The invitation system that aviation uses for its greatest gathering is as arcane as it is strangely heart-warming. It feels real to me when the FAA and EAA conspire to remind us, via the official Oshkosh AirVenture NOTAM, of the VFR arrival melee that somehow winds up getting many thousands of airplanes and their slightly harried pilots safely to the field. But even before then, I think it starts with the EAA giving us a theme, which, as often as not, has to do with what cool airplanes it's managed to wrangle for its A-List roster. Still, as far as themes go, unless there's a big anniversary (and even then), it's hard to keep track of such things, let alone get into the swing of them. After all, we already know that there are going to be amazing airplanes and aviators there. Who needs a theme?
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