A B-25 sits parked against the backdrop of smoke-filled skies at AirVenture in 2024. [Credit: Meg Godlewski]
Key Takeaways:
Wildfire smoke, primarily from Canada, is causing widespread poor to hazardous air quality and reduced visibility across the Midwest to the Northeast, potentially delaying arrivals to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
The Air Quality Index in Oshkosh was listed as 414 Hazardous due to elevated levels of fine particulates in the wildfire smoke.
Pilots attempting to reach AirVenture should be prepared for rapidly changing visibility, which can degrade from a light haze in the morning to IFR-producing smoke by early afternoon, making VFR flight difficult or impossible.
The air quality map from AccuWeather shows a smoke plume from Canada, which is experiencing a record number of wildfires, reaching the Midwest and stretching to the Northeast. Conditions range from moderate and poor to unhealthy and dangerous.
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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.
![A B-25 sits parked against the backdrop of smoke-filled skies at AirVenture in 2024. [Credit: Meg Godlewski]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Osh-2024-smoke-in-the-am.jpeg)
