EAA AirVenture, as usual, brought the aviation family together for another week of celebration, innovation and pure enjoyment at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. While nothing could eclipse last year’s amazing side-by-side display of an Airbus A380 and the WhiteKnightTwo mothership on AeroShell Square, the many meticulously restored and well used aircraft parked on the central gathering place were testament to the enduring legacy of this show of shows. Front and center was a museum-quality Douglas DC-2 in TWA livery liberated from its perch at the Museum of Flight in Seattle and flown to AirVenture by Clay Lacy as part of the 75th anniversary of the iconic DC-3 (see box on page 47). Lacy in the DC-2 joined a group of DC-3s for a flight over AirVenture on opening day.
Although a watery mess greeted many exhibitors and visitors just before the show officially opened on Monday, July 26, thanks to a record 10 inches of rain on Friday, the sunshine returned on Sunday and stuck around for most of the week until low clouds rolled in on Friday. The sun returned on Saturday, just in time for the capper, a dazzling night aerobatics show.
