EAA Aviation Museum Adds Six Historic Aircraft

The Oshkosh museum has expanded its collection with several significant flight-era replicas and vintage wartime planes.

Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Air Travel

Screen-print poster illustration of a vintage airplane silhouette hanging in a hangar, representing historic aviation milestones at the EAA Aviation Museum. — The EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh has expanded its exhibition collection by adding six new vintage and replica aircraft. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh has officially added six new aircraft to its exhibits. The collection now features a mix of unique replicas and loaner vintage planes from notable eras in aviation history.

Why it matters

Expanding the museum collection allows the facility to provide visitors with a more comprehensive look at diverse aviation milestones. These additions highlight specific technological leaps and historical achievements in flight.

The new additions include a Douglas World Cruiser replica, which took 20 years to build, and a Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, a model known for its seven-to-one win-loss ratio. These pieces join a collection that now spans from the 1912 Epps Monoplane to WWII-era technology.

The players

EAA Aviation Museum

This facility serves as a prominent aviation museum located in Oshkosh that preserves historical aircraft.

Michigan Ultralight Association

This group is a regional organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of ultralight aircraft and aviation history.

John Moody

He is an aviation pioneer known for completing the first flight of the Icarus II at Long Lake.

The details

The museum expanded its collection with the addition of the Icarus II, donated by the Michigan Ultralight Association, alongside a P-40 Warhawk, a PBY-5A Catalina, and an Epps Monoplane replica. Three of these WWII-era aircraft were secured by the museum through loans from private and institutional collections.

The original Epps Monoplane was built in 1912.
Douglas World Cruiser crews famously circled the globe in 1924.
John Moody performed the first flight of the Icarus II on March 15, 1975.
The six aircraft were installed at the museum in October 2026.

Travel Outlook

The acquisition of these six aircraft extends the EAA Aviation Museum's existing efforts to curate and preserve significant milestones in flight technology. Such institutional expansions often serve to drive seasonal tourism and attract enthusiasts during peak museum visitation months.

Visitors planning a trip to the Oshkosh facility can now view these six new aircraft in person as part of the museum's updated collection. Checking the official museum calendar is recommended for those traveling specifically to see the latest WWII-era loaner planes.

The takeaway

These additions provide a rare opportunity to see historical aircraft spanning over a century of flight evolution. Museum-goers can use these exhibits to better understand the distinct engineering challenges faced by pilots in both the early 20th century and the WWII era.