Pilots headed to air show in Oshkosh make annual stop at La Crosse airport

For over 100 pilots who travel to the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh every summer, the La Crosse Regional Airport becomes a popular gathering place on the way to the big event.

Once again this weekend, the Bonanzas to Oshkosh club parked its planes near the Colgan Air Service in the days leading up to Saturday’s group departure from LSE. Many travelers with the group wore custom-made yellow T-shirts to identify them as members of the same flying community.

The Bonanza plane owners first made La Crosse a stop on their EAA schedules five years ago, after decades of getting together in Rockford, Illinois before the last leg of the journey to Oshkosh, and have been returning regularly every July.

One organizer of the Bonanza gathering, Mike Franceus, says 107 total planes made it to La Crosse this year, 90 Bonanza single-engine planes, and 17 twin-engine Baron models. Franceus says the number of planes stopping in La Crosse has gone as high as 140.

Another frequent flyer with the group, Carlee Szarek of California, says she has attended the EAA for 23 years, practically her entire life. Szarek says traveling with the Bonanza group is “like a family reunion” and “like being in heaven.”

The Bonanza gathering comes a month after the most recent Deke Slayton Airfest in La Crosse, which was highlighted by the Blue Angels precision flying team.