Like most epic-scale conventions, EAA AirVenture scaled back over the last two years due to the pandemic. But this year, it was back and better than ever. So many people came to Oshkosh that they had to start turning planes away. It was absolutely packed.

In our last blog, we highlighted the five things we were most excited to see this year. Unfortunately, we only got to three of the five -- we missed out on the Seaplane base for what feels like the hundredth time, and the crowds were too big over by the One Week Wonder -- but the things we did see were absolutely spectacular.

US Airforce 75th Anniversary

Together, the Airforce and the EAA pulled off some incredible stunts this year to commemorate the pilots and planes who have served our country over the last 75 years. The star of the show was the F35 fighter jet, which did all the cool maneuvers that you wish you’d seen in Top Gun. We also got to see the C5 Galaxy, and a U-2 spy plane did a quick fly-over (sidenote: that spy plane flies so high that its pilots need spacesuits). During one of the airshows, the 535, Sky Raider, and P51 Mustang all flew in formation together. That’s three planes from three different eras of the Airforce. It was a really cool thing to see.

Also noteworthy: the Airforce had an all-female cadre of pilots in these planes. Represent!

Experimental Aircraft

One of the coolest things about AirVenture this year was the amount of EVTOL and electric planes that were on display. They were everywhere! The most notable were Opener Aero’s Blackfly, Beta Technology’s ALIA, and Pipistrel’s Velis.

The Blackfly is straight out of a science fiction movie. It has no landing gear and takes off with its nose almost completely vertical. It weighs between 300-400 pounds, which is incredibly light for an aircraft, so you don’t technically need a pilot’s license to fly it. However, if you plan on getting one, you’ll first need to complete their training program. Then they’ll scan your face and add it to their biometric lock system database. That’s one smart plane.

We had the opportunity to test Beta Technology’s Alia-250 flight simulator. Alia has the longest flight record for an EVTOL aircraft in the United States. It was cool to be behind the controls, and we were impressed by how intuitive the aircraft was. Alia takes off in hover mode before transitioning to plane mode, then back to a hover before landing. That made its acceleration a bit slower than we expected, but other than that, it was a smooth ride.

Pipistrel’s Velis electric plane is being sold today in Europe for about the same price as a Cessna in the United States, and now Cessna is paying attention. Textron, a manufacturer of Cessna planes, bought out Pipistrel in April of this year. This little company had Cessna flexing, y’all. That just goes to show how big electric planes will be in this next era of flight.

We didn’t get a chance to meet experimental aircraft extraordinaire Mike Patey, but we did get to look at his latest and greatest creation, Scrappy. It even had its signature motorcycles secured under the wings!

The Night Airshow

Every year, the night airshow is by far the coolest event of the week. This year, it was the coolest event of the century.

The EAA outdid themselves. Their new pyrotechnics team pulled off some of the most incredible (and questionably legal) stunts we have ever seen. There were sparklers coming off the back of planes, a shining Aersoshell square team, and a sailplane all lit up and flying these graceful circles. But the finale: there was a fountain of fireworks shooting hundreds of feet up into the air, and an illuminated plane circled the fountain, leaving this column of smoke around the dazzling colors. And then…the wall of fire! Even from far away, the heat from those flames leaves you breathless.

Seriously, folks -- the night airshow is something you have to see to believe. That event alone was worth the trip to Oshkosh this year.

Final Thoughts

EAA AirVenture 2022 was a huge success. Of course, the coolest part was the night air show, but more than that, it was great to see that the Experimental Aircraft Association was really celebrating innovations in electric flight. We can’t wait to see what takes off at EAA AirVenture 2023!

Did you go to Oshkosh this year?

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Oshkosh is back!