American Barnstormers Tour Coming to AirVenture 2018

March 1, 2018 - The American Barnstormers Tour will bring 12 vintage Travel Air biplanes to five cities in five states in the three weeks before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018, culminating in a mass arrival to Oshkosh on July 22, the Sunday before AirVenture kicks off.  

The three-week tour begins in Jefferson City, Missouri on July 5, and continues through Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota before the penultimate stop in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. From there, the Travel Airs will fly to Oshkosh.

Any and all vintage Beechcraft, Cessna, Stearman, or Travel Air airplanes from the Golden, Silver, and Classic ages are encouraged to join the American Barnstormers Tour in their mass arrival to Oshkosh, as long as they reach Chippewa Valley Regional Airport (KEAU) by 9 a.m. Central time.

Pilots are welcome to fly in to individual stops and join the festivities in each city. Five of the 12 Travel Airs will give rides at each stop, with the other seven on static display. Rides are $80 per passenger, and stories will be shared on the static aircraft via formal daily presentations given in period-appropriate attire.  This event is free to attend, and programming varies from stop to stop.  

Mike Rinker, one of the pilots flying his Travel Air on the tour, will feature aerial demonstrations daily, weather permitting. More information on the 2018 American Barnstorming Tour, the largest gathering of Travel Air biplanes in the modern day, can be found on the group’s Facebook page.