Splish, Splash... Roar! The Week That Almost Wasn't

Holy smokes! Oshkosh 2010 is now history... and it nearly was exactly that. For the first time in my memory (having done some 38 of these things... I think), there was some serious question about whether or not Oshkosh 2010 was actually going to happen... or whether it was going to go (literally) down the drain.

Storms, in the weeks ahead of the event kept everything soggy and torrential rains on the eve of the event itself caused flooding the likes of which we've never seen in Wisconsin... and giving us serious concern as whether we'd be leaving Oshkosh by plane, SUV... or U-Boat.

Still... AirVenture 2010 was a successful event -- with more planned for 2011. "The preparations for this year's event were the most challenging in my 35 years as chairman, as the rain in July caused major setbacks as we got ready for AirVenture," said Poberezny.

"However, it's not how you begin, it's how you finish. Through the dedication of our volunteers and staff, as well as the support of the Oshkosh region and the aviation community, AirVenture 2010 remains the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration, with programs and activities that can be found nowhere else."

The final attendance figures released last week by EAA showed 535,000 attendees, a decrease of 7 percent from 2009. "We had expected to have a slightly lower attendance figure this year after last year's blockbuster event," Poberezny said. "This year's weather challenges early in the week also had an effect.

The second half of the week, however, was outstanding, especially with such activities as those on Saturday that included the night air show. We were not only very pleased with the attendance figures, but also with the positive response and the upbeat spirit from all those who attended."

FMI: www.eaa.org, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews