AirVenture 2013 opened under a banner of resilience. In his remarks that year, the EAA President framed the show as a triumph over adversity, acknowledging the financial pressures, regulatory challenges, and organisational headwinds that had shaped the months leading up to Oshkosh. Yet the event that unfolded on the grounds of Wittman Regional Airport demonstrated the opposite of contraction: strong attendance, a revitalised programme, and a community determined to keep the world’s largest aviation gathering moving forward.
The flightline reflected this spirit. Warbirds, homebuilts, and vintage aircraft arrived in force, joined by a growing contingent of modern composite designs and advanced avionics platforms that were reshaping general aviation. The daily schedule leaned into heritage and innovation in equal measure, with large‑scale formations, precision aerobatics, and manufacturer showcases that highlighted both the history and the future of flight.
Across the grounds, AirVenture 2013 carried the unmistakable energy of a community refusing to be defined by its challenges. From the seaplane base to Pioneer Airport, the show reaffirmed Oshkosh’s identity as aviation’s annual meeting place — a gathering built not on ease, but on the shared determination to overcome obstacles and keep the spirit of flight alive.
The Commemorative Air Force’s Boeing B-29A Superfortress FIFI, serial 44-62070, begins to taxi at AirVenture 2013. The two port-side Wright R-3350 engines are running as the enormous bomber moves towards the runway. Built at Renton in 1945 and rescued from the China Lake weapons range in 1971, FIFI was then the world’s only airworthy B-29.
Chuck Aaron flies the Red Bull MBB Bo 105 inverted during his remarkable aerobatic display at AirVenture 2013. The helicopter’s rigid four-bladed rotor system and specially modified fuel and lubrication systems enabled Aaron to perform loops, rolls and other manoeuvres normally considered impossible for a helicopter.
Chuck Aaron takes the Red Bull MBB Bo 105 through a near-vertical, knife-edge attitude during an aerobatic roll at AirVenture 2013. Its rigid four-bladed rotor system and specially modified fuel and lubrication systems allowed the helicopter to perform sustained inverted flight, rolls and loops.
Seen almost directly from astern, Chuck Aaron’s Red Bull MBB Bo 105 passes through the inverted stage of an aerobatic roll at AirVenture 2013. The four-bladed rotor disc lies beneath the helicopter, while its landing skids appear above the fuselage.
Chuck Aaron pitches the Red Bull MBB Bo 105 steeply nose-down during his aerobatic display at AirVenture 2013. Viewed from beneath, the helicopter’s distinctive rigid four-bladed rotor and black-and-white blade markings are shown to striking effect.
American Airlines Boeing 737-823 taxis at Wittman Regional Airport after returning approximately 100 Vietnam War veterans from Washington, D.C., during AirVenture 2013. The veterans had spent the day visiting the memorials dedicated to their service before receiving a memorable welcome home at Oshkosh.
American Airlines Boeing 737-823 N807NN taxis at Wittman Regional Airport after returning the 2013 Honor Flight from Washington, D.C. The aircraft carried a group of Vietnam veterans who had spent the day visiting the capital’s military memorials before receiving a heroes’ welcome at AirVenture.
American Airlines Boeing 737-823 N807NN taxis at Wittman Regional Airport after bringing the 2013 Honor Flight back from Washington, D.C. Its passengers were Vietnam veterans returning from a day spent visiting the capital’s military memorials, prior to an enthusiastic welcome from the AirVenture crowd.
A large formation of North American T-6 Texans and naval SNJ trainers spreads across the sky during AirVenture 2013, with several aircraft trailing smoke. The massed formation recalls the thousands of Texan-family aircraft used to prepare Allied pilots for advanced and operational types during and after the Second World War.
Two formations of radial-engined trainers cross the AirVenture 2013 display area on different headings and at safely separated heights. Above are North American T-6 Texans and SNJs, while the lower group appears to consist of Nanchang CJ-6s and possibly Yakovlev Yak-52s. Perspective compresses their vertical separation, creating the illusion of the two formations intermingling.
