Believe it or not, EAA's AirVenture 2018 headline: "Year of the Tanker", didn't draw my attention as much as last years "Blue Angels", but I was not disappointed. If you haven't caught on already, AirVenture is one of the worlds largest air shows in the world. We are talking about an average of ~134 takeoffs/landings per hour, for a solid eleven days - approximately 26% higher than O'Hare International in 2017! [source]

One of the four GE 72,000 lb of thrust engines on the Lockheed C-5 Super Galaxy.
Built in Fairfax Kansas in 1945, this B-25 was flown by U.S. Marines during the second world war for ‘night heckling’ missions.

Although my excitement wasn't sky-high this year, I think it worked out for the best. This allowed me to: take it easy, be a bit more creative with photos, and explore more of AirVenture. For the first time, I checked out the Warbirds tram tour run by the Warbirds of America. This turned out to be a great way to see the entire Warbird area and get a rundown of many of the planes.

The Cold War-era North American T-28 Trojan was used as both a trainer and a weapon of war during Vietnam.
Although jet aircraft were dominating the skies, the Douglas A-1 Skyraider held it’s own and wasn’t retired until 1973.
A Curtiss-Wright R-1820 Cyclone engine.
A view of an aircraft's vertical and horizontal stabilizers.

World War II, Korea, and Vietnam are all covered in EAA's "Warbird Alley". Due to the awesome dedication of the Warbirds of America and its members, they all fly.

The Gloster Meteor T7, powered by dual Rolls-Royce engines, was Britan’s first jet, and remains the oldest flying jet aircraft in the world.
Modified by the United States Air Force in the 60s, this T28 was equipped for counterinsurgency as a fighter-bomber.

The Warbirds of America also run the "living history" / reenactment WWII camp, where men and women live in similar conditions as they would have during the war: uniforms, encampments, weapons, and all. Their dedication is uncanny, and their knowledge seems boundless.

Reenactors from Warbirds of America driving a World War II era jeep before the big show.

Nothing gets you in the mood for war stories like 1940s-era music. Theresa R. Eaman made another appearance this year at AirVenture. It was a nice surprise whilst waiting for the C-47 Skytrain Warbirds in Review interview.

Theresa R. Eaman

At 102 years young, Ret. Lieutenant Colonel Richard Cole, told his side of the Doolittle Raid story. An inspiring; practically suicide, mission that did little to harm the Japanese materially, but raised doubt of the Japanese people, and raised the morale of the Allies.

Ret. Lieutenant Colonel Richard E. Cole speaking on the Doolittle Raid at EAA AirVenture.

The second part of the Warbirds in Review was an interview with Captain Mike Trahan a AC-47 "Spooky" Gunship pilot who served in Vietnam. For all intents and purposes, the AC-47 was a WWII Douglas C-47 Skytrain with three MXU-470 miniguns mounted out the windows off the left wing. Their's something spooky about 18,000 rounds per minute falling from the heavens splattering an area the size of a football field - or is it just me?

Before the airshow, this U.S. Customs & Border Enforcement Black Hawk appeared to be making rounds over the crowd. Apparently, it was giving rides to Make-A-Wish children. Of course this is more obvious on review of the photos.

UH-60A Black Hawk giving rides to Make-A-Wish foundation children during AirVenture.
Mike Goulian performing in his Extra 330SC at EAA AirVenture 2018.
Defying gravity for 30+ years, Mike Goulian is one of the most decorated aerobatic pilots in the world.

Mike Goulian is one of the most talented aerobatic aviators in the world. His 30 years of experience appears to give him a license to defy gravity. Each push, pull, and roll is a deliberate execution of precision. Of course, it's impossible to capture the show he puts on with still images, it's something you have to witness.

Fat Tire Cowboys (Dell Coller, Jeff Boerboon) showing off their mutant Yak-110 at AirVenture 2018.
Russian Yak-55s merged together, into a Yak-110.

What's more American than taking two Russian Yak-55s, combining them, and painting it red, white, and blue? Dell Coller and Jeff Boerboon made a Yak-110 a reality.

Ok, there is something more American than an American-made red, white, and blue Yak-110. It's an American-made red, white, and blue Yak-110 that has a General Electric turbojet under it, capable of 3000 pounds of thrust!
An American made Yak-110 with a 3,000lb turbojet engine coupled between its dual fuselages.

One way to distract the crowd is rolling up in your Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. They might as well have put the rest of the airshow on hold whilst this pilot played pong on his HUD. It seemed like he sat there for an eternity!

Air Force pilot prepares for airventure demonstration.

Once it gets to it, the F-22 Raptor takes off quite fast. I have quite a few photos of the nose and tail of the plane, not too many of it in the same frame.

F-22 Raptor takes off for AirVenture demonstration.

This is something I never thought I would see: in-flight refueling - and with an F-22 no less!

An F22 raptor demonstrates refueling over Oshkosh with a McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender.

Just look at this plane, can you believe its development was started over 30 years ago - in the 80s? And it's first flight was in 1997! This goes to show how much time, money, and effort is put into providing our armed forces with the right tools to defend our freedom.

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor showing off its afterburners.
F-22 Raptor piercing the bright blue sky.

What a beautiful sight. Those puffs of white, and long curled white clouds on the wings of aircraft are called wingtip vortices. They occur when the high air pressure on the bottom surface of the wing escapes to the wingtip whilst moving towards the low air pressure on the lower part of the wing.

F-22 shows off high-g turn which causes vapor to form.

That pulsating orange out the afterburners of the F-22 is called "Shock Diamonds". Essentially the pressure of the exhaust is higher/lower than the surrounding air pressure.

The pressure differentiation produced by the exhaust of the afterburners causes pulsating orange “Shock Diamonds” to stream behind the F-22.

Aaron Fitzgerald, flying his Red Bull MBB BO-105 helicopter, did some crazy stunts that most of us have only seen in movies and videogames. I did not expect to see the top of a rotating helicopter blade, it wasn't on my bucket list, it never crossed my mind, but boy I can't wait to see it again!

Aaron Fitzgerald flying his Red Bull MBB BO-105 helicopter like you’ve never seen.
MiG-17 taking off during EAA AirVenture with it's afterburning turbojet engine throwing some heat.
A MiG-17 flying overhead with full afterburner.

The Mig-17F which was made in the 1950s, was the tightest turning fighter in the world for ~20 years. It's loud, obnoxious, but boy does it look fun. Watch Randy Ball's walkaround of the plane.

The Sabrejet (F-86 Sabre) was Americas answer to the Soviet Mig.

North American Aviation F-86E Sabre taking off during EAA AirVenture 2018.
Airmen enjoying themselves, hanging out the back of a Lockheed HC-130N Hercules.
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules demonstrates refueling capabilities; while airman checkout AirVenture from above.

'Merica: is hanging out of a C-130J with an American flag.

It's not every day you get to see a 282,000 pound bird fall from the sky, reverse-thrust on landing, stop within a few hundred feet, and immediately begin to taxi backwards at 20mph...unless you fly a Boeing C-17A Globemaster.

A 174ft long behemoth; Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, taxiing at EAA AirVenture.
Skytypers fly in formation at EAA AirVenture 2018.
Andy Travnicek, landing his SNJ-2 Texan, the #1 plane of the GEICO Skytypers.
A 1941 North American SNJ-2 training aircraft.
U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon demonstrates it's capabilities during EAA AirVenture 2018.
Welcome to Experimental Aircraft Association’s 2018 air show.

Combining my Tamron 16-300mm lens for ground targets, and my Cannon 100-400mm lens for those targets in the air, turned out to be a much better, more versatile plan.