Oshkosh Flying Formations… Dissimilar and Otherwise
Cirrus aircraft mass arrival formations… a pair on Runway 36 Left and one on Runway 36 Right (in the background)
Photos by Ken Kula and Anne Taylor
Formation flying takes plenty of practice and perfection to arrange a group of aircraft in the air into a single shape. During the EAA’s AirVenture Oshkosh, formations of military, warbird and general aviation aircraft abound; these speak volumes about the pilots’ skills and attention to detail.
Dissimilar formation of a Grumman HU-16 Albatross and Rockwell OV-10D+ Bronco during an overhead break
While formations of similar aircraft are awe inspiring, dissimilar formations (read: different types of aircraft) require extra skill as the performance of the types may not be very compatible. Here are photos of but a few of the many formations that graced the skies of Oshkosh this year.
Douglas C-47s
Canadian legacy warbird fighter formation of a Hurricane, Spitfire and Mustang
Special dissimilar formation of four USAF Solo Flight Demonstration aircraft, A-10C, F-16C, F-35A and F-22A
A Different USAF Heritage Flight…
RCAF Snowbirds in one of their nine aircraft formations
And a Royal Canadian Air Force heritage flight – Hurricane, Spitfire, Mustang and Hornet
T-6/SNJ/Harvard formation
Aero L-39Cs
Powered parachutes in-trail
North American T-28s
Frecce Tricolori MB-339s
The world’s only two flying B-29 bombers in formation… Only at Oshkosh!
Army National Guard UH-60s follow a Wisconsin Air National Guard KC-135
USAF Thunderbirds break their formation seemingly overhead
MiG-17/Lim-5 fighters in a rare 4-ship formation
NORAD identification flight… a Piper Navajo being watched by a Minnesota F-16 interceptor
Beech T-34s
U. S. Navy EF-18 Growlers on the overhead break
Cessna Birddogs arrive for the show
T-6/SNJ/Harvard warbird formation
The big 11-ship formation of the Italian Frecce Tricolori
RCAF Snowbirds in their CT-114 Tutors
An interesting dissimilar formation, as a HU-16 Albatross leads three C-47s during their flight breakup over Oshkosh
Air Force Heritage Flight breaking up on their last pass
The U. S. Navy’s Blue Angels made a Delta Formation pass en-route to another air show in Wisconsin
Another pair of Cirrus aircraft arriving at Oshkosh
Class of ’45 Mustang and Corsair
Wisconsin KC-135 aerial tanker and F-35 fighters
A trio of the Titan Team returning to show center
Four P-51 Mustangs in an overhead break
RCAF’s 100th Anniversary salute over Oshkosh
One last look at the Air Force’s four-ship dissimilar formation of their Solo Demonstration Team aircraft.
