Oshkosh AirVenture 2012 In ReviewIf you are an aviation enthusiast you have either been to Oshkosh or you are still going. Regardless of what you have heard, it is bigger than you imagine, it grows every year and 2012 was once again no exception. Considering that there were almost 800 exhibitors at Oshkosh in 2012, if you only spent 5 minutes at each exhibitor, there would have been no way to visit each exhibitor during the week at Oshkosh and trust me, you spend more than 5 minutes at most of them.   I have not yet mentioned the daily forums, workshops, homebuilder activities, speaker showcases or air shows and we are already out of time. The daily air shows were probably the main attraction to most but Saturday's Rockwell Collins Night Air Show “An AirVenture Skylight “ dazzled tens of thousands with a stunning display of precision aerobatics and pyrotechnics from many of the world's top air show performers - all choreographed to music and lighting up the night sky. Featured performers this year include included AeroShell Aerobatic Team (T-6s), Canadian SkyHawks (Skydivers), Bob Carlton (Jet Sailplane), Bill Leff (T-6), Gene Soucy (Showcat Solo), and Elgin Wells (Starjammer).    Although the Saturday evening show added a different dimension, the daily shows were just as good or better than any other air show you may have seen. Daily shows started at 2PM and finished at around 6PM. Most people left once the last show act landed but the more experience visitors knew that once the show has ended, some of the jets scheduled for the next day will do a few practice runs in the twilight creating great photographic opportunities.    Complete with professional narration, pyrotechnics, and dozens of World War II-era aircraft, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" was a re-creation of the attack on Pearl Harbor, staged with the volunteers and aircraft of the Commemorative Air Force that include ground operations, maintenance, pilots, and pyrotechnic experts. Its purpose was to create a dynamic history lesson about the event that propelled the United States into World War II.    Those who enjoy real life aviation stories about World War II, especially when they are told by the actual pilots who fought in the war, were entertained by some of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Doolittle Raiders.    There were hundreds of other things to see and do and AirVenture at Oshkosh can simply not be captured in a summary such as this. You have to visit this, “The biggest aviation event in the world” and start to plan your trip now or else you will only read about it again next year. The best way to visit Oshkosh is with Neil Bowden and Air Adventure Tours. This way you camp a few hundred meters away from the action, you can start your walk through the exhibition area early in the morning and take some amazing photographs in the war bird area at sunset without any rush.        |
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