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News & Media Road Trip: Oshkosh alternatives

Road Trip: Oshkosh alternatives

You don’t have to fly into Wittman to go to AirVenture

August 1, 2019 By Mike Collins
Road Trip

WHY YOU SHOULD GO

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the world’s largest annual gathering of aircraft and aviation enthusiasts. If it’s aviation, it’s probably there.

Almost every pilot wants to fly into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the world’s largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts and general aviation aircraft. The Experimental Aircraft Association puts on the event every July at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it’s popular—attracting around 10,000 aircraft.

That’s a lot of air traffic. But fear not. If you’re a new pilot—or any pilot—you can fly to AirVenture without landing at Oshkosh. There are two great airports nearby that, while busy at times, see far fewer aircraft operations. Fond du Lac County Airport in Fond du Lac is 13 nautical miles south-southeast of Oshkosh and Appleton International Airport in Appleton, Wisconsin, is 16 nm north.

Both offer AirVenture visitors parking (note, you may be directed onto grass); frequent shuttle buses to Oshkosh and camping on the field are available—just hop the bus to AirVenture each morning. Because of high demand, rental cars should be reserved in advance, and may be expensive.

At Fond du Lac, if you want to park on a hard surface, contact FBO Fond du Lac Skyport in advance and make a reservation—otherwise you’ll park in the grass. Appleton’s FBO, Platinum Flight Services, does not take reservations during AirVenture. Plan to park in the grass, almost everybody does. Note that tiedowns are required at both airports; if you don’t have or didn’t bring any, sets will be available to buy for about $20.

Camping fees at each airport are modest, and round-trip bus rides to AirVenture cost around $30 per day (bring cash!).

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Special procedures apply beyond Oshkosh

If you fly into Fond du Lac County Airport for AirVenture 2019, be aware that the FAA will operate a temporary air traffic control tower at the airport from Saturday, July 20, through Sunday, July 28. The tower is open from 7 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Central time, except that it will close at 5 p.m. Central on July 28.

Appleton International Airport has a control tower year-round that operates from 5:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. Central time daily. However, because of higher than normal traffic volumes, the FAA publishes recommended arrival routes for use during AirVenture.

Arrival information for both airports is included in the EAA AirVenture notam, a 32-page notice to airmen that should be considered required reading if you’re flying an aircraft to either airport (see pages 20 and 22, respectively). The document is available online.
eaa.org

Insider’s tip: If you must fly commercially try General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee; it’s a 92-mile drive to AirVenture—but the airport offers a multitude of flights, including discount carriers, and it’s far enough away that rental car prices don’t normally increase because of high AirVenture demand.

Mike Collins

Mike Collins

Technical Editor
Mike Collins, AOPA technical editor and director of business development, died at age 59 on February 25, 2021. He was an integral part of the AOPA Media team for nearly 30 years, and held many key editorial roles at AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, and AOPA Online. He was a gifted writer, editor, photographer, audio storyteller, and videographer, and was an instrument-rated pilot and drone pilot.
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