All the King’s Horses

EAA AirVenture 2023 will see the United States’ military services comprehensively represented.

The upcoming 70th anniversary iteration of the EAA’s storied fly-in, air-show, and aviation extravaganza will burst to life on Monday, 24 July at Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) and sustain a swift and spectacular cadence of aviation-themed attractions through the annual event’s Sunday, 30 July 2023 conclusion.

Military representation at AirVenture 2023 will be highlighted by the U.S. Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command (AETC), which brings a broad and impressive array of combat, cargo, utility, and support aircraft to east-central Wisconsin.

Established in January 1942 and stationed at Virginia’s Langley Air Force Base, the Air Education and Training Command is the oldest of the USAF’s nine major commands. By virtue of its training-centric mission, AETC is the first command to touch the lives of the majority of the U.S. Air Force’s members. Since its inception, upwards of 25-million students have graduated from AETC training and educational programs.

EAA vice-president of communities and member programs Rick Larsen set forth: “The U.S. military has a vast array of aircraft, as every mission is unique. That variety will be on full display at AirVenture—as every branch brings something unique to the event.”

Mr. Larsen’s duties include coordinating AirVenture features and attractions. For 2023, he and the leadership of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Wisconsin Air National Guard have arranged to grace Oshkosh with specimens of:

Boeing’s B-52 Stratofortress, F/A-18 Super Hornet, KC-135R Stratotanker, CH-47 and MH-47 Chinook, AH-6 Little Bird, and AH-64 Apache; Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor, F-35A/B/C Lightning II, P-3 Orion, and C-130J Hercules; and Sikorsky’s storied UH-60 Black Hawk.

The majority of the aforementioned aircraft will be on display at Boeing Plaza, AirVenture’s central aircraft display area.

FMI: www.eaa.org