On the Road in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum offers a pop-up experience for visitors to the world's biggest airshow.

Chris Reddersen has twice had the privilege of sitting in the cockpit of a Messerschmitt Me 262—the world’s first operational jet fighter. The first opportunity was at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, when Reddersen was helping to disassemble the rare World War II German airplane before moving it to another building. The second time occurred in July, when Reddersen sat in the cockpit of an Me 262 replica at this year’s Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture gathering in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Reddersen, an aircraft restoration specialist, was part of the team judging AirVenture’s warbird category, an event that sometimes sees aircraft owners permitting judges to enter the cockpits. Says Reddersen: “As with our original Me 262, the replica’s cockpit felt spacious with good sightlines—though I’d love to test that in flight.”

Reddersen wasn’t the only National Air and Space Museum employee to attend this year’s AirVenture. He was, in fact, part of an 11-person team who worked at a display tent to educate visitors on the Museum’s mission to preserve and display an unmatched collection of aviation and space artifacts. The Museum’s team of experts included curators, archivists, collections specialists, an educator, and a photographer. During the week-long event, the team answered questions from attendees and gave daily talks on everything from the ongoing restoration of a North American F-86 to how to safely transport large artifacts. But when they weren’t working, the Museum’s staff were no different than the thousands of other visitors, and they did their best to take advantage of all that Oshkosh has to offer.

AirVenture 2025 had a record attendance, an all-time high of 704,000 visitors. They had acres of exhibits to explore, where they sometimes came across rare aeronautical gems. Brian Nicklas, who works in the Museum’s archives department, was thrilled to get up close to a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, a stately World War II patrol bomber. World War II aviation was evident in other ways. “I saw two North American P-51D Mustangs chase a Messerschmitt Me 262 across the sky,” says Nicklas. “At any other airshow, if someone arrived in a P-51, they would be treated like a demigod. But at Oshkosh: ‘You have a P-51? Yeah, park it over there with the others.’ ”

The variety of aircraft at Oshkosh is dazzling, but it’s the people behind the hardware who help bring the aeronautical technology to life. “As someone who was working at the event, my takeaway is all the people you talk to,” says Nelson Blankenship, who oversees the Museum’s artifact preservation and restoration department. “It’s so cool to hear their stories.” Rich Snell, who is also part of the restoration staff, agrees: “I was able to give presentations on work I’ve done in the restoration shop to crowds of visitors who all had great and insightful questions. Getting to discuss our work with other aviation history enthusiasts never really gets old.” 

Operational military aircraft and commercial aerospace were well-represented on the exhibit grounds, but what many consider to be the heart and soul of Oshkosh is the general aviation community, represented by the thousands of Beechcraft, Cessnas, Van’s, Mooneys, and homebuilts that fly in. The owners of these airplanes—along with many more who drive in—stay at the sprawling Oshkosh campgrounds, where the celebration of aviation often continues after hours. “We had the opportunity to have dinner with two groups during the week,” says Reddersen. “One of which, a shrimp boil, was the second year in a row with that group. In both cases the people we visited in the campgrounds could not have been nicer. Everyone is there because of their passion for aviation in one form or another and we were welcomed like family.”

Blankenship perhaps best captures the essence of Oshkosh: “It’s a lot of good people with shared interests coming together for seven days in the heat, rain, humidity, and mud. Yet, it’s a pilgrimage all aviation fans must make.” If you find yourself an Oshkosh pilgrim next year, please stop by our tent. We’d like to meet you and learn about your connection to aviation.

Diane Tedeschi is Air & Space Quarterly’s senior editor. 

This article, originally titled "On the Road,"  is from the Fall 2025 issue of Air & Space Quarterly, the National Air and Space Museum's signature magazine that explores topics in aviation and space, from the earliest moments of flight to today. Explore the full issue.

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