The first stop on our trip to Oshkosh was at Captain & Gigi's place in Steinhatchee where we shot some armadillos that were digging up the runway.
South of Steinhatchee is a town called Horseshoe Beach. This is a boat house built on the shore.
Before continuing to Oshkosh we took a dip in Fanning Springs which is south of Steinhatchee.
Captain and Gigi at our Hardy Lake campsite in southern Indiana, on our way to Oshkosh.
We have arrived in Oshkosh. Our first trip was to the EAA Museum. This is one of the 3 famous Pitts Specials from the 1970's Red Devils aerobatic team.
The pilots of the Red Devils, Tom Poberenzy, Charlie Hilliard, and Gene Soucy traded in their Pitts Specials for these Christen Eagles.
This is the first privately funded aircraft to fly to outer space.
There I am sitting in the cockpit of a model of an F22 Raptor.
Captain wants to be a fighter pilot when he grows up.
The Wright Flyer. This plane started it all.
My favorite engine, an 0-540 Lycoming.
This is the only surviving part from any of the famous Gee Bee racers of the 1930's.
Art Scholl flew this DeHavilland Chipmunk for years on the airshow circuit. He was killed during filming of 'Top Gun'.
A rare 650hp Super Stearman. Stearmans were the primary trainers for WWII pilots. They had 220hp engines.
The Voyager was the creation of Burt Rutan and flew around the world unrefueld and non stop by his brother and Jeanna Yeager.
I think old biplanes are cool.
This is the Miss Champion gyrocopter from the 1930's. Lift is generated by the rotor on top which spins just by the forward motion of the aircraft.
The Curtiss P6E Hawk. Cool paint job. Notice the talons painted on the wheelpants and the feathers on the cowl.
That's a WWI Nieuport fighter.
A North American P-51 Mustang model B. This model was underpowered with an Allison v-12 engine. Once it was refitted with the Rolls Royce Merlin, it became the model D and became the greatest fighter ever built.
I know it looks like a mini submarine, but it as Link trainer used to train pilots to fly in instrument conditions.
The history of the Link trainer.
Steve Wittman's Bonzo that he raced in the 1950's and '60's.
That's Steve Wittman the namesake for Wittman Regional Airport (Oshkosh). The airplane is the Wittman Tailwind. It is an unusually fast airplane on low power.
Looking across the grass strip at Oshkosh at Pioneer airport. The hangars contain all kinds of vintage aircraft. Very cool stuff.
The big bad Pitts Model 12 built by Kimball Enterprises. It features a 360hp Russian built radial engine.
Captain would say that this is the most beautiful airplane at Oshkosh. Of course it is a Skybolt.
A Chance Voight F4U Corsair. This was one of our most fearsome carrier based fighters in WWII. The Japanese called it "Whistling Death".
The wings folded up on this Hellcat for more storage on the deck of an aircraft carrier in WWII.
Two years ago, I got a ride on this Ford Trimotor from the 1930's.
A T-28 trainer.
The Grumman F4F Hellcat. It has a 2000hp Pratt & Whitney radial engine.
Captain posing with a Sea Fury.
F86 Sabre's fought the MIGS during the Korean War.
Twin Beech. Used during WWII as a transport.
The PT-19 succeeded the PT-17 biplane as the primary trainer during WWII.
I know it looks like a Japanese Zero, but it's actually a North American AT6. This plane is one of many AT6's that were modified to look like Zeros for the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!, the story of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Cessna L-19 Birddog used as a spotter during the Korean War.
A P-38 Lightning.
This is Captain's favorite warbird, the Curtis P-40 Warhawk.
This P-51 was taxiing out with one of the Doobie Brothers in the back seat.
The Virgin Galactic mother ship flew non stop from Mojave, CA for its worldwide debut a Oshkosh. It is huge.
Another look at the Skybolt. Captain is building one of these.
This Predator is operated by the Border Patrol along the Mexican border. Besides being an observation platform, it also carries rockets and missiles.
