EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016: Boeing Centennial Plaza - Boeing Jetliners Take Center Stage

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

Boeing Centennial Plaza was the main aircraft static display area at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016.  As we will see in this series, a wide variety of aircraft will rotate through this space.  It would seem obvious that some of the more conspicuous aircraft would be Boeing jetliners, and that was indeed the case.  Here we feature four large Boeing jets that continue to play important roles in both civil and military service.

Boeing 737-500 GoGo was on display Friday through Sunday in Boeing Centennial Plaza near the GoGo exhibit.  The jet is the GoGo company's aircraft used for testing its airborne satellite internet business and entertainment products.  The aircraft was open to the public at various times over the weekend before leaving Sunday.

 

The giant Boeing 747-867F from Cathay Pacific Cargo arrived on Saturday of the last weekend and stayed open to the public all day with it's nose cone open.  Along with its sheer size, the impressiveness of the Cathay Pacific Airlines jet was shown in the way the colors varied from green to blue according to the reflected  sunlight throughout the day.

 

  

FedEx Express brought a Boeing 767-300F for display in Boeing Centennial Plaza as these views show from Tuesday and Wednesday.  Its clean lines belie the jets large size.

Lastly, the U.S. Air Force's 128th ARW, Wisconsin Air National Guard, displayed one of its Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers Friday through Sunday.  This aerial refueling tanker represents 60 years of service for these venerable jets, having preceded the Boeing 707 first U.S. civil jetliner into service in 1956.  They will continue to serve as air refueling tankers for many years to come.