OSHKOSH

[scoobysnack]

Making the trip this year, just wondered if anyone had any tips for a first timer! I hear the gate can have long waits, looked online but cant seem to understand the system to pre-book. Any help/tips greatfully recieved.

[paulc]

Have been for the last 4 years (finger crossed this year as well) and it is well worth it. As for tips it does depend on what your interests are as there are lots of interesting things to see and do. The show grounds have aircraft parking area such as warbird / vintage / homebuilts / ultralights so plenty to choose from there. It is also possible to take flights in a Ford Trimotor (book early for this) and a Bell 47 which operates from the Museum (again get there early) The museum itself is worth a visit especially if one of the days is poor weatherwise. It is also possible to fly in the EAA B17 but again it is best to book this a few weeks in advance. Make a plan for each day and try to stick to it - otherwise you will end up with a case of 'headless chicken' syndrome.
Wear comfortable walking shoes / sunscreen & a water bottle - there are plenty of taps to fill up at. If you are after any clothing then get them early as sometimes they do run out of popular items. Each day a paper is published giving details of the flying display during the afternoon - very handy for not missing something. (look out for the DC3 mass arrival on Monday) The paper also details the various speakers etc and they have some fascinating lectures
(last year they had the crew of the A320 that ditched in the Hudson + many more)
Look at the EAA website for map of the grounds and try to pick out some of the areas that might be of interest. The grounds also have a 'tram' network which is great for getting around + saving the feet.

Any more info then drop me a line and I will see if I can help

[max roll rate]

Entrance queues are very rarely longer than 15 mins with about a dozen people 'taking your money' at each booth.
The warbird park is brilliant with lines of 40 Harvards, a dozen or more Mustangs etc the norm.
The first thing we saw in 2007 was a bright yellow RV on amphibious floats.

Don't expect an airshow quite like the UK ones - there will be big gaps and lots of aerobatics and no published itinerary as far as I can tell. However you will see lots of planes you've never even heard of.

Take a good pair of walking shoes you'll need them! They do get the occasional rain shower/thunderstorm but it's usually very warm. Make the most of the trams and definitely take the bus for a dollar to the seaplane base. (Worth an afternoon in itself). You'll never see it all so make plans to go back next year.

Have a nice trip.

[jxk]

When I went, I stayed in the town of SHEBOYGAN and drove out to Oshkosh; about a one hour drive. In Sheboygan there are the usual Holiday Inns etc. and there doesn't seem to be any problems with obtaining accommodation at normal rates. There are plenty of good restaurants in the town. The queueing process at Oshkosh, as mentioned earlier, is orderly and relatively quick for such a large event.
I hope you enjoy it!

[Mark 1]

If you haven't done so already, then I'd suggest joining the EAA and getting the member's rate. Pre-booking is through EAA AirVenture Oshkosh - The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration pre-booking available upto 15th June. You pay online, print out a bar-code that gets you straight through the ticket kiosk.

Get the full experience by camping there. Local private housing is also usually available up to the event.

I'll be flying in for the first time this year (3,500 mile round trip), which should put old PFA rallies into perspective.

There's always a special booth for overseas visitors with staff to help you with any problems. The overall organisation is much better than similar European events; very little queuing.

[fernytickles]

Wish you were here? Just over a month to go

EAA Main Player

Mark, & others, you might find quite a lot of your questions answered on Oshkosh365.com

See youse all t/here

[JEM60]

My sixth time last year. Obviously getting older. There is a large amount of walking to do, of course, and last year I bought a portable chair as soon as I arrived. This is well worth doing, and I gave it away at the end of the week, but it was worth every dollar. Temperatures can get over100 degrees. First time I went it reached 105!!!. I tended to go straight to the Warbird park, and then spend time watching the arrivals on the adjacent runway. Down to the main runway for the show, I found that the best location for photography, video etc., is opposite the building marked CLOUD 9. If you make friends at the various security posts along the crowd line, they have a complete list of timings, displays etc.,
Too much competition type aerobatics for me, but many people like it. As someone says, don't expect the same standard of flying as U.K. shows. Lots of straight line passes.
Six times was enough for me, got a bit sameish for me last year., but you WILL love it. Much to see. Let us know how you liked it. Cheers./

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[F24]

Buffalo Airways taking 2 DC-3's to Oshkosh

Buffalo Airways DC-3 Pre-Oshkosh Video-
http://www.eaa.org/video/eaa.html?videoId=110918534001
They’re flying 2 down, 1 for the PAX, 1 for the camping gear!

Boy, that’s doing Oshkosh in style!