Twelve North American T-28 Trojans approach in a broad formation during AirVenture 2013, each aircraft trailing smoke across the Oshkosh sky. Introduced as a successor to the T-6 Texan, the more powerful T-28 became an important military trainer and later served operationally in several counter-insurgency conflicts.
Fifteen North American T-6 Texan, SNJ and Harvard-family trainers spread across the sky in four separate elements during their mass-formation display at AirVenture 2013. Selected aircraft trail smoke, accentuating the formation as the famous advanced trainers pass overhead.
An OGMA-built de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk Mk 20 banks during its AirVenture 2013 display, wearing Portuguese Air Force-style grey and orange training colours. Portugal received ten British-built Chipmunks before OGMA produced a further 66 under licence between 1955 and 1961.
Viewed from below, a Cessna UC-78 Bobcat passes overhead during AirVenture 2013 in wartime USAAF markings. Nicknamed the “Bamboo Bomber” because of its extensive wood-and-fabric construction, the single-finned twin served widely as a multi-engine trainer and light transport during the Second World War.
Three Boeing-Stearman Model 75 biplane trainers approach in formation during AirVenture 2013. The rugged Stearman served as a primary trainer for the US Army Air Forces and US Navy, introducing thousands of American and Allied pupils to military flying during the Second World War. The distant aircraft visible elsewhere in the sky are unrelated to the formation.
Susan Dacy’s powerful Super Stearman Big Red flies with an Army PT-17 and Navy N2S during AirVenture 2013. The formation contrasts the highly modified aerobatic Stearman—with its streamlined cowling and wheel spats—with two aircraft presented in the colourful military training schemes worn by the Model 75 before and during the Second World War.
Two DHC-1 Chipmunk trainers and a Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog approach the AirVenture display area in 2013. The Chipmunks represent the post-war elementary-training role, while the high-wing Bird Dog was developed as a military liaison and artillery-observation aircraft. Their simultaneous appearance does not necessarily indicate that they formed part of the same display formation.
Vought F4U-5 Corsair N179PT taxis at AirVenture 2013 in the Korean War-era markings of Marine Fighter Squadron 312, the celebrated “Checkerboards.” Carrying the code WR-5 and the name of Marine pilot Bill “Willie” B. Roland beneath the cockpit, the aircraft represents one of the faster and more powerful post-war developments of the Corsair.
Chuck Greenhill taxis Cavalier F-51D Mustang II N151MC at AirVenture 2013, wearing the markings of Lou IV, code E2-C, flown during the Second World War by Colonel Thomas J. J. Christian Jr. of the 361st Fighter Group. Built by Cavalier in 1968 and supplied to the Bolivian Air Force as FAB 523, the aircraft was later returned to a largely wartime P-51D configuration and repainted as Lou IV.
North American P-51D Mustang N5500S Geraldine taxis at AirVenture 2013. It carries the identity 44-14320, code E2-B, representing the wartime Mustang flown by Major Charles R. “Chuck” Cummins of the 375th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group. The restored aircraft’s polished metal and olive-drab finish recreates the distinctive appearance of Mustangs operating from Britain in 1944.
P-51D Mustang N351BD Big Beautiful Doll taxis at AirVenture 2013. Its checkerboard nose and codes WZ-I reproduce the markings of wartime P-51D 44-72218, flown from Duxford by Colonel John D. Landers while commanding the 78th Fighter Group. Landers used the name Big Beautiful Doll on several fighters during his distinguished combat career.
Enhanced caption: The CAF Red Tail Squadron’s P-51C Mustang Tuskegee Airmen taxis at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013. Its composite commemorative markings—including the red tail, colored cowling and “By Request” inscription—honor the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen and Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Built in Dallas during World War II, this Mustang served stateside as a trainer rather than in combat and was later restored as a flying educational memorial.
Eleven North American T-28 Trojans, arranged in several coordinated elements, sweep overhead trailing smoke during the AirVenture 2013 warbird display. Developed as the successor to the T-6 Texan, the powerful three-bladed T-28 served as a military trainer and later as a light combat aircraft.
