One Month 'Till (Camping) Opening Day!

Mark your calendars: Friday, June 24. One month from today, Camp Scholler opens! AirVenture 2011 is right around the corner and will be here before we know it. As promised, I have more detail regarding the changes you campers will need to be aware of when entering Camp Scholler.

Those of you arriving at Camp Scholler during AirVenture will notice a big change at the main entrance. The three "booths" that previously occupied the entranceway have been moved to the left-hand side, adjacent to the red camper building. This will free up space in the entranceway, allowing three additional lanes of traffic into the campground. With camping rigs getting larger and larger, it had become increasingly difficult to maneuver them in between the booths, not to mention the difficulty in accommodating true "drive-up" service to the windows.



Camper registration check-in, however, will remain mostly the same. Temporarily park your camper in the driveway, walk to a registration booth to check-in, and then proceed to your desired camp spot. Those who have pre-purchased camping through advance online sales will find dedicated windows to handle your accommodations, getting you into the grounds much faster. Purchase your advance camping here.

Also, for those who arrive to Camp Scholler weeks prior to AirVenture (including Camp Scholler opening day on Friday, June 24), registration check-in will now be held at the campground's main entrance instead of the corner of Forest Home Ave. and Lindbergh Road where it was previously located. This allows us to effectively streamline registration operations in one central location. If you are flying in to set up camp early, a shuttle will be available to transport you from ConocoPhillips Plaza to the main registration building.

On to other areas of the grounds ...

Good news to report on the drainage front from a soggy Oshkosh. Yes, good news. Oshkosh has had its fair share of rain this spring, which has actually been a good thing. It has given us some good feedback on how the drainage improvements are faring in Camp Scholler and other areas of the grounds.

We are happy to report areas that saw significant flooding last year have seen, at most, minimal standing water after heavy rains this spring. What is there is gone in short order soon afterwards. Ideally, we all hope these drainage run-offs aren't tested with the amount of rain last July, but we are confident that nearly all of the problem areas have been addressed. Crews are now addressing drainage concerns in the Warbirds area.

Some of the feedback we receive in post-AirVenture surveys suggests the addition of more hard surfaces in Camp Scholler, whether it be roadways or camper parking. We are looking to that as part of a master improvement plan for the campgrounds; however, we have to take into consideration how that affects stormwater run-off and retention without wasting real estate vital to camping areas.

Warm weather is finally a starting to arrive in Oshkosh after what has been a cool and damp spring. Crews are seeding and repairing any leftover ruts from last AirVenture. Chip-sealing is beginning this week on the following roads: Stits Road and Lindbergh Avenue in Camp Scholler, the south end of Wittman Road along the flightline, Foundation Road on the traffic loop, and the Blue Lot parking entrance. All are expected to be completed in time for AirVenture.


Looks like the exhibitor tents are starting to bloom along with the dandelions.

Guess that means I should wrap up this blog. Just remember, one month until Camp Scholler opens!

Welcome, Spring?

It wasn't quite as intimidating as a warbird roaring over the flightline, but the first bird of the season - the sure sign of spring, the North American Robin - made its return to the AirVenture grounds a few weeks ago.

This usually means you can count at least two more snowfalls. We had one shortly after that sighting, and we got blasted with the second one yesterday. Yes, Oshkosh got three inches of snow (thankfully, the brunt of the storm that featured 14 inches of snow stayed north). Hopefully, this is the last as well as we are eager to get back out on the grounds and prep for another memorable AirVenture!

When the ground dries up a bit, we'll pick up where we left off before winter by continuing work on drainage improvements (pictured below) in problem areas in Camp Scholler as well as the Vintage and Warbird aircraft parking areas.


As expected, a good number of the "ruts" leftover from vehicle and aircraft traffic on the soggy grounds smoothed themselves out during winter. Snow cover helps push these out to an extent. In the areas that didn't completely smooth over, we'll take a roller over them when the ground dries out to finish what winter started.

Once May rolls around and spring weather is completely here, we're going to be chip-sealing more roads throughout the grounds, including Stits Road and Lindbergh Avenue in Camp Scholler. We'll also be chip-sealing the south end of Wittman Road along the flightline, Foundation Road on the traffic loop, and the Blue Lot parking entrance.

The road chip-sealing done in parts of Camp Scholler and exhibit areas drew rave reviews in survey feedback we received following last year. We are happy to continue to make these upgrades, helping cut down on dust in these areas and provide a smoother, cleaner drive on these roads.


We are also finalizing plans to revamp the Camp Scholler entrance (above), which will now feature a new gate for those who bought Advance Purchase camping. New for this year, attendees may purchase camping for all dates in advance on the AirVenture website and utilize an "express" area to enter the campground faster. I'll have more details on the new entrance in my next blog update, which should be in late April or early May.

