EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 brings ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ WomenVenture

OSHKOSH - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is less than a month away and organizers have unveiled the film lineup for the Fly-In Theater and details about this year’s EAA WomenVenture.

The Experimental Aircraft Association's 70th fly-in convention will be July 24-30 at Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport. Ticket and camping information is at www.EAA.org/airventure or call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322).

Here’s what to know about the Fly-In Theater and WomenVenture programming.

Fly-In Theater brings ‘Top Gun’ movies, ‘Amelia’ and ‘Devotion,’ among others

Last year’s biographical film highlighting Medal of Honor recipient Tom Hudner and Jesse Brown leads this year’s schedule of aviation movies at the Fly-In Theater during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023.

The Fly-In Theater is part of the daily schedule at the convention. For more than 15 years, it has been a tradition for AirVenture attendees. Located adjacent to EAA’s Camp Scholler campground, the Fly-In Theater provides a chance to relax after a long day of air shows, exhibits and workshops.

The nightly movies are shown on a five-story-high movie screen and introduced by personalities ranging from aviation legends to Hollywood superstars.

The Fly-In Theater films, which are included with AirVenture daily and weekly admission, are shown nightly from July 22 through July 29, weather permitting, beginning at 8:30 p.m.

For many of the films, special guests connected with the film or the aircraft involved will help introduce the screening. Here's the lineup:

• July 22: “Top Gun” (1986) — The all-time favorite film about naval aviation starring Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards and Val Kilmer.

• July 23: “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022) — Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller update the story of Capt. Pete Mitchell as a legendary test pilot called back to train a new group of hot shots.

• July 24: “Tail Spin” (1939) — Alice Faye, Constance Bennett and Nancy Kelly star in this drama centered on three female pilots competing in the Cleveland Air Races.

• July 25: “The Great Waldo Pepper” (1975) — A World War I veteran pilot takes up barnstorming and teams up with a fellow war veteran to perform stunts. Starring Robert Redford and Bo Svenson.

• July 26: “Amelia” (2009) — Hilary Swank stars in this biographical film about the life of Amelia Earhart from the beginning of her aviation interest to her disappearance in 1937.

• July 27: “Flight of the Intruder” (1991) — Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe and Brad Johnson star in a Vietnam War thriller about a pilot and navigator who execute an unauthorized strike on Hanoi.

• July 28: “Devotion” (2022) — Glen Powell and Jonathan Majors star in a retelling of the bond between  Tom Hudner and Jesse Brown during the Korean War.

• July 29: “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines” (1965) — A comedy about a British newspaper publisher who organizes an air race from London to Paris to promote British aviation. Starring Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles and Terry-Thomas.

WomenVenture will commemorate 30 years of women flying combat missions in the U.S. military

Celebrating women advancing in aviation, including 30 years of flying active-duty combat aircraft, will be part of EAA WomenVenture July 26 during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

EAA WomenVenture has become an annual gathering point for women involved in aviation, from the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II to teenagers involved in EAA’s GirlVenture day camp that week.

According to a news release, the programs are designed to encourage and inspire women who want to pursue their dreams of flight.

Events will be held all week, with an emphasis on July 26 activities, including commemoration of 30 years of women flying combat missions in the U.S. military.

Here’s a look at what's planned:

All week:

• EAA WomenVenture Center, at Aviation Gateway Park, features exhibitors and events that support women in aviation.

July 24:

• Ice cream social (event is sold out)

July 26:

• Annual WomenVenture group photo at 11 a.m. at Boeing Plaza.

• Power Lunch, Theater in the Woods (event is sold out), with keynote speaker Michelle “Mace” Curran, author and former U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilot, presenting “Upside Down Dreams.”

• Evening program, Theater in the Woods, 6:30 p.m., with pioneering women military pilots Jeannie Leavitt, Sharon Preszler and Martha McSally, plus more women pilots who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

July 26-29:

• Evening activities hosted by exhibitors on WomenVenture Center patio.

July 27:

• Female aviation authors featured all day at EAA WomenVenture Center.

More information is available at EAA.org/WomenVenture, including how to register for a free commemorative WomenVenture T-shirt, designed by EAA member Leticia Williamson.

Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 brings ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ WomenVenture