Three P-51D Mustangs—Big Beautiful Doll, Geraldine and Lou IV—taxi with a Vought F4U-5 Corsair during AirVenture 2013. The Corsair carries the checkerboard markings and “WR-5” code of Marine Fighter Squadron 312, recalling the unit’s Korean War service with the later, more powerful F4U-5.
Jim Tobul’s F4U-4 Corsair Korean War Hero shares the taxiway with the CAF Red Tail Squadron’s P-51C Tuskegee Airmen and the yellow-tailed P-51D Lady Alice during AirVenture 2013. The latter is serial 45-11633, with its abbreviated military serial visible on the fin.
A Douglas A-1 Skyraider, carrying the number “52” on its undercarriage doors, taxis towards the camera at AirVenture 2013. The immense four-bladed propeller, Wright R-3350 radial engine and numerous underwing weapons stations distinguish this powerful carrier-based attack aircraft, which served from the closing stages of the Second World War era through Korea and Vietnam.
The CAF Red Tail Squadron’s P-51C Mustang Tuskegee Airmen taxis at AirVenture 2013. Its distinctive red tail and composite markings commemorate the four squadrons associated with the Tuskegee Airmen, while the inscription By Request honours Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. The airframe itself served stateside as a trainer during 1945 and did not see combat with the 332nd Fighter Group.
Seven radial-engined trainers fly overhead in formation during AirVenture 2013, three trailing smoke. Differences in their wingtip profiles and undersides suggest a mixed group, probably combining Yak-52s and Nanchang CJ-6s fitted with modern three-bladed propellers; the distance prevents reliable identification of every aircraft.
The CAF Red Tail Squadron’s P-51C Mustang Tuskegee Airmen waits for take-off at AirVenture 2013, its Packard-built Merlin running and four-bladed propeller turning. The polished Mustang carries a composite tribute scheme honouring the Tuskegee Airmen, including their celebrated red tail and the inscription By Request, associated with Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
The CAF Red Tail Squadron’s P-51C Mustang Tuskegee Airmen begins its take-off roll at AirVenture 2013. Viewed from the rear quarter, the Mustang accelerates with its tail rising, the distinctive red tail, yellow wing bands and composite Tuskegee Airmen tribute markings clearly visible.
Yakovlev Yak-9D — wearing wartime Soviet markings and the tactical number ‘3’, the single-seat, long-range fighter lifts off during the flying display at AirVenture 2013. The Yak-9D carried additional internal fuel, giving it greater range than the standard Yak-9.
Douglas AD-5W (EA-1E) Skyraider, N65164 — built in 1955 as US Navy BuNo 135152, this multi-seat airborne early-warning variant is distinguished by its broad fuselage and side-by-side cockpit. With all three wheels still firmly on the runway, it begins its take-off run at AirVenture 2013.
North American T-6 Texans — a large formation of the celebrated advanced trainers breaks into individual elements during the afternoon air display at AirVenture 2013. Several aircraft trail smoke, tracing the formation’s carefully coordinated dispersal across the Oshkosh sky.
Cessna UC-78C Bobcat, “Class of ’43” — the military version of the Cessna T-50, popularly known as the “Bamboo Bomber” because of its largely wooden construction. The twin-engined wartime trainer begins its take-off run, with all three wheels still on the runway, during the flying display at AirVenture 2013.
Cessna UC-78C Bobcat, N88878, “Class of ’43” — displaying its USAAF serial 42-72125, the twin-engined wartime trainer gathers speed during its take-off run at AirVenture 2013. Nicknamed the “Bamboo Bomber” because of its wood-and-fabric construction, the UC-78 was used to prepare pilots for larger multi-engined aircraft during the Second World War.
North American T-28 Trojans — twelve of the powerful, radial-engined military trainers approach in a broad formation during the afternoon flying display at AirVenture 2013. Introduced in 1950, the three-bladed T-28 trained US Air Force and Navy pilots and later served successfully as a light combat aircraft.
