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Airventure Must-Sees

K

Koven

I'm New Here
Hi everyone,

I am trying to make plans for my first journey to Airventure! I will be staying at Camp Scholler through Wednesday and I would like to see as much as possible during my stay. While I am not currently a builder/owner, I am very interested in the RV line of aircraft as well as aviation in general. I was looking for what events/activities should be at the top of the priority list. I realize I won't be able to see everything, but I want to get the most out of this experience. Thank you in advance for all of your suggestions.

Brent Impecoven
 
Check out the forum schedules at EAA's Airventure site.
Van has a forum on Tuesday morning as well as their
dinner Tuesday evening. The Vans activities are also
on their website. Don't forget to walk through the RV
parking area, but do it on Monday or Tuesday because
a lot of RVs leave by the middle of the week.

If you are interested in building, the forums on sheetmetal,
fiberglass, etc. will be repeated every day and they are free.
They may be the best deal at OSH.

The Airventure schedules are still being updated daily.

Have a great OSH,
Tom
 
Federal Pavillon

Come fly the Wright Flyer with us at the National Park Service booth in the Federal Pavillon.
 
Hi Brent:

Pick up a copy of the forum listings when you get there (they may be online) and look through it to see which of the forums interest you.

Bring a good pair of walking shoes, and try to bring a bicycle or scooter to get back and forth from the flight line.

Resign yourself to the fact that you may not see it all :)


Hope to see you there, Terry.

Here's a few links: http://www.eaaapps.org/
 
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I would say that this year *the* event to see is Wednesday evening when Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan are speaking. This is the event that put me over the edge this year as I was debating about whether or not to attend.
 
Seaplane Base

Might not make everyone's must see list, but for me after a couple of hot days walking the show I just love taking the bus over to Lake Winnebago and sitting on the shore to watch the seaplanes come and go. It is a very cool and relaxing way to slow down for an hour or so. Give it a try. I promise you will enjoy the experience.
 
My favorite thing to do is take a walk through the flightline at dusk. After the daytime crowds and heat fade away, it's an incredibly relaxing experience. (Bring your camera!)
 
Start one morning off with breakfast at the Tall Pines cafe next to the Ultrlight area. Great biscuts and gravy along with the intertainment of watching the early morning ultralight flights.
 
Jeff Vaughan said:
Start one morning off with breakfast at the Tall Pines cafe next to the Ultrlight area. Great biscuts and gravy along with the intertainment of watching the early morning ultralight flights.
Click to expand...

Good suggestion. The ultralight area also has doughnuts and cheap bottled water. A good place to start your day. The lines at the "hot" breakfast places seem to move too slow for me.

As for things to do. Check the program and find an interesting speaker one afternoon at the museum's theater. Ditch the airshow for the relaxed coolness of the theater. One of the best things I ever did at Osh was the time I took my dad, and we were both hot and tired and stumbled into the theater to listen to a gentleman speak for an hour or so on the recon missions he flew in the U-2 and RB-57F.
 
Dont forget to stop by and pick up a certain infamous t-shirt that can't be had anywhere else!

C-YA'll there...

Cheers,
Stein
 
Did someone say the flightline at dusk?
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...

Breakfast at the Tall Pines
Watch the Ultralights until they stop.....they have a ball
take your receiver and listen to all of the arrivals
Get daily copies of the programs and attend the forums of your choice
watch one of the movies at the Fly-in theater
Put a buck or two in the can at Jerry's one-man-band
Get the freebies and learn of the new stuff at the pavillions
Bring me back a copy of this year's Amoolia poster from Aeroshell
Understand the tram routes and where they go before doing any of this
 
some future builder stops

- RV tent of course.
- Steinair booth to tease yourself with avionics
- Talk to the folks at Cleaveland tools about getting your first tools.
- HBC to see all the RV's.
- Find the workshop for basic riveting and such.

Other favorites:
- Camp Scholler at night. wow.
- The fly-in theater. (bring bug spray)
- If you have kids, KidVenture is a must. (still worth going to see the static plane displays without kids.)
- Ride all the tram routes to find other stuff and rest your feet.
 
You guys are just teasing me now! I've been to Oshkosh almost every year for the past ten years, and just thinking about the "must see" events listed is getting my adrenaline rush!

I've camped in a tent for about 5 years, rented a travel trailer twice, pulled my own travel trailer a couple of times, flew in last year and camped in Camp Scholler with friends, and in 2011, my son and I will camp in HBC with our RV for the first time. Really looking forward to another great year at Oshkosh!
 
