It’s almost here: The big event, the giant airshow, the humongous fly-in, and the aviation trade show for pilots. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is just around the corner (July 21-27), and folks are already itching to be there. I see folks posting online, seeking out the daily schedule of performers and trying to find places to sleep that aren’t highway robbery (Hint: tent).
It’ll be someone’s gazillionth time going, and it could well be your first time there. Let me share something with you about AirVenture: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Read the NOTAM carefully, if you’re flying in. Park your plane, tie it down, and start roaming the grounds. It’ll be hard to find a stranger at Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH). Pilots love to talk about flying, and you’ll learn the history on every plane you stop to look at, if the owner is within earshot. When I say you almost can’t go wrong at AirVenture, I mean it.
My first time attending, I flew up with a local pilot from near Atlanta, and we split the gas. I attended forums there, one of which was a speaking engagement by Gordon Baxter, a legend in the world of aviation storytellers. As Baxter talked, a little light came on in the back of my head. If I could write for an aviation magazine, I could go to airshows, pick out the coolest birds, and go fly them for a cover story.
Spoiler alert: It almost never works that way. But the notion did send me down the path to these pages of Plane & Pilot, which has been an amazing opportunity to do some really cool stuff.
There are folks who would spend all day telling you the greatest things to do at AirVenture. Here’s my must-do list, and it’s quite a bit shorter—because when I’m there, I’m working and usually missing out on the normal things attendees do. Disclosure: I have no affiliation with any brands mentioned.
Come early: I flew in two days early last year, and they’re my all-time favorite two days out of all my AirVenture trips. There’s no daily airshow, and most of the vendors aren’t set up. It’s a field of pilots and their airplanes, making friends and swapping stories. In my mind, that’s what a fly-in should be.
Seaplane base: A few bucks for the bus ride is money well spent. I finally went last year for the first time, and now I regret having never been before.In a shaded grove along the lakeshore, it’s cooler (physically and figuratively) than the sweltering main showground. There are picnic tables and quiet places to sit. Even when wind and waves hamper seaplane operations, it’s just a very different vibe from the main show. You can question any other point on my list, but not this one.
Garmin renewals: If you’re a Garmin user, it sells database renewals at the big tent. Have your account and equipment information in hand, and get your renewals done with the AirVenture discount.
Vintage Aircraft Association: Check out the airplanes that are parked in the vintage section. There’s no stuffiness, and they lean into the younger generations of pilots and enthusiasts.
Ice cream at show center: Rallying up the friends for vanilla cones at the location near the International Aerobatic Club tent is always a good time.
Wipaire display: Swing by it for a selfie with the AirVenture Fun meter. It stays maxed out for the week.
Workshops: Fabric covering, welding, and sheet metal work are staples of the lineup, and getting a taste of these skills at the show might lead to something financially reckless, like tools and an aircraft project following you home.
Cheese curds: It’s cheese—fried. You really can’t go wrong, unless you have gluten issues, as they are battered. A few vendors offer cheese curd tacos. As long as you’re not flying home to renew your FAA medical, they’re worth a try.
Completely unrelated: There are flushing toilets in the bathrooms attached to the exhibit hangars. Portable toilets are what you should expect, and they’re serviced daily. But sometimes you need air conditioning, running water, and a solid place to sit and consider your life choices. Debate your next airplane purchase in the exhibit hangar restrooms.
Camping: Most of the P&P magazine crew think I’m bonkers, but 2007 was the only year I slept under a solid roof for Oshkosh. Whether you tent camp with your plane or car, or drive a giant RV, camping on-site is the way to do it. You wake up, unzip the tent flap, and it’s airplanes stretching to the horizon. You won’t get that at the Super 8 or Motel 6.
RV reservations usually sell out quickly, but there are no reservations needed for pilots flying in. There’s no traffic or parking to worry about when you never leave, and the night events are great.
My favorite hack for airplane camping is that I now carry inflatable loungers, those banana-shaped nylon things. They work as a couch, bed, and elevated gear storage in the tent to keep things above the water level if it comes a gullywasher.
Night moves: Stick around into the evening. In addition to the night airshows, which are must-see, there are radio control demonstrations at the ultralight field, where illuminated models fly amazing displays.
Talk to strangers: Everyone at the show is a friend, but most of them you just haven’t met. Feel free to say hello, ask where folks are from, and get ready for long sessions of stories.
I will share one downside of flying into Oshkosh for AirVenture: Don’t set expectations, especially regarding where you’ll park. If you’re taxiing up in a shiny, old airplane, you’re probably sporting a sign for parking in Vintage, hoping to park near the show center. When you taxi past vintage into general camping, past a sign that says, “Welcome to Fond Du Lac,” and on for another 90 rows, it’ll do no good getting worked up. They’ll park you where they park you.
Unless your bird looks like it’ll take the gold medal home, just park where they send you. As long as you’re within the airport fence when you drive your tie-downs into the dirt, you’ve got a spot that’s good enough.
I’m not planning to attend AirVenture this year. I’ve got a couple other things going, some of which you will likely read about in Plane & Pilot in coming months. Despite having an amazing day job with a goodly bit of time off and schedule control, there simply aren’t but so many days in a month. I’ll be having some airplane fun, just without the tens of thousands of friends joining me.
But have a cheese curd taco for me, please. My cholesterol levels will thank you for that. Enjoy the show, and I’ll see you in Oshkosh sometime in the future.
