‘Something here for everybody’

Their clearances were broadcast throughout the flight line at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which was already lined with spectators watching arrivals. Announcers signaled high-profile arrivals such as NASA’s Super Guppy, sure to be one of the most talked about aircraft on display in Boeing Plaza.

“It really does look like a guppy, doesn’t it!” one camper exclaimed in the Cessna 170 seventy-fifth anniversary reunion parking and camping area. More than 150 Cessna 170s are expected to fly in for the reunion, and at least 100 had arrived by Sunday. That wasn’t the only area filled and overflowing. The airplane parking/camping grounds were already filled to 70 percent by Sunday morning, estimated Dan Knutson, vice president of the Vintage Aircraft Association, a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association. EAA had even opened a new field for aircraft parking this year, he said.

The Seaplane Base on Lake Winnebago was also buzzing with Sunday arrivals, including AOPA President Mark Baker, who flew his Cessna Caravan on floats in for the show.

For people who are interested in aviation, Knutson said, “There’s something here for everybody.”

AirVenture has about 10,000 airplane camping spots total, including show planes, warbirds, vintage and general aviation aircraft, and ultralights, Knutson explained. More than 600,000 spectators are expected to attend throughout the week. EAA AirVenture offers camaraderie, access to experts and industry leaders, educational opportunities, exhibits, and various types of aircraft to create a world-class experience to people of all ages and interests in aviation. For manufacturers, it’s the place to announce new products, with an audience eager to check out and buy the latest equipment for pilots and aircraft. Exhibitors such as Textron Aviation, which is exhibiting several aircraft including the new Beechcraft Denali turboprop, were putting on the finishing touches Sunday, making sure their aircraft were shined and booths ready to greet pilots.

AOPA staff prepped their campus beside the iconic brown arch, and AOPA Social Media Marketer Cayla Hunt wiped down the AOPA Sweepstakes Cessna 170B that she had flown in Saturday evening shortly before the airport closed for the night. Hunt and hundreds of pilots had to wait out and navigate pop-up thunderstorms that dominated Saturday afternoon, including one that deluged the AirVenture grounds. Campers and exhibitors took it in stride—thunderstorms are a common theme every show.

“Feels like mid-week with the amount of pilots, aircraft, and spectators,” Knutson said. That’s a testament to how AirVenture has stayed true to the roots established by the late founder Paul Poberezny, who Knutson said was fond of saying, “We come for the airplanes. We come back for the people.”