A Photo Tour of Aviation’s Biggest Yearly Meet-Up. Photos Courtesy of EAA
EAA members can leave a permanent message carved into a paving brick at the original flight line entrance now renamed the Brown Arch. About 3,000 bricks are available.Photo by Jim KoepnickJim KoepnickNorth American T-28s were among the hundreds of warbirds that blackened the sky flying in large formations over Oshkosh.Photo by Chris MillerChris MillerThe Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airplane, made its Oshkosh debut and dominated AeroShell Square for most of the week. To the right is White- KnightTwo, the twin-fuselage four-engine jet that will carry Burt Rutan’s SpaceShipTwo to launch altitude.Photo by Abbey HaugAbbey HaugCapt. Sully Sullenberger (shown), the hero of the Hudson River ditching, and his copilot Jeff Skiles charmed the crowd with their humility and wit during several appearances.Photo by Jim KoepnickJim KoepnickThe departing Airbus A380 dwarfed a lineup of T-6 warbird trainers as it took off. The giant airliner tarried over Oshkosh performing unbelievable nimble maneuvers at both high and low airspeed before heading back to Europe.Photo by Laurie GoossensLaurie GoossensPeople lined up to hear airplane owners describe the effectiveness of their airplanes on business flying day. The Ford Tri-Motor could certainly be called one of the nation’s first business airplanes.Photo by Laurie GoossensLaurie GoossensThe Doobie Brothers kicked off Oshkosh week with an opening evening concert on Aeroshell Square thanks to the generosity of Ford.Photo by Chris MillerChris MillerThe “North 40” airplane camping area was packed by the time the 2009 Oshkosh AirVenture opened. Many feared the bad economy would curb show attendance, but more campers, airplanes and people than ever were on hand for the world’s best week of aviation.Photo by Phil HighPhil HighMovie star Harrison Ford again served as chairman of the EAA’s Young Eagles program, which encourages EAA members to give kids an airplane ride. Ford emceed the annual Gathering of Eagles fund-raising dinner and auction, which raised $1.8 million for the program.Photo by Jim KoepnickJim KoepnickRichard Branson, whose Virgin Galactic program is on pace to carry civilians into suborbital space, was at the show flying in WhiteKnightTwo.Photo courtesy of EAAEAASpaceShipTwo will be suspended between the fuselages of White-KnightTwo and carried up to an altitude of 50,000 feet, where the spacecraft will be dropped to launch itself to weightlessness above 100 kilometers. SpaceShipTwo development had not advanced enough to make the trip to Oshkosh.Photo courtesy of EAAEAAAeroShell Square.Photo by Phil HighPhil HighIt was a one-way trip through the cargo hold of an Air Force C-17 for thousands who wanted to see the belly of a huge transport jet.Photo courtesy B.W. BrockB.W. Brock
