By Catherine Warmkessel

With so much history in aviation, it is always important to look back at the start to move forward. The Warbirds Tram Tour is a great introduction to the start of military aviation history.

The narrated tram ride through the Warbirds area on the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh grounds could be called “The Great Warbirds Experience” because if you ask people after their tour what they thought, they’ll tell you it was a great experience.

The 30-minute tour operates at AirVenture through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the route covers all 12 zones of the Warbirds area.

The free tour begins at the tram station located at the intersection of Eide Road and the P-1 Taxiway, adjacent to Warbird Alley. They do recommend people give a $5 donation, although it is not required.

This is the 17th year of the tradition, thanks to 40-50 volunteers who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable, as well as 2026 sponsors Hartzell Propeller, Concorde Battery, Covington Aircraft Engines, Tempest Aero Group, Heritage Aero, and Mini-Max Tugs.

Vic Krause was one of the original people who came up with the idea to create a tram ride through the Warbirds area, similar to what Walt Disney did for his theme parks. He said the idea actually started with friends eating pizza in a garage, and the trams now carry 7,000-10,000 people throughout the Warbirds area each AirVenture.

“I used to walk up to people and basically usher them onto the tram,” Vic said. Now there is a line of people waiting to get in. “It’s a great Warbird experience,” he said.

The trams provide shade and a seat, and are a perfect way to figure out what airplanes you really want to go back to see after. 

The Krause and Gelhar families, particularly Joseph Gelhar, work to keep the trams working and spend the week before the fly-in convention to set everything up.