Settling In for Winter

Nothing lets you know that summer is definitely over than the first snowfall of the season. Oshkosh got that message loud and clear last Wednesday, as about 3 inches of heavy, wet snow hit the area. Thankfully, prior to then we were blessed with great weather these last few months that resulted in an extended growing season to help expedite ground repairs.

Crews stayed busy making their usual clean-up and repair work, most notably filling in and smoothing over ruts left in Camp Scholler. They have also worked with airport personnel to replant grass along the turf taxiway next to Runway 9/27, and also reseeded the area damaged by the F-16 overrun at the north end of Runway 18/36.

Now the big question, what's in store for 2012? No surprise, our focal point will be addressing the mud and dust in Camp Scholler. We are working with county officials and engineers to create additional hard-surface roadways known as a cobblestone method, which is a gravel mixture that allows water to penetrate and flow through. Main east/west roads will be addressed as will select north/south roads, noted in yellow on the map below.


When any hard surface is put in place, you must account for where any storm water runoff goes. We are in the process of running filter tests of the cobblestone with officials with the goal of finding an approved storm water treatment that will benefit all.

In other site-related news:

EAA staff also is working with state, county and local officials to discuss AirVenture traffic flow in 2012, especially with the Highway 41 project continuing and the closure of the Highways 41/21 interchange. Highway 21 traffic will be routed to Highway 44 (South Park Ave.) on the detour, which will cause changes in traffic flow to the AirVenture grounds.

Among the solutions will be utilizing the Highways 26/41 interchange more extensively to ease congestion. That would mean more traffic, especially outflow, would be using Poberezny Road south of Camp Scholler. Anyone who has traveled that stretch can attest that road isn't in the best of shape.

Discussions have begun between EAA, the State of Wisconsin, City of Oshkosh, and Town of Nekimi on improvements and resurfacing the stretch from Waukau Avenue to its intersection with County Highway N near the Highway 41/26 interchange. EAA has been mentioning the deteriorating condition of Poberezny Road, especially between Ripple Road and County N, for several years to local and state officials. If an agreement is reached, the project could take place as early as next spring.

Also, U.S. Cellular is trenching from west of Highway 41 to the AirVenture grounds and installing more fiber connections to the cell phone towers here, to improve that carrier's service at AirVenture. We will keep you posted on any other updates wireless carriers may make.

That's it for now. If any updates of note arise over the winter months, I'll be sure to keep you posted. We're less than 250 days until AirVenture 2012!

Blue skies ... and stay warm!

Thursday's Update: Campsites in Good Shape Despite Muddy Roadways

Here's a brief update from around the grounds as of 4:30 p.m. CDT Thursday:

• Grass roadways in Camp Scholler (primarily the numbered streets and Cedar Ave.) as well as the parking lots are a quagmire following yesterday's and today's early morning showers. More rain is forecasted Thursday evening.
• Campsites, however, look to be in good shape for the most part since many campers were already in place and haven't moved about on the muddy roadways.
• If you're in Camp Scholler, try to avoid these affected roadways if you can, both with vehicle and foot traffic.
• Crews worked overnight and during the day on filling damaged site areas in with stones or wood chips, most notably in high traffic areas like exhibit areas, shuttle bus stops, and near bathrooms and shower houses. We will continue to monitor and treat trouble spots as needed.
• Some turf areas usually used for aircraft taxiing are coned off and alternate taxiing routes marked. As always, pilots should use extra caution when taxiing off of paved surfaces.
• As of 3:45 p.m., the GA Camping Area is approximately 80% full and the GA Parking Area is approximately 70% 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.

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.

Tuesday's Update: Conditions Remain Excellent

Here's a brief update from around the grounds as of 5 p.m. CDT Tuesday:

• Aircraft continue to enter AirVenture in droves. As of 2 p.m., the GA Camping Area is approximately 95% full and the General Aviation Parking Area is approximately 98% full and only able to accommodate single-engine aircraft. Camping is available for general aviation twin-engine aircraft, but those needing parking only must seek accommodations at the FBOs.
• Airport parking conditions remain generally excellent, as sunny skies have been the norm for the first two days. A chance of storms is in the forecast for the next three days.
• Crews were cutting more grass in the southern portions of Camp Scholler to accommodate any late camper arrivals over the next few days. Still plenty of room there despite a great crowd already.

Keep checking back on the Aircraft Parking Status page for more information.

Monday's Update: Mowing the Lawn

Clear skies greeted everyone at opening day of AirVenture 2011 with not a drop of rain to be felt. Here's a brief update from around the grounds as of 3 p.m. CDT Monday:

• The flightline and aircraft parking areas continue to swell. The GA camping area is approximately 80% full and the GA parking area is approximately 70% full.
• Airport parking conditions remain generally excellent, with only a few soft spots in turf areas used for aircraft taxiing marked with cones. As always, pilots should use caution when taxiing off of paved surfaces.
• Puddling from Saturday and Sunday morning's storms has faded.
• Campers continue to set up sites in Camp Scholler, but plenty of room remains available. How so? We have the ability to cut more fields to the south, thus opening up more campsites, like so:

Keep checking back on the Aircraft Parking Status page for more information.

Sunday's Update: Energy Abound At AirVenture

Here are a few quick aircraft parking and campground updates, as of 5 p.m. CDT Sunday:

• Another overnight storm hit Oshkosh, but the grounds withstood the heavy rains it brought. Some puddling in Camp Scholler and in the Warbird area.
• Vehicle access to a few “numbered” streets from Lindbergh in Camp Scholler is blocked off due to soft, muddy ground at the entranceways.
• North 40 continues to come back to life as aircraft now line the entire south side of Runway 9/27.
• Vintage, warbird, homebuilt, and ultralight areas are all reporting significant parking activity.
• Camp Scholler is bursting with energy. Campsites are now being filled all the way down Stits in the Cedar Ave. area.

Keep checking back on the Aircraft Parking Status page for more information.

Saturday's Update: Grounds Weather the Storm

Here are a few quick aircraft parking and campground updates, as of 3 p.m. CDT Saturday:

• Storms on Saturday morning brought heavy rains to Oshkosh, and with the exception of puddling in some roadway/driveway areas, the thirsty grounds absorbed the much needed rain.


• Periods of storms are expected throughout the reminder of Saturday and overnight into Sunday before clearing early in the day.



• More than 100 Bonanzas arrived shortly after 1 p.m. and set up camp in the rapidly populating North 40 (pictured above).


• Firm ground conditions are being reported throughout the aircraft parking areas.


• Camp Scholler continues to fill. Sporadic campsites remain west of Stits near Camper Registration.


• Big rig campers continue to populate the 24-hour generator areas. No problems in setting up camp on the grass, even after this morning’s storm.


• Campsites south of Elm and west of Stits are starting to bustle with activity.

Keep checking back on the Aircraft Parking Status page for more information.