Hope everyone had a great winter season and are making plans to join us in Oshkosh this year!

Digging in before the deep freeze

After some unseasonably warm temperatures and, of course, rain yesterday (along with a few rare November tornadoes in the state), a brisk chill is in the air and the flurries are a-blowin' today. Winter is right around the corner and we are getting as much as possible done on site before the grounds go into a deep freeze.

As I addressed in my last blog update, repairing and improving drainage around the grounds is the No. 1 priority going into AirVenture 2011. Judging from the member feedback we received from surveys, you agree that should be on top of the list. We are moving ahead with improving the drainage in three major areas that were most problematic last July: Camp Scholler, Warbirds area, and Vintage area. After work is done in those areas, we will move on to smaller, sporadic areas that could use some attention.

In these two photos, work has begun to improve drainage on Schaick Rd., just west of Doolittle Dr. in Camp Scholler.

One interesting item helping us in this process is the recent discovery of old, abandoned drainage tile buried on the grounds. As you may know, the grounds were vast farm fields long before it became home to EAA and AirVenture. Using these drainage outlets will only help us in our quest to eliminate problem areas where standing water could appear.

Another major improvement for 2011 will be chip-sealing more roads in Camp Scholler as well as Foundation Road leading out to the North 40 from Waukau Ave., which is a major part of our traffic loop. This was another major area noted on the survey feedback, as the chip-sealing of the exhibit areas as well as a few initial roads in Camp Scholler garnered rave reviews. Dust was noticeably less in the areas of chip-sealed roads than in previous years, and was a significant improvement from ordinary dirt/gravel roads by having the ability to withstand the rains much better.

Below, here you see potholes and standing water among the dust and gravel on Foundation Rd.


That's it for now, but I'll try to check back in after the holidays to give you an update of where we stand going into the spring thaw. Until then, safe flying and have a great Thanksgiving!

Addressing the top concern

We are now under 300 short days until AirVenture 2011, but we are still in "repair" mode on the grounds thanks to the "100-Year Flood" dumped on Oshkosh this past July. Crews are reworking land and filling in the various ruts left behind from vehicles, trucks, campers, and aircraft.

They've just completed work in the exhibit area and are now moving over to tackle the ruts in Camp Scholler. This will be a large task and while a few smaller ruts might get overlooked, those should smooth out thanks to winter's snowfall and spring's thaw. After work is done in Camp Scholler, they'll move on to the aircraft parking areas.

Otherwise, we are currently conducting a plumbing survey on the grounds and establishing parameters on what steps are needed to move forward with drainage improvements. Our primary focus between now and AirVenture 2011 is to prepare the grounds in case the timeline for the next "100-Year Flood" begins next year.

This means we will temporarily put other anticipated site improvements from the multi-year plan on hold as we allocate funds to address this immediate concern. We are confident the improved drainage is a vital and necessary upgrade to compliment the recent improvements (indoor restrooms, new road routes, new shower building, chip-sealed roads, bike paths, etc.).

EAA is built on community. As we all saw this summer, the wet grounds forced us to relocate the larger RV camping units to satellite hard-surface lots scattered throughout Oshkosh. While many who were relocated made the best of the situation left by the unprecedented flooding (and we applaud everyone for their understanding), it obviously wasn't ideal.

The EAA and AirVenture community isn't complete if we can't get everyone who desires to be here on site.

Our AirVenture site committee is meeting later this week to outline the next steps. I'll check in at the end of October with the latest update.

Until then, clear skies for everyone!

Hey! Gimme back my blog!

Woah! Looks like things got a little busy in here since I last posted before AirVenture. Time to tidy up the blog after having some visitors.

In all seriousness, a special thanks to Dick Knapinski, EAA director of communications, and the rest of the dedicated EAA staff and volunteers for helping get our messages out to you through this blog and keeping you updated on the grounds' status as we fought through this unprecedented occurrence at AirVenture.

And, more importantly, thanks to all of you for the understanding and patience you displayed in working with us as we turned "Sploshkosh" back to Oshkosh. We all came together for a common goal: turning an unpleasant situation into a rewarding and memorable experience. Judging by the positive interactions I've had with several attendees and exhibitors, I truly believe we all succeeded in doing just that.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be evaluating the areas greatly impacted by the flooding and assess how we can improve the drainage in these areas. The goal will be to alleviate these issues should we experience rainfall like this in future years. Knock on wood, we won't.

It's been fairly dry here over the past week and a half since AirVenture 2010 concluded. I guess it's only fitting that as I write this we're experiencing more torrential rains here today in Oshkosh (surely I can't be the jinx, can I?).

