Teesside Airport Movements Trip Reports

EAA Oshkosh and USAF Museum

Part One - Chicago to Oshkosh

July 2025 by Ian Gordon

Having recently returned from my first trip to two of my top aviation bucket list destinations I thought I would give some pointers from my experience to help anyone planning such a visit. It is not intended to list the vast number of aircraft seen, of which there were thousands.

An utterly unbelievable visit meaning I would return in a heartbeat given the chance. Oshkosh was so relaxed and everyone we interacted with, so friendly. I think with everyone being aviation like-minded, it made the whole experience such an enjoyable one. The sheer number of different aircraft types is amazing. We visited on the premise that we would not see everything, but to take our time and enjoy what we were actually experiencing.

A very close friend and I began thinking about the visit almost a year previously. We decided that we would visit on an organised tour and we eventually booked with Aeroprints. Our reasoning was that we would benefit from their many years collective knowledge of visiting Oshkosh and decide how to make a successful approach to seeing as much as we could within the allotted time. I realise this won’t be for everyone and as things turned out (more later), we spent virtually the whole trip spotting together out with the group. A WhatsApp group was set up for help with planning, requests etc.

The Aeroprints itinerary did not include the USAF Museum at Wright Patterson. This is a destination we wanted to visit as it was relatively close, by US standards at 330 miles from Chicago. We negotiated a later return flight with hire car after the main group left for home, booking our own hotels. We consequently chose a route via various airports in a clockwise direction to and from Chicago ORD which resulted in a 3-day, 1100-mile road trip.

Return flights were booked with TAP Air Portugal from Heathrow via Lisbon to Chicago ORD on July 19^th. We travelled south, by train, the day before as our flight out of Heathrow was scheduled to depart at 0800 the following morning. Our hotel for the night was to be the Premier Inn close to Terminal 4. For an additional fee, a high-level room overlooking the runway was secured and nothing is missed when landing/departing on 27L and 27R which they were and Northolt movements are a bonus. The weather was favourable for spotting overflights although you can only see to the north.

We departed for Lisbon in A321N CS-TJJ. Our 2 visits to Lisbon left me requiring just 2 aircraft for TAP’s current fleet, at the time, and a flight in a new type for me, namely an A339 outward in CS-TUH.

Upon arrival at ORD’s terminal 5 we caught the airport transit system to terminal 2 where our hotel, the Hilton, is located. Aeroprints had pre-booked high-level rooms that overlook the airfield and we secured a top-level room, number 10088 (floor 10 is reserved for Hilton Honors members). We spotted for the remainder of the Saturday evening and again on Sunday from 0520 until 1115 when the group was to meet in the lobby at 1145 just ahead of our midday check out time. I made just over 480.

The tour group totalled 18 and 3 mini vans were booked for our journey north with 3 of us being nominated as drivers. We again caught the airport transit system to the dedicated car rental terminal. After leaving the train it became apparent that the biz ramp can be seen and with the help of binoculars another 6 went into the log. Upon arrival at the car rental company desk, we were informed the mini vans had been withdrawn from use with problems to their airbags. After much discussion, the largest SUV’s available were selected but the lack of luggage space in them required another vehicle. This knock-on effect meant we had 4 in our vehicle with extra luggage to help with space in the other vehicles.

Each vehicle was left to decide their own route north to Oshkosh via stops enroute. There are some interesting airfields to visit with each having its own merits, and, bearing in mind, you can only do so much with 160 miles to travel.

After a discussion between the 4 of us we decided to head north via Chicago Executive, Russell Air Museum and Fond du Lac. A circuit of Chicago Exec revealed 17 bizjets in amongst the 54 logged. The journey north to Russell was straight forward as it is located beside the motorway. The museum is an amalgam of various military hardware and the aircraft present total over 60. Entrance cost $10 (for seniors). A large number of helicopters reside here including 3 ex Bolivian AF UH-1’s which are tightly parked, rotors missing, in amongst many others in an overgrown area.

Continuing north and half an hour south of Oshkosh is Fond du Lac which is used as an overflow field for the main event. Air show visitors are mainly parked on the western side of the airfield and there were approximately 30 arrivals parked up. The small terminal here is very friendly and permission was granted for us to wander around the terminal ramp and in amongst the lock up hangers. A small bus, located in the carpark, is also laid on to take those who want to go to the other side of the airfield. There is no charge for this but we made a donation to the driver’s tip bucket! I logged 127 in total here.

