The smoke was not the only weather challenge pilots faced on their way into the mega air show. Lines of thunderstorms forced many pilots to divert en route. [Credit: Meg Godlewski]
Key Takeaways:
EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh was significantly impacted by heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires, resulting in discolored skies, unhealthy air quality, and reduced visibility.
Pilots traveling to the air show faced challenges from both the pervasive smoke and lines of thunderstorms, requiring diversions and increasingly integrating IFR procedures for smoke events into their training.
“Goodness, look at the smoke!” said one visitor at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Monday evening.
The sunset was blood red, discolored by the smoke coming down from Canadian wildfires. The smoke did not clear by Tuesday morning, as the sun rose looking like an orange in the smoke and haze.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
