Here they come! EAA AirVenture starts Monday

OSHKOSH, Wis (WISS) – The excitement in Oshkosh is palpable. EAA AirVenture flies into Wittman Airfield in Oshkosh from July 21 through July 27.

The grounds are already starting to buzz with campsites being set up, vendors building their booths, and locals getting excited.

“On the grounds right now, you see things starting to happen. The evolution of the grounds to become the city of aviation, the world’s magnet of aviation. It’s coming together, and it’s fun to watch. The volunteers are on the grounds right now. It’s taking shape,” said EAA Communication Director Dick Knapinski. “ And if you talk to any pilot–almost any pilot in the world–and say the word Oshkosh, they know exactly what you’re talking about. You cannot buy that kind of visibility. It is something that we, in the community, in the Fox Valley, can be very proud of.

Last year, EAA AirVenture drew a record number of over 686,000 attendees. 

“That’s an incredibly large number when you think about it. All the logistics that go into it. Not only for the camping, but the retail, the traffic. And of course, we’ve got the third dimension. People landing from the sky at the same time when we become the world’s busiest airport. So it is a phenomenon that is an amazing piece of choreography just to put together, not only at that airport, but throughout the community,” Knapinski said.

EAA AirVenture brings hundreds of thousands of people to Oshkosh. The Winnebago County Public Health Department is responsible for ensuring that all facilities, event and food vendors, and booths are safe and sanitary. Maeve Casey, an environmental health specialist for Winnebago County, says it takes five people a week to complete all the inspections.

“EAA is our biggest event. So we usually are out there for four days with all five inspectors, environmental health specialists.” Casey said. “We do over 59 inspections just at EAA.”

Diego Gasca, a communications intern with EAA, has visited the event before, but now is seeing it from a different angle.

“I’ve been coming to Air Venture here and there, you know, as a kid, teenager,” Gasca said. “My first time from behind the scenes look. And it’s very different to see how much goes into this event and how big it really is.” 

Knapinski says this weekend will see Wittman Regional Airport, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, become the busiest airport in the world.

“ By Thursday and Friday, you’ll notice that there are a lot of airplanes coming in. Then Saturday and Sunday, it’s, it’s kind of a land rush at that point. And that’s really when we become the world’s busiest airport. Busier than Hartsfield, busier than O’Hare, busier than any place else in the world,” Knapinski enthused.

For a complete list of the EAA AirVenture activities, visit the schedule of events.