As you arrive into Oshkosh heading north on US41 EAA Camp Soller appears on your right with large amounts of camper vans/tents etc. Keep a look out for a F-86 Sabre (52-1993) on a pole and a double pole with a RV-8 Vans (N2741H) alongside a Velocity (N143BJ). Having arrived in Oshkosh later that evening we arranged for all cars to meet at a pre-determined time in the car park next to the Wisconsin university admissions office (Culver Centre) where our accommodation room keys and a $5/day parking permit were issued. Our accommodation was in the downtown university halls of residence which is only a couple of miles north of Oshkosh airfield and consequently very popular with show visitors. We had a suite that had 4 separate bedrooms with communal kitchen/lounge toilets and a shower.

There are a number of accommodation halls and a short walk led to a large food area (Blackhawk Commons) where breakfast ($20) and dinner ($23) can be taken. Payment can be made on an ad hoc basis or a package with a 3, 5 or 6 day ticket. We did not take breakfast there but on one occasion visited for dinner. It was an all you could eat buffet arrangement. A weekly slightly reduced price for meals is offered. The food was very good with a large variety on offer but it closed around 20:00. I suppose one benefit of eating here is that you don’t have to leave a tip that is expected at any usual restaurant.

Close by is Kelly’s Bar with outdoor seating where we tended to meet in the evening for a well-earned beer and catch up, they also serve food. Other restaurants are located across the road but everywhere seems to close around 22:00 so if you stay at the show for the Wednesday and Saturday night air shows you would have to eat there.

On a corner across from the university food hall a bus service, using the iconic yellow and black school buses, runs direct to a bus park located to the side of the main admission gate for Oshkosh. The service runs continuously from 06:00 to 10:00 then hourly. The cost was $10 return and again a slightly cheaper weekly price is offered. The return buses from the show run continuously from 15:30 to 19:00 and later until 23:00 on Wednesday and Saturday – night show evenings.

As the bus approaches its last turn onto Waukau Avenue for the bus park, whilst passing to the south of the EAA Museum complex, have your cameras and or logbook ready as a small number of helicopters are parked by the road.

For those driving direct to Oshkosh I think the cost of parking is around $25 a day with the associated queues to be expected.

We ate breakfast on most days at an eatery close to the Boeing Plaza where a breakfast croissant with egg and ham plus a coffee cost $9. On our first morning, having arrived at 07:00, and acting on a tip from one of the group members, we tried a breakfast close to the main entrance beneath a large white tent run by a local church. They will cook your preference to order and again, with a coffee we paid $9.

Directly opposite this area as you sit having your breakfast you look into the Exhibition area with some aircraft visible, no doubt whetting your appetite further with what is to come. Indeed, on our visit, a Mig-21, 4326, was parked on the grass just across the road.

Prior to arrival at Oshkosh, it is advisable to join the EAA and purchase a show ticket for the duration required. We bought a weekly ticket. You receive a barcode which you present at the main admission building located beside the main entrance. Here you are given a weekly wrist band, badge, sticker and more importantly your ‘bible’ namely the official visitor’s map. This map is very good and details where everything is located on this vast site including the, free, transport options within the complex. Downloading the EAA App is advantageous and details each day’s activities around the airfield.

We arrived mentally prepared with the idea that you cannot possibly see everything. The airfield opens early to arrivals and departures which continue throughout the morning until the early afternoon when the air show begins and then restart after the air show. We found it best to log everything even when revisiting previous sections which results in much double logging but ensures you will, hopefully, not miss any additions to the rows of parked aircraft.

Try to visit the Boeing Plaza daily as displayed aircraft change and if you get there early a better chance for unobstructed photos. When deciding how to tackle the vast aircraft parking areas bear in mind the night air show on Wednesday and Saturday evening. I say this because a lot of visiting aircraft depart on Thursday morning after the previous evenings’ air show and a lot of new arrivals turn up on Friday and Saturday in anticipation of the night air show on Saturday evening.

Within the show area there are 2 further runways which are both active and seems to add to the feeling of where and what to do next. Alongside to the EAA Museum is Pioneer airport with associated hangers where helicopter joyrides operate from and, near to the southern end of runway 36L, lies the ultralight exhibition area with its own runway. Here we spent some time watching the STOL competition and was fascinating, something completely different.

There are two main aircraft parking areas at Oshkosh, North 40 and South 40 and there are thousands parked in single or double lines between the two locations. Other aircraft parking areas are: aerobatic, homebuilt, rotorcraft, seaplane, ultralight, vintage and warbird. There is also a separate seaplane base located on Lake Winnebago with transport provided for a separate fee. The seaplane base is the only section we did not visit as our rationale was it takes quite a time chunk of your day away from all the action.

One major factor to take into consideration is the weather. It can be, and was, very hot along with storms which didn’t materialise for us thankfully but it did rain one morning for a few hours. We carried water bottles and there are water stations located throughout the show grounds.

