Oshkosh Pirep 2018

[Pat]

Early in the week Oshkosh was the busiest I have seen since 2009 when the fuel prices spiked and attendance took a dive. Even with rain on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning the plane parking and campground was basically full. The first day of the show Monday, they were parking cars in areas never used before.
Many of the people were just spectators, like you normally do not see until late in the week and the camp ground had people that never went to the show area.
The vendor buildings were not very busy on Monday-Tuesday. I did not see the attendees showing a lot of interest in getting a pilot license.
The show committee increased the demonstrations and aerial shows. They had a night show for Wednesday and Saturday. Wed got rained out and they moved it to Thursday.
We left Wednesday before the rain and would like to hear a show report for late in the week.

 

[slawman]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

Pat, I would agree with you, definitely busier at all the booths, In fact a lot of vendors were even reporting great attendance on the last day on Sunday. We too saw cars parked in lots that have not been full in recent years. Now the Air Show this year did get a little monotonous on Day 4 of the same flying round and round again in the circle traffic patterns.

Scott

 

[Pete]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

I live just of the south end of Luke Air Force base runway and play golf twice a week at Luke Falcon Dunes golf club, everyday a F-16/F-35 air show, life is great. Once a week fly to Yuma, AZ for United Blood Service and get to watch the marine fly boys have fun, lots of flying here in AZ.

 

[Pat]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

Pete,
you are right, there are a lot of good airshows.
I have been to several different air base shows in the US and one in Australia. Edwards ranks at the top for me here but the Ozie's do it the best.
I have been to many general aviation shows in the US and Canada. Oshkosh is all by it self. That is for the air show, vendors, static display and meting friends.
I have been to the Paris Air Show but that is a manufactures' show and the public is not invited.
My favorite is the Reno Air Races. Air show, races, vendors and static display.
And the friends. More members show go. Looks like we have 20 in our boxes and AJ has 11 in his box. I should add, at Reno they have bars and we can have coolers delivered to our box.

 

[Pat]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

The EAA posted the attendance for 2018 Airventure. It is still Oshkosh to me.
601,000 and almost a 2% increase over last year. It is a record for recent years but short of 725,00 in the middle 2000s.
I was expecting a lot better for this year because of the first few days.
I talked to friends that stayed until the Monday after the show. They said many people left on Thursday and in the campground many people did not go to show grounds.

 

[N4843W]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

The EAA posted the attendance for 2018 Airventure. It is still Oshkosh to me.
601,000 and almost a 2% increase over last year. It is a record for recent years but short of 725,00 in the middle 2000s.
I was expecting a lot better for this year because of the first few days.
I talked to friends that stayed until the Monday after the show. They said many people left on Thursday and in the campground many people did not go to show grounds.

That's why Conor and I have always gone in Thursday AM and left Sunday AM. so many depart Wednesday afternoon and Thursday early. Good choice of camping spots in the North 40 by Thursday. And for some reason, it always rains in the first half of the week, never in the second half!

 

[atjudge]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

My experience has been the oppisite. I always stay Monday through Friday, and get outta town Saturday, except for this year, it seems like mon-tues-wed were chocked full of poeple

 

[N4843W]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

My experience has been the oppisite. I always stay Monday through Friday, and get outta town Saturday, except for this year, it seems like mon-tues-wed were chocked full of poeple

OKay, you confused me. How could it be the opposite if you arrive Monday! That would be .... uhhh ... the opposite of what we do, arriving Thursday. Trying to get in Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, many (many) get turned away. Never had a problem on Thursday, well, one time they were really short people and sent us over to the far NE Corner of runway 27, but that was rectified.

 

[atjudge]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

I've always found attendance is less on Monday and slowly builds until Friday. Saturday and Sunday are nuts. But you said you arrive on Thursday and Leave on Sunday because attendance is less. Correct?

 

[Pat]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

We have been going to Oshkosh for 30 years, except for our trip to Alaska with the Commander group in 2009. We went for the whole week for years and started to leave early because of the crowds. I do not think Wisconsin weather can tell the difference in the day of the week for rain.
I agree with Allen, the attendance normally builds during the week. Typically, early in the week is aviation people and latter in the week is spectators for the air displays. This might explain the increase in North Forty parking late in the week. I like to visit the vendors when they are fresh. After talking to number of friends that went, this year was different.
I thing that I consider more important is a 2% increase per year isn't really a recovery. General aviation has taken a big hit this last 10 years and I am concerned it will not come back.

