Wings, Wheels and Water

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh voted Best Air Show in USA Today

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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh voted Best Air Show in USA Today 10Best national poll

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (May 7, 2026) — The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration is living up to its moniker, as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this week received the title of “2026 Best Air Show” in online voting during the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

“Every year, our team strives to make EAA AirVenture an experience unlike any other aviation event in the world,” says Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programs, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “This recognition reflects how what we call ‘Aviation’s Family Reunion’ creates an event that brings together aircraft and people in a way that is unmatched anywhere in the world. It’s a credit to our people, including the thousands of volunteers that make EAA AirVenture possible.”

EAA AirVenture 2025 saw a record-breaking total attendance of 704,000 from more than 90 countries. More than 10,000 aircraft flew into Wittman Regional Airport to experience the event headlined by two Goodyear Blimps, and a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Korean War.

Nominees for USA Today 10Best awards are compiled by a panel of industry experts and 10Best editors. The nominees are then presented to the public to vote for the winner over a month-long period that ended in late April. AirVenture previously was voted the Best Air Show in 2016.

The recognition also comes during National Travel and Tourism Week (May 3-9), which “recognizes the essential role travel plays in powering our economy, strengthening communities and connecting America.” An independent University of Wisconsin Oshkosh study in 2025 estimated AirVenture’s annual economic impact at $257 million for the immediate Fox Valley region of Wisconsin.

Tickets for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026 are available now. Features and attractions already confirmed for the event include a commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, The USAF F-16 and F-22 demo teams, and a P-38 and DC-6 from The Flying Bulls aircraft from Austria.

About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s membership convention. Additional information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available at www.EAA.org/airventure. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or visit www.EAA.org.

B-29 ‘Doc” returning to AirVenture 2026

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B-29 ‘Doc” returning to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2026

Display and flight experiences on schedule for weeklong visit

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (April 29, 2026) — The Boeing B-29 Superfortress Doc will be back this summer at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2026, supporting the America 250 theme and more than a century of American aviation innovation. The 73rd edition of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s fly-in convention is July 20-26 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

“As AirVenture is the world’s largest annual gathering of warbirds, we are happy to be welcoming the B-29 Doc back to Oshkosh,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programs, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “This B-29 is always a big favorite on Boeing Plaza when it appears in Oshkosh, especially as it is one of only two flying examples in the world of the legendary aircraft.”

As currently scheduled, Doc will take centerstage for display on Boeing Plaza on July 24-26. When not on display at Boeing Plaza, flight experiences on Doc will be available July 20-23, based at Appleton International Airport, approximately 20 miles north.

Doc was built in 1944 and for many years was part of a squadron known as the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in upstate New York at Griffiss Air Force Base (hence, the name Doc). The airplane was retired in 1956 as the jet bomber age began and sat as a target for Navy training missions in China Lake, California, until 1998. A restoration group took possession of the airplane from the U.S. government and hauled it back to Wichita, Kansas, in pieces in 2000. After 16 years and more than 450,000 volunteer hours, Doc made its first flight after restoration in July 2016, 60 years after it had been retired. Flight experience information for Doc at Oshkosh is available at https://www.b29doc.com/rides/. Doc is owned and operated by Doc’s Friends, Inc., a non-profit based in Wichita.

About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s membership convention. Additional information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available at www.EAA.org/airventure. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or visit www.EAA.org.