhomes rolled in, emblazoned with “Indie Campers” on their bodies. Apparently, this is some sort of new RV rental company, which is neat.

I also spotted a family who parked a Tesla Model X in front of a travel trailer. Sadly, these folks didn’t tow the trailer in. Instead, it was a rental, and all they had to do was show up. That said, I saw no fewer than three Tesla Cybertrucks this year. One of them had a tent plopped down next to it, and the other two hauled in small campers. EVs had great representation this year, and I often found myself behind Ford Mach-Es and various Teslas. I even saw one other Silverado EV!

Anyway, once you set up camp, you can just set up a chair, relax, and watch as planes continue to land ahead of the launch of the show that Monday. It’s the calm before the storm.

I was certain that AirVenture would have a lower turnout this year. I kept hearing a rumor in my private chats about some international visitors deciding to avoid the event due to the state of American politics in 2025. The actual numbers are fascinating.

Jack Pelton, CEO and chairman of the EAA board, says that the preliminary tally is that over 691,000 visitors descended on Oshkosh last week. That breaks last year’s number of 686,000 visitors. AirVenture has now smashed its own all-time visitor record for four events in a row, which is just incredible. For reference, the 2023 event saw 677,000 visitors, and the 2022 event had over 650,000 visitors.

Update!
Just after publishing this story, the EAA released the official attendance stats for Airventure 2025:

Attendance: Approximately 704,000 – Highest total on record! (Previous: 686,000 – 2024).Total aircraft: More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. At Wittman alone, there were 16,246 aircraft operations in the period from noon CDT July 17 to noon CDT July 28, which is an average of approximately 108 takeoffs/landings per hour when the airport is open.

Total showplanes: 2,543 including: 995 vintage aircraft, 910 homebuilt aircraft, 361 warbirds, 101 ultralights and light planes, 75 aerobatic aircraft, 74 seaplanes and amphibians, 18 rotorcraft, and 9 balloons.

Camping: More than 15,000 sites in aircraft and drive-in camping accounted for more than 40,000 visitors.

Volunteers: Approximately 6,000 contributing nearly 300,000 hours.

This time, AirVenture had visitors representing a spread of 80 countries, which is down from the 98 countries represented in the 2024 event. EAA also says that there were around 18,000 campsites at the show this time, about 3,000 of which were aircraft camping. These campsites rarely have just one person sleeping in them, so more than 40,000 people will easily camp at AirVenture throughout the week. Yep, for one week, Camp Scholler becomes larger than some cities!

Every year, Wittman Regional Airport hangs two banners on its control tower, which proudly call Wittman the busiest control tower in the world. Every year, Wittman lives up to this claim, too. In recent years, Wittman has handled well over 20,0000 aircraft operations during the event with a daily average of over 140 takeoffs and landings per hour. Just for comparison’s sake, CNN Travel reported that in 2018, Chicago O’Hare, one of the busiest international airports, handled 105 operations per hour. Even Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport currently handles fewer movements than Oshkosh.

This is even more impressive when you realize that Wittman has just two physical runways and the controllers are dealing with everyone from experienced commercial and military aviators to casual pilots who fly for fun.

The final numbers have not been crunched yet, so these may change at a later date. What is being reported by EAA is that AirVenture feeds $257 million into the Fox Valley, with $117 million being pumped into businesses in the city of Oshkosh alone.

Hot Temperatures, Hotter Planes

This year started off pretty mild, with temperatures in the upper 70-degree Fahrenheit range. Then the mercury continued marching into the 80s with a peak on Wednesday into the 90s. It was hotter than last year, but not as blazing hot as AirVenture 2023 was, which took place during a heatwave. The heat was only a small nuisance because I wasn’t willing to let anything stop me from seeing awesome planes.

One of the highlights of this year’s trip happened early, at only 9:15 a.m. on Monday. Pratt & Whitney Canada invited me to take a media tour of one of the two Boeing 747SPs that it uses for engine testing. This is a rare variant of what’s already a remarkably scarce aircraft.

The Boeing 747SP (Special Performance) was the shorty hot rod variant of the 747 that was designed to go farther than a Boeing 747-100 while also competing better with trijets. The 747SP entered service in 1976 with Pan Am, after the airline demanded a 747 capable of flying from New York to Iran in a single shot. These aircraft are famous not just for their compact size, but their 6,650 nautical mile range being long enough to permit three record-breaking around-the-world flights.

