Pathways to progress

It’s snow covered and cold on the AirVenture grounds, as you would expect in January. But there is plenty going on as we work on the 2010 enhancements to the fly-in site.

Before the ground froze in late November, we finished putting in the electrical work for a nearly 275 campsites in Camp Scholler that will have electric and water hookups in 2010. That is in the same area as the 24-hour generator area was in 2009. It was important for us to maintain the traditional feel of places such as Paul’s Park and the 101 Woods within Camp Scholler while creating areas with upgraded services for those who might want them. All that’s left on the construction side is creating a new well for the sites with hookups.

The exact process of how these sites will be made available is still being determined, so that news should be coming real soon.

Another addition this year is a bike path between the North 40 and the Main Gate area. We’ve had a number of requests for designated pathways for those who would prefer to ride bikes between their campsite and the gate. The bike path will be next to what’s known as Foundation Road in the AirVenture traffic loop, so we don’t create bike/pedestrian conflicts inside the gate. There will also be light towers along the way that will help for that bike path and the parking lots in that area, especially after Theater in the Woods programs or movies at the Fly-In Theater.

Once the snow departs, we’ll be chip sealing a number of roads in the exhibit areas. The chip sealing will lessen the dust on those roadways, but it’s not as expensive as full asphalt, which was really a shock when we saw that estimate. I’ve included a map here that shows the roads to receive the chip seal, as well as where the expansion on Exhibit Hangar C will take place (including restrooms), and extension of some roads within the exhibit area.


Along with all this, we’ve been finalizing plans and getting bids on a variety of projects that will come along in spring. We work with a lot of great contractors in the area who take a lot of pride in the finished product that you’ll see when you get to Oshkosh.

Right now, with the snow and cold, it’s tough to think of how quickly we’ll be on the doorstep of another AirVenture. But it’s less than 200 days away!

A new countdown, a new list

We spent much of the fall planning “what’s next” for AirVenture site improvements and enhancements. While the list isn’t nearly as long or extensive as what you saw for last summer’s event, it’s still pretty significant and you’ll notice it on the grounds in 2010.

One thing I like about this year’s to-do list is that nearly all the projects relate directly to making everyone’s experience at Oshkosh even better. As we go through the winter, I can give more detail on the projects, but let’s just run through the short list of what we’re planning before the end of next July:

Exhibit Hangar C expansion
-- We’re adding 18,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space to the north side of Hangar C
-- Adding indoor restrooms on the east side of Hangar C, which can be accessed from either the exhibit hangar or from outside

North 40 aircraft camping
-- Building a new shower building along the perimeter road, about halfway between North 40 registration and the current shower building. And yes, the new shower building will also have flush toilets!

Camp Scholler
-- Establishing about 250 electrical hook-up campsites in the area currently reserved for 24-hour generator use. Those sites will cost a little more, and a process for reserving them (either a lottery or other method) will be created in the near future.
-- Maintaining no-electricity areas in some of the traditional camping areas, such as Paul’s Woods and the 101 Woods

Roads
-- Expanding the north/south road between Exhibit Hangars B & D and extending it to Kilps Road, just north of Hangars A & C. This will allow a better, more efficient tram loop to be established that will include a stop at the new restrooms.
-- Chip-sealing roads in the Flymarket area, as well as major roads in Camp Scholler and Foundation Road near the Nature Center. This will help reduce the dust created by traffic and dry conditions.


IAC building
-- Constructing a porch addition on the south side of the IAC building to help support the aerobatic group’s forums during AirVenture

Wow. Along with all that, the Warbirds are currently considering several projects and enhancements in their area, too. Combined with the usual maintenance items, that should be enough to fill our lonely hours throughout the winter and spring. We’re eager to get started and show you the next stage of progress – even if over the winter, it means wearing everything we own to stay warm outside.

Thanks for reading!

Taking a deep breath

Nearly two months have passed since AirVenture week. In case you ever thought that the grounds fold up and we all go into hibernation after the event, it’s actually a long way from that.

Almost immediately after AirVenture this year, we welcomed about 25,000 Pathfinders youth campers to the grounds for a week. If you thought it was a jammed scene during the fly-in inside Camp Scholler, it was REALLY crazy during that event (shown below), since people aren’t as familiar with the grounds.

This weekend, nearly 10,000 Boy Scouts will be using the grounds for a centennial camporee, while at the same time, we could have 100 semitrailers or more parking throughout the grounds in support of the Special Olympics “World’s Largest Truck Convoy” fundraiser. It’s just part of how the EAA grounds are used for both rental groups and community outreach efforts during the year. August and September are favorite vacation months around here too, of course, after the months of work gearing up for AirVenture.

