Warbirds Take Center Stage at Oshkosh

The venerable and ever popular T-6 trainers always turn up in force at Oshkosh, and fly massed formations during the day. Used by many training units in the U.S. military, and by many countries overseas from World War II to the modern day, they have been painted in a kaleidoscope of interesting and lively color schemes.

Over 10,000 North American B-25 Mitchell bombers were built between 1940 and the end of production in 1945. Georgie’s Gal is a B-25J, with a “bombardier’s nose” allowing for the installation of a bombsight. B-25J “Georgie’s Gal” was manufactured in Kansas City, and accepted into service in June 1945. It is owned by Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio, and was newly refurbished by Aero Trader in Chino, California.

One of a couple of dozen P-51s at Oshkosh, ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ was delivered in  October, 1944, and served stateside with the U.S. Army Air Force until joining the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1945. Declared surplus 12 years later, the Mustang was auctioned into civilian hands. It is now painted in the colors of the Mustang flown by Capt. Jesse Frey of Indianapolis, Indiana, who flew the real “Ain’t Misbehavin” in World War II in the 362nd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group.

Lewis Air Legends Collection’s B-25 “Russian Ta Get Ya,” restored by Aero Trader in Chino, California, represents the nearly 900 B-25s that were sent to the Russians in WWII under the Lend/Lease program. This aircraft, a B-25J, was built in 1944.

The Boeing Stearman is as popular as the T-6 trainer as an affordable warbird, and  dozens and dozens of them flock to Oshkosh every year. They are fondly regarded as the basic trainer that so many pilots in the U.S. military flew through solo (or washed out) in World War II.

Is a gathering of Mustangs in flight a stampede? With many owners and restorers painting their aircraft to represent those that served in WWII, there are enough of some renditions to reach squadron strength. The colorful 357th Fighter Group, based at Leiston, England, was the first group of the 8th Air Force to enter combat in that theater with Mustangs on 11 February 1944. 

With 116 combat missions and flown by two Aces, British Spitfire Mk. IX BR601 is arguably one of the most significant surviving Allied fighters in the world, says its owners, the Collings Foundation. It flew again last year after its restoration by the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar.

The daily air show features the B-25 Mitchell bomber and General Jimmy Doolittle’s audacious raid on Tokyo 75 years ago, when 16 B-25s flew from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet to bomb Japan’s capital city. Around a dozen of the bombers, the largest gathering of B-25s in many years, re-enact the raid complete with pyrotechnic “bombs” set off on the ground.

A North American AT-6D flies through the smoke in the daily air show at EAA AirVenture.

A Canadian de Havilland Chipmunk trainer frames a Cessna L-19A Bird Dog spotter plane as used by the Japan Ground Self Defense Force.