A total of just 45 Boeing 747SPs were ever built, and of those, only two remain in operation, and both are with Pratt & Whitney Canada. NASA also used to run a Boeing 747SP as its Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), but that aircraft has been taken out of the sky and preserved as of 2022.

Here’s what EAA says about the testbed 747SP:

“Pratt & Whitney has always pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in flight,” said Maria Della Posta, president at Pratt & Whitney Canada. “Bringing our 747SP to Oshkosh isn’t just about showcasing a unique aircraft — it represents how our legacy of innovation continues to shape the future of aviation. This aircraft has played a pivotal role in the testing and development of our advanced propulsion technologies — from the PW800 for business jets to our groundbreaking GTF engine for commercial fleets. As a proud EAA AirVenture exhibitor for more than 15 years, we’ve valued every opportunity to connect directly with pilots, operators, maintainers, aviation enthusiasts, and OEM partners who share our passion for flight.”

Canadian subsidiary Pratt & Whitney Canada, founded in 1928, has attended the annual EAA show for decades and is a major player in the general aviation space. Its legendary PT6 engine — celebrating over 60 years of flight — has logged more than 500 million flying hours and remains a benchmark for performance, reliability, and innovation in turboprop propulsion. PT6 engines continue to power thousands of aircraft around the globe, from bush planes to business aviation and beyond.

The Boeing 747SP (for special performance) is a shortened version of the 747 airliner that features a longer range than its full-sized counterpart and is powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines. Only 45 such aircraft were produced, with Pratt & Whitney owning the only two that are currently airworthy. The test bed variant features a fifth engine mount separate from the four main powerplants located below the wings. This extra engine configuration allows for testing engines in real-life weather conditions. Since 2001, Pratt & Whitney’s test beds have completed more than 1,400 ground runs and flight tests using 71 different experimental engines.

Don’t worry, I’ll have a dedicated piece for this beauty!

Speaking about pretty planes, I wasn’t even finished fangirling over the Boeing 747SP when another large aircraft in Boeing Plaza caught my attention. It was none other than the sole Douglas DC-8 that’s still flying in America. This vintage beast is operated by Samaritan’s Purse, a religious humanitarian organization that is often on the ground helping folks in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters and other terrible events.

How old is this former airliner? This Douglas DC-8, registration N782SP, was delivered new to Finnair in 1969 as a combi airliner. What’s a combi, you ask? It’s an airliner that’s configured to carry both passengers and cargo, allowing it to fill multiple roles. In its current configuration, N782SP carries cargo in the first two-thirds of its length, and only the rear is configured as a passenger aircraft with seating for 32 people. Samaritan’s Purse will often fly doctors, nurses, relief workers, and other skilled individuals in the airliner portion of its DC-8.

Here’s what Samaritan’s Purse says about its lovely jet:

Samaritan’s Purse purchased the 1968 Douglas DC-8-72CF airplane from an Australian cargo carrier—just before it was going to be turned into scrap parts—to shorten the organization’s disaster relief response time as it responds with personnel and supplies all over the world. Samaritan’s Purse inspected, replaced, or refurbished every square inch of the airplane to ensure it met the latest FAA standards.

Less than 24 hours after the FAA gave the final sign-off, Samaritan’s Purse airlifted an Emergency Field Hospital, doctors, nurses and disaster response specialists to Ecuador in response to a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake. From this location, medical staff treated more than 1,200 people in need.

The DC-8 has a range of 7,000 nautical miles—in perspective, that would be a nonstop flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Tokyo. The aircraft is based at a Samaritan’s Purse hangar at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina.

I got to tour this aircraft, too, and it will be the subject of its own story. Sadly, this old girl is getting tired. A pilot of this DC-8 told me that it has well over 98,000 hours on its airframe, and its expected lifespan is 100,000 hours. Thus, Samaritan’s Purse will retire this aircraft later this year and replace it with a Boeing 767. This means that my first time stepping foot into an operational DC-8 will likely be my last.

This aircraft is so old that it still requires a flight engineer position. Also, while it had been re-engined at some point in its past, it sounds so glorious. But you’ll have to wait until my full article to hear it sing.

Almost immediately after walking through the DC-8, I spotted another iconic sight, one of the two blimps that Goodyear brought to Oshkosh this year! I got to take a ride in one of them on Friday. You’ll read about that one, too, so for now, just flip through some of my photos:

Lots Of Warbirds

Vintage military aircraft also made a huge showing at this year’s AirVenture. Check out this Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, an attack aircraft known for being more or less a flying tank.

