Oshkosh 2018 Day Four

By Willie Bodenstein and Cheryl Smit



Strolling down to the Fun Fly Park we recognised a very familiar plane in the Valdez invitational STOL competition area with the South African Flag prominently displayed on the tail. This Cessna 170-B we knew belonged to the legendary Bush Air aerobatic display Pilot who introduced and pioneered the use of pyrotechnic special effects into his display at airshows in South Africa. “CC” Milne Pocock who also ran Advanced Bush and Mountain Flying courses at his own airport in Barberton for 15 years. We went over and chatted to “CC” who now resides in the United States. In May 2015 the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Safety Team accredited his courses and approved his Bush Air as a training provider.



In 2016 “CC” immigrated to Nevada in the United States and he is a regular presenter at the forums at Oshkosh. We attended one his extremely popular seminars.











When the sun begins to sit lower in the summer Wisconsin sky and the wind is more favourable for light flight, it's time to have some good flying fun at the south end of the field. That's where-on the evenings of Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday-the Twilight Flight Fest commence in the area known as the Fun Fly Zone.

In this laid-back and welcoming environment, AirVenture attendees will enjoy affordable and entertaining forms of flight in an up-close and personal way.


Powered by a PT Turbine this Wilga is a real monster with unbelievable STOL performance


One of the pilots that took part was CC Pocock who demonstrated his skill in the Cessna 170-B









Twilight Flight Fest kicked off with the EAA S.T.O.L. Invitational which was an opportunity to witness the incredible short take-off and landing skills so aptly demonstrated in wilderness environments like river sandbars in remote Alaska. It is truly amazing how quickly these properly-designed and equipped aircraft and expert pilots can get airborne and how little grass runway is needed for a successful touchdown.


The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only jet aircraft to achieve combat operations during the Second World War


The North American FJ-2 and FJ-3 Fury are a series of swept-wing carrier-capable fighters for the United States Navy and Marine Corps


The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas


A F-86 North American Sabre during the afternoons warbirds display










The Red Bull Airforce again had the crowd on its feet with daring precision flying






Vans RVs, the world's most popular kit build aircraft ever of which more than 10,000 have been built featured prominently on the program








Some of the aerobatic displays










The EAA honoured those pilots that have departed for the great hanger in the sky this past year by flying a missing man formation


The USAF Heritage flight that consisted of a F-16 accompanied by two P-51 Mustangs

The afternoon show included the Yak-110, early jets, the C-17 Demo, F-16 arrival and the USAF Heritage flight that consisted of a F-16 accompanied by two P-51 Mustangs. The Gloster Meteor made its Oshkosh debut and the Spitfire again was part of the program.




Events 2018
Oshkosh 2018








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