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OSH veterans: help me choose when to go

digidocs

digidocs

Well Known Member
If you could only spend three days at OSH this year, when would you go?

My father and I are flying up this year, and it will be the first time for both of us. Since we're rookies, I don't really know how best to see the show in three days. It would be a thrill to actually land at OSH, but that is not a strict requirement. Is that even possible if you don't arrive on Saturday/Sunday? Lastly, we're staying in the dorms if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the help!
-DC
 
If your going to see vendors you need to be early, as they get busy and tired over the week. If you are going to see planes the best days would be wednesday to friday ... it seams to have the most birds in transition.
 
First part of week

We have been going up the first part of the week the last times we visited. Monday see the Doobies concert this year. Catch the vendors while they are fresh. We sit outside at the Y on Sunday and watch the planes come in in packs.
 
Leaving too

I've never come early enough to watch the birds arriving (but would like to one day), but if you cant swing that, watching them leave is pretty cool too. Sat morning is a pretty good day to watch mass exits of planes. Get up ealry, grab a cup of coffee and a chair and watch the parade of planes go by. I will say, if you want to see the homebuilts on display, try and get there before the weekend. As stated above, I notice a lot of them are leaving by saturday morning and sunday is a like a ghost town as most have already left. No matter when you come though, you'll love it...I was floored by my first trip! :)
 
When to go

Are you flying a homebuilt, if so parking and camping is not an issue, if spam can, its a crapshoot. I liked going into FonDuLoc for ease, shuttles are reasonable cost and run all day.
 
One of these days I'm going to wait until Sunday to return home. That way I won't miss the huge Saturday warbird event (mass formations, bombing runs, etc).
 
This will be my 4th year, so I am still pretty new. I have gone early twice, and late once.

I was a little suprised last year when we went the last half of the week. A lot of people were leaving the camping area, several of the RV-10's had already left.

In years past I have enjoyed the arrivals on Sunday, and the excitement at the start of the show. It all felt a little stale last year.
 
Keep in mind that on some years, the airport has closed for new arrivals after the 1st day or 2, then opens back up. You might want to check a more official source than me on how often that happens, so you don't get hung up. This will be my 25th year, and I never get tired of going! Hope this helps. Glenn
 
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two photos at HBC (homebuilt camping)

I actually found this both funny and a little disturbing, funny because everyone left so fast and disturbing because did they know something I didn't :) My friend and I flew in from Vancouver BC so we did the whole week, we saw them all arrive and all leave....

July 30 2008 Wednesday morning
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27410215@N06/3620198036/

August 2 2008 Saturday afternoon
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27410215@N06/3620198636/

Mark Mercier
RV-7A C-GQRV
Vancouver BC
 
I'd say earlier!

This will be my 14th year in a row which still puts me at newbie status to many of you and typically I showed up around Wednesday. The last two years we showed up on Friday or Saturday before the show started and have had a blast.
When we arrived on Friday night (before the show started) last year the fields were still wide open. It was fun to watch them fill up through Saturday and Sunday. Everyone is excited and the energy level is a couple of notches higher.
The concert is great and all the booths are fully staffed with plenty of oil, t-shirts, hats and free promo stuff.

There is one advantage to coming on Wednesday or later though. We always were able to get a great camp spot because people start leaving on Wednesday. If you showed up on Monday and are camping, which I also highly recommend, you may just have a little longer walk but it really does not matter.
My first few years I would stay with relatives in Appleton and then stayed at a hotel for a couple of years before I realized how great the camping facilities are and how much fun it is just to hang out there. We would bring a tent with an inflatable mattress and have a great time. Lately we have been renting a motorhome or trailer that is all set up when we land which is nice but much more expensive. (but I also have my wife there for 8 days)

Like I've said before, Oshkosh is my favorite holiday, sorry Christmas.
 
gbrasch said:
Keep in mind that on some years, the airport has closed for new arrivals after the 1st day or 2, then opens back up. You might want to check a more official source than me on how often that happens, so you don't get hung up. This will be my 25th year, and I never get tired of going! Hope this helps. Glenn
Click to expand...
Glenn hit it on the head. If you are flying a spam can (still better than driving or walking!) then it is really a **** shoot getting in on Monday or Tuesday. If you're in a showplane (homebuilt, antique, or P-51) then you will always get a spot on the field. Granted, it might not be a great spot if you get there late, but it will be a spot on KOSH.

I would come Monday and leave Wednesday if you want to look at RVs or other homebuilts. By Friday afternoon (sooner or later depending on the big wx picture) the RV parking corral will be over 1/2 empty. Vendors start gettgin cranky too. If you really want to watch the arrivals, they happen on Sunday not Monday. All the mass arrivlas (Cessnas, Mooneys etc) as well as the big RV formation arrival are all on Sunday, plus about 80% of the total arrivals for the show.
 
My First

This will be my first, all the way from Hong Kong for the whole week. Read so much about it, so many things I wanna do. The only concern I have is don't know what's happening and when is happening, and end up missing things that I wanna see.
 
HighSchoolBuilders said:
The only concern I have is don't know what's happening and when is happening, and end up missing things that I wanna see.
Click to expand...

You can go on line and down load a schedule of events, or when you get there they will give you a schedule. At night I go over the next day's events and make a schedule for forums, demonstrations, events, etc.

Good luck!
 
Airventure Scheduler - New and Improved for 2009

HighSchoolBuilders said:
This will be my first, all the way from Hong Kong for the whole week. Read so much about it, so many things I wanna do. The only concern I have is don't know what's happening and when is happening, and end up missing things that I wanna see.
Click to expand...

You can plan your trip with the new and improved Airventure scheduler.

Also, note that this year if you have an iPhone or Blackberry or similar device, you can keep up with the Schedule changes as you walk around Airventure.

There is so much to do that I compare it to Disney World. You just have to pick the things you want to do and do them, knowing you can't do them all. I don't get to go every year, but I like to plan my days in morning and afternoon activities and try to stick to my agenda. I try to allow some flexibility; for example, some of the forums are "must sees." The place is so big that you need to plan where you're going to go, because you can easily find yourself walking too much and not doing what you really want to do.

Good luck!

Don

P.S. Here's a plug for NASA engineer, RV-8 pilot and builder, and VAF Forums Contributor Paul Dye. He's on the schedule to speak about the Space Shuttle and how it flies. Be aware there are TWO "Paul Dye's" on the schedule. It appears the other one wrote a book about being a missionary pilot. I don't think our "Paul Dye" has that in his impressive aviation resume.
 
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