A blast of thunder and downpours greeted early arrivals in Oshkosh on Sunday morning, as last-minute preparations got nailed down for the official opening day of EAA AirVenture on Monday. The show already has hosted the dramatic arrival of the Martin Mars water bomber at the seaplane base, an airplane so massive that it’s hard to comprehend the size without another airplane nearby for scale. Boeing Plaza at show central will host a slew of visiting aircraft as the week goes on, from a FedEx 767 freighter to a B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress.
Boeing and the U.S. Coast Guard both will celebrate their centennial at the show, and the centennial of World War I will be recognized with fly-bys of biplanes and triplanes from that era. The Valdez STOL fleet has taken up residence this year at the ultralight runway, with at least 17 airplanes on display for close-up viewing, plus plenty of flying demos all week long. And EAA celebrates the two millionth Young Eagles flight with a launch on Thursday afternoon, with Harrison Ford as pilot.
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