Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Wednesday's Update: Rain Jinx in Effect as Storms Hit

Tuesday, we reported the grounds were in excellent condition after days of dry weather. Sorry about that jinx. AirVenture 2011 saw its first substantial rains Wednesday, as nearly an inch fell during off-and-on showers in the morning. Here's a brief update from around the grounds as of 8 p.m. CDT Wednesday:
  • The rains came at the worst time, just before gates opened for the day. Thus, the grounds had no time to absorb any of the rain before it saw vehicle and foot traffic. "Slimy" conditions exist in areas that saw heavy use on Wednesday.

  • The good news, however, is that an approaching line of storms that was expected to hit Oshkosh in the late afternoon never materialized and made way for sunny, evening skies.
  • The revamped drainage system helped move water quickly off-site, and grounds started to soak up puddles as the sky cleared. We'll hope the skies remain clear overnight as Thursday is forecasted to be dry during the day.
  • Crews will be working overnight - assessing areas that saw the most damage from foot and/or vehicle traffic, and where to apply either stone or wood chips to improve accessibility.
  • Top priority will be to fix areas in the parking lots and exhibit areas, and tomorrow they will move over into the campgrounds.
  • In the aircraft parking area,crews continue to assess ground conditions and are marking turf areas that should be avoided. As always, pilots should use extra caution when taxiing off of paved surfaces.
  • As of 4:15 p.m., the GA Camping Area is approximately 95% full and the General Aviation Parking Area is approximately 85% full. Both of these areas are only able to accommodate single-engine aircraft. Non-showplane twin-engine aircraft must seek accommodations at the FBOs.
Keep checking back on the Aircraft Parking Status page for more information.

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