What you’re really interested in, though, is “How did it go with the new site changes?” Overwhelmingly, I’d have to say great! The new walkways worked just as we hoped, and people really seemed to enjoy the new benches, the additional shade in some areas and so forth. By the way, the 100 benches throughout the grounds were so well-received that we have a commitment for 150 more of them. That’s good news.

I can say that with the increased attendance this year, it would have been much more difficult for people to move around if we hadn’t made the changes. One never knows how things will work until everybody arrives, but a large majority of people seemed very happy with the new configuration.

As with any new layout, there were a few things that we learned in 2009. Some places need more dumpsters. The new traffic loop created a couple of new bottlenecks to be solved, such as near the Red Barn store in Camp Scholler and near Theater in the Woods. The new flush toilets on the grounds created a demand for – you guessed it – more flush toilets.

We’ve been going through all the feedback and our own observations to make plans for 2010. In some ways, I wanted to get going right away on next year’s plans, because the past month has been about as perfect as one could want for outdoor work. But sometimes, you have to wait for the final decisions to be made. We are working on areas where some of the new grass that was planted needs a boost, with overseeding and aerating those areas.

We’re also studying what gravel roads should be paved for 2010. Traffic, dust problems and drainage are among the considerations when making those decisions. The projects for 2010 might not be as big as what we did for this year’s event, but we’re always hoping to make a step forward. The success of AirVenture this year will help us do that. Thanks again for reading, and we’ll stay in touch!

As ready as we’re going to get…

It’s tough to believe opening day is just a week away. It’s been a full-out sprint over the past few weeks, trying to get all the last minute things completed. I heard that the first airplane camper arrived in the North 40 on Sunday, so it starts to become reality now.

The volunteers have really arrived in big groups over the past week as well. Area chairmen and other volunteers are now all over the grounds. It’s great to have that many helping hands, but each area always has last-minute needs that we try to meet. It’s everything from dumpsters to electrical outlets, a little chaos that you know is coming, even if you never quite get used to it.

Some of the things that were among the last big items to be placed were the two engine and nacelle markers at the Main Gate. It really gives the entrance a different look. One thing we’re adding this year are shuttles from the Orange Lot to save people steps and get them through the Main Gate efficiently. If you’re directed to that parking lot, you’ll note that vehicles will be parked first at the west end of the lot, which will allow better shuttle service.

The paving bricks were also set near the Brown Arch, so that refurbished gateway is ready for Opening Day next Monday. There are dedications for the Main Gate and the Brown Arch on Sunday afternoon (July 26), so if you’re on the grounds, stop on by.

As hard as we work to finish everything, there will be a few things that are “still in progress.” With the dry weather in July, the grass didn’t grow as rapidly as one would hope in a perfect world. There might be a few brown spots out there, but bear with us as the new look takes hold. And we hope we got the new benches in the right locations, that the flush toilets work exactly as hoped and all the new flight line traffic routes are flawless. We’ll take our best shot, and keep trying to improve from there.

There isn’t much time to think about what it’s been like for the last 11 months on the site, but when I do a couple of things come to mind. First, the sheer number of hard-working people – EAA staff, volunteers and contractors – that made it happen. The outside contractors, almost all from the local region, treated this as more than just another job. They had personal pride in this project, just as we’ve had.

Second is the sheer change that has taken place in less than a year. There is what you’ll see above the ground, but there’s at least as much that took place under the surface. The new look will require some adapting by all of us, but I really think you’ll like the end result. I’m told that additional information on future projects will be posted at the Welcome Center near AeroShell Square, so stop in there when you’re at Oshkosh.

Finally, I can’t believe that this is the 27th update I’ve made about the grounds since late last year. When I started, I wasn’t sure what I would talk about, but we certainly found enough to mention over the months. I’ll circle back after the event to give you an update.
I hope you enjoy the improvements, and we’ll see you at Oshkosh!

One month to go

As of today, there are 30 days to go until opening day at AirVenture. That’s exciting and scary at the same time. It’s exciting because so much has happened on the site since last year that we’re eager to show off all the new things. It’s scary because there’s always a little voice in the back of your head wondering, “What did I forget?”

It’s felt like AirVenture this week on the grounds, too. Temps in the high 80s and high humidity have been rough on outside workers, but great for growing grass.


Camp Scholler opened today, with several dozen campers at the gate this morning when we began taking camping registrations. Some of them will stake out their campsites and head back home for a few weeks (yes, they do pay the daily fee for the site from the time they claim it), while others are coming in and will spend the next month volunteering on the grounds. Those people do everything from plant flowers to drive tractors, and we’re happy to have each and every one of them here.

We also have work groups from three EAA chapters here this weekend. It’s especially fun to take these people around the site and show them what’s new. I often get some good ideas from the members, since they look at the site from the outside as a visitor.


