Over 100 Beechcraft Bonanzas, Barons — world’s largest civilian aircraft formation — departs La Crosse Airport on Saturday

The Bonanzas are gathering.

Around 120 of the aircraft will stage at the La Crosse Regional Airport — with around 90-100 flying in Friday 1 in preparation for their trip to Oshkosh for the EAA AirVenture airshow.

The planes have been accumulating on the La Crosse airfield since Thursday, and will depart Saturday together for Oshkosh.

For those who wish to watch, the planes will begin taxing around 11:30 a.m. and take off at 11:45 a.m. Saturday.

“The most exciting moments for Bonanzas to Oshkosh actually happen on the ground,” Colgan wrote in a news release. “Every airplane lines up on the runway at the same time, 3-abreast, with 10 feet nose-to-tail separation. (Over 100) high performance aircraft engines growling with propellers spinning, and passengers standing on wings taking pictures until Bonanza Tail taxis into position.

“It’s a magnificent sight, reminiscent of the squadrons of British and American war planes taking off to defeat fascism. Bonanza Tail will call, “In!”, the control tower will clear the formation for takeoff, and the Colgan Air Ramp Boss will begin flagging off airplanes in waves of three every 15 seconds.”

Spectators can gather in the “Cell Phone” parking lot on the right, just before you reach the airport terminal.

The gathering and trip to AirVenture began out of Rockford, Ill. back in 1990 — switching to La Crosse in 2019 and welcomed by Colgan Air Services — as a way for a few friends to camp together at the airshow.

Nine planes participated that year, and 31 more joined the next year.

After that, the phrase “Bonanzas to Oshkosh” was born, thanks to Liz Campbell. She also came up with the abbreviation, “B2OSH.” The group grew quickly, and set the official NAA World Record for a civilian formation of aircrafts in 1995 with 132 Beechcraft Bonanzas and Barons.

That number still stands, despite B2OSH exceeding it more than once. In 2018, 150 aircraft flew in the formation but sanction for a new World Record was not sought.