Night Airshow Never Fails To Impress, No Matter Where You Watch

By Tom Woodward

When the signature night airshows begin at AirVenture, not everyone goes to watch. Some sit in the comfort of their campsite, beverage in hand and enjoy it from a distance with the family. Here’s how I saw it.

I sit under the awning of our trailer in Camp Scholler soaking in some of the first cool air since Air Venture began. The rest of the gang has gone up to the airshow front lines. I’ve elected to remain behind and listen to the airshow broadcast on Radio Oshkosh, which I have piped to the outside speakers. From here I have a perfect view of an aerial firework show that I have only seen presented here at Oshkosh.

The announcer is warning of incoming Japanese aircraft as they simulate the Attack on Pearl Harbor. I hear bombs and a scant amount of gunfire as a few of our Boys get airborne while the Japanese destroy the majority of the Pacific fleet before it can even set sail. I can only imagine what our troops went through that “Day that will live in infamy."

When I break out of my stupor thinking about that day in history the next act has already begun. I am watching Bob Carlson fly his jet-powered sailplane, spitting out flames and fireworks, where if happening anywhere other than Oshkosh would overload the 911 telephone lines with concerned citizens. These performers are the best of the best to be doing this at night.

In between acts I listen to the sounds of the other Oshkosh, the underbelly that happens outside the admission gates. To my left in the distance I hear kids laughing, playing and having fun. It’s dark so I can’t tell if they are throwing a football or balsa glider but regardless they are building memories of the Oshkosh experience. I hear the light murmur of several Honda Generators, which seem to be the most popular and from the soft muffler sounds I can understand why. There are a few Generac model generators, which I have nicknamed Generacket for their higher decibel output. All of the noise adds to the Oshkosh experience.

The air show announcer breaks back in alerting me to the beginning of Matt Younkin’s portion of the airshow, flying his airplane called “Magic by Moonlight”. Approaching from my right he starts high in the night sky, descending to the music from the “Phantom of the Opera”. I can see the smoke trail, faintly lit up by the residual light of the evening, outlining the first of many loops and rolls. It could be any airplane for that matter, because from this distance with the lack of illumination, it’s the trailing fireworks that are the spectacle.

There’s a short pause between acts and I hear people not watching the airshow from the flight line, filling water tanks, cleaning cooking grills and other assorted daddy duties that keep the family seamlessly moving forward from day to day.

Another nighttime act begins. This airplane flown by Gene Soucy makes a lot of noise and spews a copious amount of trailing fireworks while shooting what appears to be chaff from the wingtips. The prop going supersonic making a noise that blanks out everything but the music, synced to the act, which comes over Radio Oshkosh. 

Several camping spots over I hear a couple, who just pulled in for the evening, arguing about something in a foreign language. It doesn’t surprise me. They pulled in with a short van, the size of the ones you see used as delivery trucks in Europe. I watch as they erect a platform on the top of the van and set a couple of chairs and a table on it. Also on top are a couple of 55-gallon drums of water, which they have plumbed to a shower enclosure attached to the left side of their van. Off the back are their cooking facilities. All this in a space about five foot by fifteen foot. It’s tight quarters and it seems juxtapose to the Million dollar Prevost carriage next to them but their Oshkosh experience will probably be just as rewarding, if they can work out their argument.

“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” comes on the radio as the firework finale begins. It ends with a loud explosion that rocks the campground and I know soon the crew will be back. The night is getting cooler and it’s past my bedtime. My feet hurt and I need my rest to tackle all I need to see tomorrow.

(Images provided by the author and from file)

FMI: www.eaa.org/en/airventure/features-and-attractions/eaa-airventure-air-show/eaa-airventure-night-air-show