Oshkosh, Monday

Oshkosh opened on a perfect day, sunny, good visibility, temperature in the low '80's with dry air and a nice breeze out of the northeast. It still got hot, but then again, it is summer.

This is a huge event for this area, of course, and while everyone knows about it out here, they don't call it "Oshkosh," because Oshkosh is where they live. They call it "EAA," which they know is the huge organization behind it. The EAA calls it "AirVenture 2008." I kind of like "Oshkosh," because that is what everyone in aviation calls it, you just can't do that here or they look at you with a funny look that says something like, "What do you mean "You're here for Oshkosh?" You're in Oshkosh!"

Opening day traditionally begins with the arrival of several fleets of "warbirds"--restored military trainers and fighters. The photo above was typical of their arrival.