EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023: EAA Aviation Museum Is World Class Destination All Year Round

By Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023, sponsored by Piston Aviation, continues with a visit to the EAA Aviation Museum, a jewel of homebuilt aviation history housed in a beautiful, modern facility at Pioneer Airport. On display are experimental, aerobatic, racing and prototype aircraft, including record-breaking Rutan designs that have become aviation legends due in part to the advocacy efforts of the Experimental Aircraft Association. A new statue of Tom Poberezny is featured here in its placement across from the likeness of his father, Paul Poberezny. The museum is a short bus ride from the main event grounds during AirVenture, and well worth a visit throughout the year.

We begin our coverage with a look at the EAA Aviation Museum and some aircraft on display directly outside of the main building.

The constant helicopter tour flights are conducted from Pioneer Airport near the EAA Aviation Museum and include a circuit over much of the parked aircraft, campgrounds and the aircraft on display in Boeing Plaza. One of the iconic images of AirVenture is the constant orbiting of classic Bell 47 helicopters, sometimes three or more at a time. 

Here we start with the walk from the EAA Aviation Museum to the Pioneer Airport grounds from where the helicopter flights are conducted. While on the Pioneer Airport side of the campus, we visited with our friends Patrick and Natalia McAlee, the dynamic duo ExtremeFlight airshow team featuring Patrick's amazing airshow flying in the Blue Demon and Natalia's starring role as "Wonder Woman of Aviation" interacting with the crowds on the ground. They are known as fan favorites for their accessibility and STEAM program, including a Virtual Reality flight experience and activity book that teaches the basics of aerobatic flying to our youth. Check their website often for schedule updates and be sure to see him in person in 2024!

The Aero Experience will continue our coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 throughout the coming spring. In the spirit of the New Year, we include a celebratory preview of the Saturday night airshow and fireworks display.