If you're camping, you'll want to get up early before the hot water is gone in the showers. Go out and walk the flightline as the sun is coming up. Closest thing to heaven on earth!

Also, grab a folding chair and sit along the fence of the arrival runway, particularly 27 if it is being used and if it's windy. There's some darn interesting landings to watch!
 
f1rocket said:
Also, grab a folding chair and sit along the fence of the arrival runway, particularly 27 if it is being used and if it's windy. There's some darn interesting landings to watch!
Click to expand...

Get your chair ready by Sunday afternoon. Our household confirmed the other night that this year, I get to fly the full arrival. Yippe, can't wait.
 
  • Plan ahead: checkout the forum list
  • Think ahead: create your shopping list (I always restock my hardware bins) and ensure you've got enough room to bring back everything (including the SWAG )
  • Flyin if at all possible - a real bucketlist experience
  • Camp next to your plane to get the real experience
  • Bring a HHeld & sit on the flight line and watch/listen as multiple ac land simultaneously; controllers are amazing under sometimes difficult circumstances
  • Watch the "mass arrivals"
  • Ride the trams the full route to get the lay of the land
  • Watch the "accordian guy" (don't remember his name) on the corner next to the theater in the woods
  • Breakfast a the Tall Pines - good food, reasonable prices and meet a lot of folks
  • Lunch (hot dog/brat) at the Sacred Heart (think that's the name) next to the bus terminal just out side the gates - best prices; but get there early
  • Ice cream around 3pm for the air show
  • Builders dinner Thursday - good food, GREAT beer; get tickets EARLY
  • Doughnut Tuesday at the Builders HQ
  • Fly market; not Great buys, but interesting
  • Visit Vans booth
  • Visit your engine builder (Mine's Bart from Aerosport)
  • AC Spruce for a new catalog
  • Lt Dan Band, Friday; get there early
  • EAA museum
 
Friar Tuck's

A few years ago, I arrived over Ripon and saw a plane following some road headed north, NOT the abandoned railroad tracks toward Fisk. Other planes fell in line behind him, but I followed the tracks. Gradually, the other planes peeled off and fell in behind me.

Was that YOU, Scott? :D Never mind. Plead the 5th.

Since food seems to be a focus for several of you (MY kind of people!), you MUST gravitate toward the NW corner of 9-27 some evening for dinner at Friar Tuck's. Corny-looking little place, but great food, good prices and lots of airplane people snuggling up to the bar. It's a great place to rest your tired dogs and get some good grub.

Also, those doughnuts that a few have mentioned down by the ultralights are made on site at another tent not too far from airshow center on the main drag. Don't know the name of it, but there's nothing like getting those doughnuts HOT in the morning! MMMmmm ...!

Watching airplanes arrive and land is a great way to take a rest from wandering around and relax a little. Slap on some sunscreen, take along some liquid refreshment, plop down in the grass or on a chair, kick off your shoes and socks and just watch the fun. Good times.

If it makes you feel any better, this is my 22nd year at Oshkosh (I think), and I've never seen it all. Never been to the seaplane base, sadly. Might have to change that this year ...
 
Friar Tuck's

I'll second the Friar Tuck's experience!

I had the pleasure of sitting down at the table next to Don and his lovely wife (at Friar Tuck's) for lunch one day a year or two ago. Really enjoyed meeting them and talking RV's. Great folks!
 
Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions, many of which I had not considered. The VAF community is truly the best. My schedule continues to fill, and I hope to see some of you there. I'm really starting to get excited now!

Brent Impecoven
 
Take the 10 minute bus ride to the seaplane base towards the end of the Friday airshow. A local Oshkosh charity (I forget which) sponsors a Friday evening fish fry. Verify the time in the program then plan to arrive a little early, as the food sells out! Great fish and chips in a setting that seems a world away from the frenetic pace of the main campus and military airshow. It's hard to describe the serenity of the still water, gentle breeze and seaplanes drifting on their moorings, all backed by overhanging trees, green Wisconsin hills and distant barns and grain silos. The natives of the seaplane base fit the setting - airplane people through and through, but with just a little 'different' slant on aviation. You won't regret the experience!
 
DakotaHawk said:
It wasn't me! It must have been the other Scott!:eek:
Click to expand...

Sorry for the confusion, Scott. That friendly barb was pointed at Scott CARD, and I forgot to quote him about getting to finally fly the whole approach when I replied.

I probably started thinking about the food at Friar's and spaced out. :D
 
Let's see...

Fresh warm doughnuts in the morning, soft serve ice cream in the afternoon, & cold beer in the evening! Yep, that's my shopping list. I think I'm ready...:D
 
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