Camping And Airplane Parking Issues Are Being Resolved

By: Tom Patton

EAA Chairman and CEO Jack Pelton anticipates a great week at AirVenture as the association celebrates its 50th year in Oshkosh, WI.

At his annual opening day news conference, Pelton said that the rain that fell Friday and Saturday was a challenge, but plans that were established after the "Sloshkosh" year in 2010 helped them deal with the aftermath of the storm. He said while some areas look fine, it's still not possible to get airplanes and large campers where they need to be. "It's not just necessarily the grass itself. If you're taxiing an airplane on a taxiway and you see an area that looks dry over there but you just can't get to it," Pelton said. "Similarly in the campground, sites that are on higher ground and are OK, bit the specific roadways into the campground are just pure mud and can't handle the weight of a 5th wheel or a class A coach."

Pelton said that EAA had made several agreements with organizations and businesses in the community which allowed them to direct campers to alternate areas "which they can call home at least temporarily". He did not give a timeline as to when the airplane parking and camping areas would be fully open, but said that the warm, dry and breezy weather forecast for most of the week would help the situation.

Pelton said that there are multiple anniversaries being observed at AirVenture this year. Along with the 50th anniversary of the show being held in Oshkosh, it is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing, and astronaut Michael Collins will appear at Theater in the Woods Friday night. The show will also note the 50th anniversary of the certification of the Boeing 747, with a UPS 747-8F on display in Boeing Plaza mid-week, and will continue the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day with lots of WWII and other military aircraft participating in the show.

Want to know more? Aero-TV each year sits down with Pelton for an exclusive, one-on-one interview which is included in each day's Airborne Unlimited program.

(Staff image)

FMI: www.eaa.org