AirVenture Oshkosh twenty twenty-six and the Fisk arrival that turns ten thousand airplanes into a single-file line over a Wisconsin highway

EAA AirVenture 2026 takes place the last week of July 2026 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, transforming a quiet two-runway field into the busiest airport on the planet. For seven days, it logs more operations than O’Hare, Hartsfield, or Heathrow — nearly all of them general aviation aircraft flown by private pilots using a procedure that exists nowhere else in aviation: the Fisk arrival.

What Is the Fisk Arrival?

The Fisk arrival is a no-radio approach procedure designed to funnel thousands of aircraft into Oshkosh without saturating the frequency. Instead of calling in, pilots monitor the frequency and listen. Controllers on the ground identify aircraft by type and wing color, issuing instructions like: “White and blue Cessna over the gravel pit, rock your wings.”

The pilot rocks their wings, and the controller assigns a runway.

The EAA publishes a special Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) each year dedicated entirely to AirVenture arrival and departure procedures. It is pages long and overrides standard communication protocols for the event.

How the Fisk Arrival Sequence Works

Inbound pilots fly to a fix near Ripon, Wisconsin, a small town southwest of Oshkosh. From there, they pick up a railroad track and follow it northeast toward Fisk, maintaining:

1,800 feet MSL altitude
90 knots airspeed (or 135 knots on a separate fast-aircraft corridor)
Half-mile in-trail spacing behind the aircraft ahead
Landing light on

The result is a miles-long stream of aircraft — Cherokees, Bonanzas, Cessna 150s, homebuilts — all following a railroad track in formation.

At Fisk, a mobile control tower manages the flow. Controllers sequence aircraft to Runway 27 or Runway 36, sometimes assigning specific colored dots painted on the runway surface as touchdown points. This allows simultaneous operations on the same runway with staggered landing zones.

It looks like chaos. It works because the controllers are exceptional and the pilots follow the procedure precisely.

What Happens After You Land

Volunteers in orange vests direct aircraft off the runway, down taxiways, and onto grass parking areas that stretch across the field. Thousands of airplanes park in rows: experimentals next to vintage taildraggers next to brand-new Cirrus SR-22s next to homebuilts that took fifteen years to complete.

The main exhibition grounds spread out in every direction with hundreds of vendors — Garmin, Dynon, Bose, ForeFlight, and virtually every avionics and aircraft manufacturer in the industry. Static display areas let visitors walk up to a P-51 Mustang, look inside a restored B-25 Mitchell, and examine rows of homebuilt aircraft entered in EAA judging competitions.

The Daily Airshow

The AirVenture airshow is not a two-act event with intermissions. It runs for hours each afternoon, typically starting around 2:30 p.m. and continuing until sunset.

Past performances have included the Air Force Thunderbirds, the Blue Angels, the F-22 Raptor solo demo, the F-35, and the B-2 Spirit. Warbird formations launch with a dozen or more aircraft — T-6 Texans, P-51 Mustangs, Corsairs, and Hellcats. The sound of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engines at full power on a low pass is something felt in the chest, not just heard.

Camping on the Airfield

Thousands of attendees camp directly on the airfield, pitching tents under the wings of their airplanes. The camping culture at Oshkosh is a defining part of the experience, with longtime attendees returning to the same spots for 30 years or more.

Evenings bring Theater in the Woods for films and talks, a fly-in theater with big-screen projections, campfire cooking, and an unmistakable community atmosphere. Friday night fish fries, Saturday morning chapter pancake breakfasts, and impromptu hangar flying sessions fill the gaps between the formal programming.

What to Watch at AirVenture 2026

The electric and advanced air mobility presence grows every year. Expect more eVTOL prototypes on the static line, expanded electric propulsion displays, and panel discussions on the future of flight. Oshkosh has always been where the industry previews what comes next — and right now, that means batteries, electric motors, and airframes that look like nothing built before.

The ultralight and light sport area remains one of the event’s most compelling sections. Powered parachutes, weight-shift trikes, and single-seat experimentals built for less than the cost of a used car fill this corner of the grounds. The builders in this area represent aviation at its most grassroots — people who hand-stitched fabric, bent tubing, and flew the result to Oshkosh.

The Food

The Wisconsin bratwurst with sauerkraut and mustard is the unofficial official meal of AirVenture. Deep-fried cheese curds, corn on the cob, food trucks, and the legendary EAA pancake breakfast — thousands of people lined up in the morning fog eating pancakes on giant griddles while aircraft taxi past — round out the options.

How to Prepare for Your First Fisk Arrival

Read the NOTAM early. The EAA publishes arrival and departure procedures well in advance. Study them until they are second nature.

Practice flying at 90 knots before you go. Know what power setting that requires in your airplane, what the sight picture looks like, and how the aircraft handles in that configuration. The Fisk arrival sequence is not the place to experiment with slow flight for the first time.

Bring camping gear if flying in. Sleeping under the wing is the quintessential Oshkosh experience.

Pack for endurance: comfortable shoes (the grounds cover miles), sunscreen, a hat, and a portable phone charger. You will walk more and photograph more than you expect.

Key Takeaways

AirVenture 2026 runs the last week of July 2026 at Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
The Fisk arrival is a unique no-radio procedure where controllers identify aircraft by type and paint color — study the NOTAM thoroughly before attempting it
The daily airshow runs for hours and features military demonstrations, warbird formations, and aerobatic acts unmatched at any other event
Camping on the airfield under your airplane’s wing is a core part of the experience, with a deeply established pilot community
The event spans everything from eVTOL prototypes to 1940s biplanes, making it the single best place to see where aviation has been and where it is going