Day Two of AirVenture brought the massive crowds and spectacle for which the show is known. The warbirds performed precision drills overhead in great profusion, the extra-length program that always brings a huge crowd. And the arrival of the Airbus A380 super-jumbo airliner, while far removed from the sport aspect of aviation, was the Big Something thats become traditional for each years show.
The A380 is indeed a big something. Security paranoia forbids ordinary citizens the privilege of getting up close to airliners, and the closer one gets to the A380 the bigger it becomes. The forest of landing gear, expanse of wing, reach of tail and maw of engine openings give it a presence of its own. Eve, the Virgin Galactic edge-of-space rocketship carrier, looked almost delicate in comparison.
Weatherwise, Day Two was perfect in post-cold-front conditions, with the puffy white clouds and blue sky that encourage crowds. The packed fly-in community had no room left for camping as of mid-day Monday, and probably by Tuesday even day trippers had to go elsewhere. There’s always room for one more, however, particularly if its a show plane.
And so the mood continues upbeat. We, the downtrodden, abused, disregarded masses of general aviation will not be denied our Oshkosh.