 

[N4843W]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

I dunno. I follow it on-line and seems every year there are problems reported or even closing in the North 40 on Monday and Tuesday. But we always get right in on Thursday. We have had some hair moments flying in. It is just beyond belief how many pilots flagrantly break the rules for coming in. WTF x infinity!!!! I have always had a "spotter" and preferably a spotter who is a pilot. Did you see the video they posted coming in over Fisk this year? That was insane. At least half not following the published procedure. I'd hate to fly that alone. Anyway, perhaps we'll try early next year!

 

[Pat]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

You are right about parking on the North 40. Years ago, you had to be in by Saturday at noon or you parked at another airport. Ian and Jay had to park at Wautoma one year and Wautoma filled up Saturday afternoon. Those that did not plan ahead in those years had to come in late in the week to any airport.
And there was the year that Oshkosh did not have any drainage around the runways and Sid went to Fond du Lac. It was days after the rain when they opened some parking. Remember Sid taxing in the mud on the west end of 9.

 

[atjudge]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

When I came in on Sunday afternoon, the south 40 was packed to capacity, I had never seen that before. When I left on Saturday Morning, there was plenty of room. Don't know why it was different this year, and I agree with pat, want to get to the vendors before they burn out, and get out before the spectators for the airshow start showing up

 

[davec]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

We generally fly in for a day and land in Fond-du-Lac and shuttle over....We always go on Friday or Saturday, and I would say that there always seems to be considerable amount of aircraft parking on Saturdays at OSH, and a decent amount on Fridays - but I just prefer to avoid the craziness and go to KFLD.

It seems like a LOT of pilots must leave by Friday and Saturday - it seems to be mostly a "non-pilot come to see the airshow" crowd combined with folks working/vendors/etc. on Saturday. This year the warbird parking area was pretty desolate by Saturday at noon compared to last year on Friday at noon.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[FS]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

So, here's my two bits. I flew Southwest to MKE and was at OSH Sun afternoon thru Wed morning. On Sunday afternoon I was standing just east of the North 40 fence, near what would later become the parking area for the T6s and Mustangs, talking with one of the volunteers. He said North 40 was already full and they were sending folks down to South 40. Now, from my perspective there was a ton of empty space in North 40. I suppose they were holding spaces for the mass arrivals of Beech (140+) and Mooney (50+), and perhaps others, but there's no way I would have called it full just by looking at all the unoccupied grass.

Watching the live stream later in the week, and seeing some comments of other attendees, it seemed there was a repetition of some airshow acts during the week. So other than the night show I'm not sure how arriving early in the week .vs. later in the week would matter. The bonus for early arrivals is to actually see those mass arrivals of the T6s, the B1 fly over and landing, and lots of others. I don't know if they do mass departures, or if that would have even been interesting. The mass arrival of the powered paragliders was a dud, but there was a lot of fun stuff over in the ultralight field.

I chose to drive in early in the morning to get close-in parking in the Blue lot, and was rewarded with a nearly empty airfield, before the crowds showed up. Jim Bunn gave me a lesson on where to find a proper breakfast.

Personally, I don't think it would be worthwhile for me to have stayed longer. Even by Wednesday morning I was running out of energy, and felt I had seen everything (having travelled north to south a few times, and down to the seaplane base too). I can see how Wed would be popular with spectators, since by then even the vintage parking was jammed. People were staking out places near the flightline getting ready for the night airshow.

It rained Sunday morning, postponing a lot of the arrivals, and causing many people to deviate to other airports. By afternoon the skies cleared and airplanes started pouring in. From then thru Wed morning the weather was fantastic. Wed afternoon I was watching thunderstorms approaching while sitting in the terminal at MKE, and the night airshow was cancelled.

 

[plight]

Re: Oshkosh Pirep 2018

Hey ...

I flew into Appleton this time around, cleared US customs and had no issues with parking or other aircraft in the circuit. That being said, a few of my fellow club members flew into KOSH and were turned away due to lack of parking. They came over to Appleton, which had lots of parking.

Great show. Saw lots of cool stuff and people.