Last week the EAA staff took tram rides around the site to get an up-close look at the changes. You would think that being a staff member would make it easy to know what is going where as it happens, but each employee is so focused on their own areas that it’s tough to get a regular view of the big picture. Since staffers are EAA members, too, they have many of the same questions that attendees have about the changes.

If you’d like to see a consolidated guide to the site changes, you can download a Quick Reference Guide we put together. Just go to http://www.airventure.org/siteplan/guidechanges.html. It’s the same reference guide that the EAA staff and volunteer chairmen are receiving.

Pretty soon, we’ll start to see the tents arrive and we’ll discover how everything will fit together. The site takes on a whole new look once the tents start to go up, giving more the appearance that most everybody sees when they’re at Oshkosh.

One month to go. If we pack a million things into each of those 30 days, I think we can make it!

Always something new…

It’s amazing at how fast the grass is growing now that the sun is out. Many of the areas that were brown just a few weeks ago are now very green. A few more sunny days will help firm the ground. We may even have to mow a few of the new grass areas before AirVenture starts!



We’ve been working on another big project this week, putting a stormwater drainage system beneath the big, new Honda exhibit. It’s a big one – about 21,000 square feet – and it’s located to the east of its former location north of AeroShell Square. By now, though, we’ve dug so many holes and spread so much stone and soil that we’re actually getting pretty good at it.



I had reporter Jeff Bollier from the Oshkosh Northwestern tag along with me one day this week as well. The newspaper is doing a story about the changes to the site, including the “green” initiatives for stormwater movement that are unusual for this area. It’s an interesting story to tell and I hope people take note of it when they arrive.

It’s really odd to see the grounds without the old control tower in place. Now that the rubble has been hauled away and the grass is growing where the hill used to be, it’s hard to tell that the tower was ever there at all. The parking lot of the old tower still exists, and the FLYING Magazine pavilion will be moving there for 2009, since the EAA Sweepstakes building is now on its former corner lot.


One other addition you’ll notice this year. A very generous EAA support, Craig Willan, has committed to supply 250 all-weather concrete benches on the grounds as we update things. The first 100 benches will be here for this year’s event. That means we’ll get to do some extra weight lifting before July 27, but I think you’ll like the extra rest spots throughout the grounds.

One thing that occurs to me is that I’ve been a part of the EAA scene for more than 20 years now, and I’ve watched the site evolve from basically a summer-season tent city to something much more permanent. What you’ll see this year is just another step forward.

Two weeks from today -- Camp Scholler opens!

Filling in the gaps

For the first time, I can finally say that most of the major construction, earth-moving, and building placement projects are finished on the site. I would say that 98 percent of the landscaping is completed and grass seed is planted. Now all we need is for the grass to grow! Some of the grass that we planted two weeks ago is starting to sprout. Now, sunshine and soft rain is all we need to turn things green.

Some of the little projects still remain, such as electrical work on some of the buildings, landscaping in spot areas, and concrete pads in the food courts and exhibit areas. There are plenty of little details to finish and to talk about in the coming weeks, though.

I've included a few photos taken over the past week on the site, too. Click on the photos for a larger view. First, here's a view of the old control tower site looking southwest toward the FAA building:


Also, here's a photo looking south on Knapp Street Road, basically from the southwest side of the forums area:


Last weekend, we had more than 80 volunteers on the site. These were EAA members and Chapters from throughout the Midwest and we’re always happy to have them here. This energetic group was all over the grounds, doing things such as building picnic tables for the food courts, putting up split-rail fence at the new Bus Park, and painting some of the relocated buildings. Some of the volunteers did some retro-fitting in the volunteer bunkhouse and the Vintage Aircraft Association volunteers were doing work on their new type club/workshop building. We really appreciate their efforts and hope to see more out here in the next two months.

A couple more photos: Here one looking north along Wittman Road, the road that runs parallel to the flight line. Note how different it looks without the old control tower, which used to be just to the left of the small, light-blue building:

And finally, here's a picture taken along one of the new pedestrian thoroughfares, looking northwest toward the bus stop and the Sacred Heart Church food stand. You can see where we're hoping to see some grass grow very soon:

One of the fun things last weekend was taking the volunteers on a site tour, so they could see the changes for themselves. The most common reaction? “Wow…”

The volunteers saw that a lot of things had changed, but they’re all looking forward to AirVenture to see the final result. Some of the comments I received were that the grounds really seemed to open up after the Main Gate; that it’s going to be much easier to get to the north end of the grounds, to places such as the forum pavilions, homebuilt exhibits and the warbirds area. And EVERYBODY liked the flush toilet idea!

All of that was good to hear, because many of these volunteers have been coming to Oshkosh for 10, 20 or even 30 years and more. To many of them, it’s their site and they take great pride in it. To hear positive comments about all the work was really appreciated. Hope you’ll think the same when you get to Oshkosh this summer!