Oshkosh Home Built Camping

[Jerry Fischer]

Greetings to all Home Built campers for air Venture 2016.
We are planning some nice improvements to this year's event.
1. Hope to have additional capacity in the toilet trailer.
2. A larger tent for our gatherings with more picnic tables + BBQ grilles
3. Working on some other surprises.
4. Tram Stop with benches just adjacent to HBC fence. (schedule posted on Bldg.)
5. Revised policy on bicycles: We at Air Venture want to accommodate our camper guests as much as possible while observing the safety & rules set forth by the EAA.
The following suggestions are being made with these goals in mind.
A. The use of bicycles is not permitted on Air Venture grounds outside of approved areas during the days of Air Venture. The approved areas do not include aircraft parking areas such as Home Built Camping. Safety issues are our biggest concern. Campers may keep bicycles outside of the perimeter fence in areas designated to park them. They are the responsibility of the owner/camper to keep properly secured. You may certainly keep your personal fold-up bikes in your tent/aircraft, you just can?t ride them until they are outside the fence during the show days.
B. Storage of bicycles has become a concern after Air Venture since we do have limited space for storage of essentials used to mark parking for planes, etc. After Air Venture or when a camper wishes to leave a bicycle, they will have to arrange to have it stored offsite or donated to a charitable organization such as The Salvation Army.
C. We are offering free shuttle & Welcome Wagon pick-up @ Home built Camping building and outside fence @ pick up stop for shuttle. Please check the schedule for shuttle runs posted on building as well as phone number to call for Welcome Wagon. This will alleviate the need for personal transportation during your stay as well as lighten your cargo for your plane, which is a good thing right?
D. The volunteer staff will do all we can to make sure your experience here is a great one, so we are hoping this clarification will ease your concerns. Now go have a blast. That is all carry on?

[Auburntsts]

Jerry,
Thanks for the info! Will there be an attempt to allow arrivals to indicate the "zone" they'd prefer to park at in HBC while taxing in?. I know this has been done the past--although no one asked us last year when we arrived on Sunday. That said, we lucked out and got parked in what ended up being a great spot for us-- just North of the "hardstand" which is basically at the back (East end) of HBC very near the facilities. We'd really like to try and park in the same area if we can.

[Jerry Fischer]

Hi Todd,
Not sure about camping signage for parking. I think Jeff Point or one of the parking crew will read this and respond accordingly. If you check back I think your question will be answered shortly.

[Guy Prevost]

This is great news--Especially the tram stop. We're planning on camping in HBC with a 3 year old and a 1 year old this year.

[rleffler]

Originally Posted by Auburntsts

Jerry,
Thanks for the info! Will there be an attempt to allow arrivals to indicate the "zone" they'd prefer to park at in HBC while taxing in?. I know this has been done the past--although no one asked us last year when we arrived on Sunday. That said, we lucked out and got parked in what ended up being a great spot for us-- just North of the "hardstand" which is basically at the back (East end) of HBC very near the facilities. We'd really like to try and park in the same area if we can.

If I remember Jeff's comments from last year accurately, they allow us to request an area until HBC starts getting full or they get busy. I've arrived on Saturday morning the last two years and was asked my preference on parking both years. I suspect HBC is pretty full Sunday afternoon.

[Auburntsts]

Originally Posted by rleffler

If I remember Jeff's comments from last year accurately, they allow us to request an area until HBC starts getting full or they get busy. I've arrived on Saturday morning the last two years and was asked my preference on parking both years. I suspect HBC is pretty full Sunday afternoon.

It wasn't, at least not last year when we got there around 12:30 on Sunday. I'd estimate it was a little over half full at that point with only the first half of each section completely filled in. I suspect that whomever marshaled us in was a newbie and simply didn't know to or just forgot to ask. No worries as it worked out for us in the end.

[rleffler]

Originally Posted by Jerry Fischer

We are planning some nice improvements to this year's event.
1. Hope to have additional capacity in the toilet trailer.

This is one area in which it's probably hard to exceed expectations. You can never have enough air conditioned porcelain thrones.

Originally Posted by Jerry Fischer

4. Tram Stop with benches just adjacent to HBC fence. (schedule posted on Bldg.)

Which fence is considered the HBC fence? Isn't there fences on three sides of HBC? Is this in additional to the traditional stop at the corner near Warbirds?

Please confirm that the showers from last year are making a return engagement.

thanks,

bob

[sprucemoose]

To Todd's question- for those not aware of the procedure, this thread explains it all: http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...d.php?t=114699

I'll direct the reader to post #26 for a debriefing of the first year. In particular, on point #5, "We kept this up until about noon on Sunday. By that time things had filled up enough that the three areas pretty much ran together, not to mention we were too busy with arrivals to take the time. So consider noon Sunday to be the cutoff for "getting there early."

Further on in that thread it discuss some changes made to the grounds for 2015 and our discussion around those changes. 2015 saw the movement of the facilities to the west end of HBC, effectively turning areas 2 & 3 into the same area. Furthermore, 2016 will see further re-tooling of the entire area to accommodate additional homebuilt parking (non-camping) as well as some expected overflow from North 40 GAC aircraft due to construction in that area. Basically, HBC will be pushed further west and will take of the entire area north of the P-1 taxiway (the old red auto lot) which is closer to the new North 40 shower house. This means the old #1 area will no longer be part of HBC but will be more RV parking (non-camping.)

Follow all that? Good, because what it basically means is that there is no longer much of a distinction between the old 1,2 and 3 areas like there was a few years ago. We may or may not continue this procedure in light of that; those discussions are going on now as we build up to this years' event.

[uk_figs]

Jerry
Sounds good, I like the idea of bigger tent and more grills as we plan to do my TexasDog buddy's trick with the cooler and cookout.

Tram update is good also.

Keep it up.

Figs

[texdog]

Figs,

When are you going? Judie and I are staying in Portage Sunday night.