Through the main admission gate is the vast exhibition area lying either side of Celebration Way where there are hundreds of aircraft dotted around and inside the various pavilions, show tents etc. It quickly becomes apparent that a plan is needed in order to tackle the whole site and not to wander around aimlessly as you will undoubtedly miss a great deal. Celebration Way leads from the entrance right up to Boeing Plaza.

Straight away we fell into the ‘excited to be here’ trap and started logging randomly but very quickly realised this was unsustainable. A plan had to be formulated so we paused, trying to soak in the early morning atmosphere whilst looking at the map. We decided to log everything south of Celebration Way up to Boeing Plaza. We would do the north side at a later date. Whilst logging alongside the north/south runway, 36, the arrivals and departures are numerous and constantly distract you so keeping a coherent log is quite difficult. All movements on this runway can be read off and those missed can be determined using Flightradar24 and ADS-B Exchange. To the north lies the east/west runway and FR24 and ADS-B help enormously with all the coming and goings here which are also constant. At times you are overwhelmed where to look, what to do, what to log and what to photograph. Eventually you ‘tune’ in and start to make sense of it all and the logging rate increases. General aviation aircraft from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, San Marino, Switzerland and the UK were logged.

Our next five days unfolded as follows:

Monday 21st

Exhibition area south of Celebration Way up to Boeing Plaza (keep an eye out for 51-8627 T-33 on a pole). Aerobatics, homebuilt and into the warbird area. Then by bus to the North 40. 1325 logged.

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Tuesday 22nd

Basler tour 0900 followed by the Basler (Terminal) FBO then complete North 40 on both sides of the runway and finishing in the warbirds section where there were a lot of new arrivals, Boeing Plaza. 1315 logged.

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Wednesday 23rd

Boeing Plaza, vintage, ultralight, seaplane and South 40. We blagged a ride on the bus that goes to the seaplane base on Lake Winnebago asking the driver to drop us off at the very last southerly corner of the South 40 before the bus leaves the airfield. We then walked north logging the South 40 in its entirety eventually back to where the seaplanes park (don’t confuse with the seaplane base). My logbook note shows this took between 16:00 and 20:40 of almost constant walking. One of my overriding memories was from the many aircraft owners sitting by their planes asking what we were up to as we passed by. One guy must have thought we looked in need of a beer and offered us a very hospitable 20 minutes of aviation chat and a thorough look at his vintage Ercoupe whilst sampling a local craft ale! By the time we had finished the South 40 the internal transport back to the exhibition area had stopped for the day so more walking required into the exhibition area. We ate there and left for the bus just before the hoards at the end of the airshow. 1715 logged.

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Thursday 24th

FBO, North 40, warbirds, aerobatics, Boeing Plaza, alongside 36L, homebuilt before leaving late afternoon for a drive north of Oshkosh (1155 logged) to one of the other main overspill airfields, Appleton (194 logged).

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Friday 25th

Exhibition area north of Celebration Way, Boeing Plaza, aerobatics, warbirds, beside runway 36L and EAA Museum, Pioneer airfield (814 logged).

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Our visit came to an end on the Friday and our planning for the day was altered earlier on Thursday lunchtime whilst walking the North 40. We were waiting for the internal bus back to the central area when a passing golf buggy stopped and asked if we wanted a lift. We gratefully accepted and boy were we glad we did. The lady driver was a leading light in the Oshkosh organizational team specialising in the recording of international visitors. She pointed us in the direction of the international tent near to the Boeing Plaza with the promise of a Friday evening full of free beer and food. We duly registered and were given a wrist band for the event located in a dedicated building near to the Pioneer airfield, just across from the EAA Museum, starting at 17:00. Hence the change of plan curtailing the logging and a very nice way to conclude our Oshkosh experience. We met some really nice Dutch people who volunteer every year, using their summer holiday, and act as aircraft marshals. Aviation chat progressed well into the evening fuelled by plenty of food and drink. We caught the bus in to save driving back! A fabulous evening and was a well recommended finale.

With that our Oshkosh experience came to an end and what an experience it was. Five busy days at times overwhelming, exhausting, strangely relaxing but utterly brilliant and will live long in the memory. The sheer number of aircraft types seen is amazing and the pride with which aircraft owners present their planes is very evident.

In total I logged just over 6440 aircraft and 4710 were new to me. This shows how much double logging was done along with aircraft seen previously. One US twin, a C.425 N425DK was first seen at Teesside on 29/6/2018!

The show continued for the weekend but our tour schedule had us heading back to Chicago on Saturday 26th with another full day at Chicago ORD on Sunday in the offing before the main tour group were to leave for home on Monday 28th.