One of the U.S. Air Force's aircraft on display at Boeing Plaza at EAA AirVenture 2023, July 27, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The U.S. military is being represented in full force at this year’s EAA AirVenture.
Every branch is set to display notable aircraft at the weeklong convention.
Aircraft have been an essential part of military power since the mid 20th century.
“This is a T-6 Texan II Beechcraft,” said Grant Swanson, a pilot and flight instructor with the U.S. Air Force. “It’s about 15 years old.”
Swanson has been in the Air Force for 11 years. The T-6 Texan II is the aircraft he’s most familiar with.
“It’s like a perfect first car for 22-year-old student pilots,” said Swanson.
Swanson says the aircraft is a basic flight trainer for Air Force pilots going through flight training.
“This is the first one on a student’s journey to achieve Air Force pilot wings,” he said.
Drew Scott also has been in the Air Force for just over four years.
“So this beautiful plane behind me here is the T-38 Talon,” said Scott. “As you saw over there, they start, all student pilots start out in a T-6 and eventually they’ll either move on to the T-38 or the T-1.”
He says the plane was designed in the 1950s. This specific T-38 was built in 1967.
“It recently got some upgrades to kind of make it, kind of bring it in to the 21st century so it has awesome avionics, great engines,” said Scott.
But being built over 50 years ago, the plane still has some limitations regarding technology.
“Very soon, hopefully, we’re getting a new aircraft called the T-7, which is kind of designed to simulate more of the modern technology like the F-22 or F-35,” said Scott.
Scott says the Air Force will eventually switch over from T-38s to T-7s.
“Hopefully within the next few years, we’ll see that at Columbus and start training the next generation of fighter pilots in that aircraft,” said Scott.
The U.S. Air Force is the largest aviation force in the world with over 5,300 aircraft. It’s followed by the U.S. Navy’s fleet of approximately 3,700.
“With the aircraft carrier, we can essentially take our air force and make it mobile and place it anywhere in the world, most of the world is covered by water and we can take an aircraft carrier there,” said Trent Compton, a lieutenant with the U.S. Navy.
Compton has been with the Navy for four years. He’s been flying an F-18 for about a year and a half.
“The F-18 is a multi-role strike fighter aircraft,” said Compton. “It’s the Navy’s premier fighter aircraft.”
This F-18 was built in the mid-2000’s. Compton says the F-35 is the Navy’s newest hot commodity.
“Those are coming online now, but the Super Hornet is still in production and we’re getting new ones to this day,” he said.
Most of these aircraft will be on display right here at Boeing Plaza for the remainder of the week.
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