We are still in tear-down and clean-up mode for the next week or so. From there, we will start re-landscaping and doing repair work on the grass and other areas damaged by the flooding (most notably, repairing the sod in the new Scotts Warbirds Alley that didn't have time to root) before we turn our attention to 2011.

Just exactly what upgrades can you expect in 2011? I'll be able to fill you in next month with more details following all of our debriefing meetings, which will lay out the direction we'd like to go next in our on-going site improvements project. Whatever improvements we do make for next year, I hope they are received just as well as this year's upgrades were.

Obviously the one major upgrade that benefited most, if not all, was the new indoor restrooms in the expanded Hangar C. They were simple and fit the basic needs of attendees, allowing you to get in and get back out into the heart of the grounds quickly (or not so quickly for those relishing the air conditioning a little bit longer than others).

Adding to the benefit of the new Hangar C restroom was the tram stop stationed right in front of it. The new trams were a nice addition to ease the need to walk throughout the grounds, especially during those steamy afternoons we had. I was thrilled to see so many people taking advantage of these and catch a bit of a break in the shade.

The newly chip-sealed roads in the exhibits area created smooth walking paths relatively free of dust. Without this done, one can only imagine how mucky those paths would've been due to all the rain. Speaking of paths, the new bike path connecting the North 40 to the Main Gate was well-utilized, not only by bicyclists but also by those choosing to walk.

The new shower building on the North 40 was completed just in time to serve the community up there. Unfortunately, the North 40 was a little roomier this year due to the soggy grounds early in the week keeping potential aircraft campers away. So those of you who were out in the North 40 area likely had little or no wait for the showers. Even some quick-thinking campers from other parts of the grounds took their golf carts up to the North 40 to clean up in the new showers. We hope it can be put to more use next year to serve a North 40 full of tent campers.

One final note: I would be remise if I didn't offer up a big "hats off" to all the staff, volunteers and contractors who worked around the curveball (or several curveballs) thrown by Mother Nature leading up to AirVenture, not only from the downpours just days before but also from the excessive rains we began experiencing weeks prior. That definitely slowed our ability to complete several projects, but everyone involved was dedicated to completing the tasks at hand on time and to the satisfaction level that AirVenture attendees come to expect from Oshkosh.

Tom Poberezny said the flooding made preparations "the most challenging" he has seen in his 35 years as chairman, but also noted that "the positive response and the upbeat spirit from all those who attended" made this a very memorable and enjoyable AirVenture.

I could not agree with him more. And again, a large part of that is due to all of you showing patience, working with us, and, in most cases, adjusting your usual camping routine and set-up as we tackled this challenge head-on. You are truly a main reason why Oshkosh is such a special place.

It cannot be said enough: Thank you!

Saturday 7/31 update #2: Drive-in camping

Normal operations continue to take place at Camp Scholler, as they have since Thursday. Camping units of all sizes are being accommodated as they arrive.

Campers at off-site locations earlier in the week should have received all information regarding refunds and credits.

There is no significant rain the forecast that would change normal operations through the end of the event tomorrow. If conditions do warrant a change, it would be announced before the event.

We have received some questions from campers about procedures that, unfortunately, we could not answer because they were posted without a return e-mail or contact information. Those questions are welcome, but contact info does need to be included if you'd like a response.

Since there's just one night remaining, this will be the last drive-in camping blog post unless conditions warrant an update. Thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding during this most challenging year, and especially thanks to all the volunteers for their dedication and long hours to make it happen!

Saturday 7/31 update #1: Aircraft parking and camping

Complete aircraft parking info is available at www.airventure.org/aircraft/parking_status.asp.

The north grass taxiways are now usable, but the ones south of Runway 9/27 are not. Some turf areas will not support twin-engine aircraft. Metal matting has been placed in critical soft spots on the turf taxiways.

Modified taxi procedures are being used to provide access to General Aviation Camping areas.

Fond du Lac (FLD) is is open for camping and parking aircraft.

Appleton (ATW) is accepting parking aircraft; camping is not allowed at Appleton.

Aircraft seeking aircraft camping or parking are also being accepted at Manitowoc (MTW), West Bend (ETB), Stevens Point (STE), Watertown (RYV), Portage (C47), and Dodge County (UNU).

Oshkosh showplane camping and parking areas are currently open for new arrivals. These areas accommodate:
- Experimental aircraft (homebuilts)
- Vintage Aircraft (manufactured prior to 1971)
- Warbirds
- Seaplanes
- Rotorcraft
- Ultralights

The General Aviation Camping and the General Aviation Parking Areas are expected to remain open for the duration of AirVenture.

There is no grass space suitable for twin-engine aircraft and heavy singles. They can be accommodated at the Oshkosh FBOs.