AirVenture 2014
A Year of Firsts
T
he Experimental Aircraft Associa-
tion’s (EAA) AirVenture at Oshkosh,
Winsconsin, USA, can always guaran-
tee a first or two, and some are partic-
ularly notable. Going against a declining
trend of the last few years, attendance num-
bers were up, many coming to see the USAF
Thunderbirds display team perform for the
first time over Wittman Airport. However,
for the keen enthusiasts it was the appear-
ance of three ultra-rare aircraft which drew
them. These were - the only flying Fairey
Gannet T5, XT752, the Lockheed Vega, and
NASA’s WB-57F 927 that returned to serv-
ice after forty years in the ‘Boneyard’.
This year also featured some great jet war-
bird action, with four T-33s in formation, four
L-39s, a Mig-17 and F-86 flying together, and
a dissimilar formation of the MiG 17 leading
the F-86 and two T-33s. An all-yellow Tempco
T-610 Super Pinto flew in the jet show as well.
The GEICO Skytypers performed at Os-
hkosh for the first time in their NAA T-6
Texans, and other highlights were seven
Lockheed 12 Electra Juniors in the Antiques
area, and a flying replica Gee Bee QED.
AirVenture had the usual mass formations
of T-6s, T-28s, T-34s and Eastern Block train-
ers, as well as some of the best airshow acts in
the US. It will be on again next July with, as
ever, a promise of more firsts. John Freeman
Airshows
NASA brought their latest WB-57F, NASA 927 (N927NA), to
Oshkosh. It was built by Martin as a B-57B (53-3918) and
was converted to an RB-57F in 1964 by increasing the
wingspan to 122 ft and adding Pratt & Whitney TF-33
turbofans. It was retired by the USAF in 1972, and sat at
AMARC in Tuscon, Arizona until May 2011 when it was
restored to flight. It flew again in August 2013 as NASA 927.WN365 was built as the prototype T2 dual control aircraft in 1954. The Gannet was later converted
to the prototype T5 dual control with more powerful Double Mamba engine.Seven Lockheed 12 Electra Juniors gathered at Oshkosh this year, only 126 were built and as
few as two dozen remain airworthy. CF-LKD (SN 1222) was built in 1937 for Varney Transport
which became Continental Airlines. After serving in the Canadian military in WW2 it was
sold to Texaco, and is now owned by Peter Ramm from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.82 | FLIGHTPATH