Here’s what the United States Air Force says about this legendary aircraft and its variants:

The first production A-10A was delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in October 1975. It was designed specifically for the close air support mission and had the ability to combine large military loads, long loiter and wide combat radius, which proved to be vital assets to the United States and its allies during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Noble Anvil. In the Gulf War, A-10s had a mission capable rate of 95.7%, flew 8,100 sorties and launched 90% of the AGM-65 Maverick missiles.

The A-10C offers excellent maneuverability at low airspeeds and altitude while maintaining a highly accurate weapons-delivery platform. They can loiter near battle areas for extended periods of time, are capable of austere landings and operate under 1,000-foot ceilings (303.3 meters) with 1.5-mile (2.4 kilometers) visibility. Additionally, with the capability of carrying precision guided munitions and unguided munitions, they can employ above, below and in the weather. Their wide combat radius and short takeoff and landing capability permit operations in and out of locations near front lines. Using night vision goggles, A-10C pilots can conduct their missions during darkness.

Thunderbolt IIs have Night Vision Imaging Systems (NVIS), goggle compatible single-seat cockpits forward of their wings, Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems, and a large bubble canopy which provides pilots all-around vision. The pilots are protected by titanium armor that also protects parts of the flight-control system. The redundant primary structural sections allow the aircraft to enjoy better survivability during close air support than previous aircraft.

The aircraft can survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high explosive projectiles up to 23mm. Their self-sealing fuel cells are protected by internal and external foam. Manual systems back up their redundant hydraulic flight-control systems. This permits pilots to fly and land when hydraulic power is lost. The Thunderbolt II can be serviced and operated from bases with limited facilities near battle areas. Many of the aircraft’s parts are interchangeable left and right, including the engines, main landing gear and vertical stabilizers.

The Air Force continues by saying that the Thunderbolt II’s 30mm GAU-8/A Gatling gun can fire 3,900 rounds a minute, more than enough to decimate a tank if it needs to. Air show announcers at EAA jokingly called it a regional airliner with a giant gun on its face because of its General Electric TF34 engines, which have regional airliner derivatives.

What was even cooler than the A-10 Warthog was the presence of very early military jets, including a replica Messerschmitt Me 262 and two de Havilland DH100 Vampires. The Messerschmitt, which took flight on jet engines in 1942, is famous for being the world’s first operational turbojet aircraft, while the Vampire, which was introduced in 1946, was the first single-engine jet fighter.

Feel Like A Kid Again

AirVenture also puts on a fantastic fireworks show each year. I’ll be honest, as I get older, I’m less interested in fireworks. My brother shot off entire mortars of fireworks for July 4, and I rarely even looked up. AirVenture, however, has found ways to keep the pyrotechnics interesting. The bombastic fireworks shows included lasers, aerobatic aircraft, music, hundreds of drones, and oh yeah, explosives. When the bombs go off, you can feel the heat even if you aren’t even close to the runway!

EAA’s incredible fireworks displays made me feel like a kid again, and I love that. I also got to meet a lovely Autopian reader and his equally lovely new fiancée. Here’s to many great years of happiness for you both!

If you’re interested in joining in on the fun next year, there are some things you should know. One is that AirVenture is essentially two shows in one. Many of the glorious aircraft that were on display from Monday to Wednesday will depart on Thursday and be replaced by different planes later that day. In my experience, the latter half of the show leans more toward military aircraft.

There’s never really a “slow” day at AirVenture, but I’ve noticed that the day with the least amount of action appears to be Friday. That’s the day after the huge exodus of aircraft and campers from midweek, but before the weekend rebound as people rush in. My recommendation? Get close-up photos before Thursday in case the plane you want to shoot departs on Thursday. Then pay attention to the field on Thursday to see which aircraft depart. Friday is a good time to relax at the Seaplane Base if you didn’t visit earlier in the week, which is a deeply relaxing way to recharge after the hustle of the week. You also get two shots to see the fireworks show as they run on Wednesday night and Saturday night.

I had the time of my life once again. This AirVenture was easily my favorite yet, and I cannot wait until next year. I have flying into the event in my own plane on my bucket list, and you bet I will achieve it one day. If you’re even slightly interested in planes, I highly recommend joining nearly 700,000 people in Oshkosh next year for some insane thrills. Congratulations on a wonderful record-breaking weekend, Airventure! Can’t wait for 2026!

Top graphic and all story images: Mercedes Streeter