Team AeroDynamix approaches in a broad formation of twelve Van’s RV-series homebuilt aircraft during AirVenture 2013. Several aircraft trail smoke, while the conspicuous fittings on the wingtips of two RVs are brackets for pyrotechnic smoke canisters used during the team’s displays.
Vought F4U-4 Corsair — wearing post-war US Navy markings and the number ‘440’, the powerful carrier fighter sweeps past a towering cloud from a pyrotechnic ground explosion during the warbird display at AirVenture 2013. The four-bladed propeller distinguishes the F4U-4 from earlier Corsair variants.
Pyrotechnic battlefield display — carefully controlled ground charges erupt along the flight line, sending columns of flame and black smoke skyward during the warbird demonstration at AirVenture 2013. The explosions simulated bomb and strafing attacks as historic aircraft passed overhead.
Douglas AD-5W (EA-1E) Skyraider passes above the spectacular “Wall of Fire” as a long line of carefully sequenced pyrotechnic charges erupts across the display area during the warbird show at AirVenture 2013.
Aero L-39C Albatros and Canadair CT-133 Silver Star Mk 3 — two Kaney Aerospace L-39 jet trainers taxi behind the Canadian-built Silver Star N433RD, carrying its former Canadian Armed Forces serial 133579 and 439 Squadron markings. The foremost L-39 is N139JK, marked “KA 205”. Photographed during AirVenture 2013.
Aero L-39C Albatros and Canadair CT-133 Silver Star Mk 3 — Kaney Aerospace’s white L-39C N139JK, marked “KA 205”, taxis behind Canadair-built Silver Star N433RD. The latter wears Canadian Armed Forces camouflage, 439 Squadron markings and its former serial 133579. Photographed during AirVenture 2013.
Team AeroDynamix — ten Van’s RV-series homebuilt aircraft approach in two separate elements, a four-ship diamond followed by a six-aircraft formation, during their precision display at AirVenture 2013. The team operated a mixture of RV-4s, RV-6s, RV-7s and RV-8s, many built by the pilots who flew them.
Three Nanchang CJ-6A trainers followed by a Yakovlev Yak-52 fly line astern during the warbird display at AirVenture 2013. Although superficially similar, the Chinese-designed CJ-6 has a longer, more slender airframe and conventional tailwheel undercarriage, while the Soviet-designed Yak-52 is shorter and uses a retractable tricycle undercarriage.
Four radial-engined Nanchang CJ-6A trainers followed by a blue-and-white SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 fly line astern during the warbird display at AirVenture 2013. The SF.260 is readily distinguished by its pointed nose, swept fin and characteristic wingtip fuel tanks.
Boeing B-29A Superfortress “FIFI” — with all four Wright R-3350 radial engines running, the Commemorative Air Force bomber taxis out for its flying display at AirVenture 2013. At the time, FIFI was the world’s only airworthy B-29; Doc would not make its return to flight until 2016.
Boeing B-29A Superfortress “FIFI” — the Commemorative Air Force’s enormous four-engined bomber turns onto the taxiway before its flying display at AirVenture 2013. FIFI was then the world’s only airworthy B-29, providing spectators with the rare sight and unmistakable sound of a Superfortress under its own power.
Boeing B-29A Superfortress “FIFI” — seen from a three-quarter starboard-front angle, the Commemorative Air Force bomber taxis towards the runway before its flying display at AirVenture 2013. At the time, FIFI was the world’s only airworthy B-29.
Boeing B-29A Superfortress “FIFI” — viewed from the starboard-front quarter, the Commemorative Air Force bomber taxis towards the runway with all four Wright R-3350 engines running during AirVenture 2013. The glazed bombardier’s nose and immense 141-foot wingspan dominate this view of what was then the world’s only airworthy B-29.
Boeing B-29A Superfortress “FIFI” — the Commemorative Air Force bomber taxis past a pair of North American B-25 Mitchells awaiting their turn to depart during the warbird display at AirVenture 2013. The broadside view shows FIFI’s enormous size compared with the medium bombers in the background; it was then the world’s only airworthy B-29.