First ever Airventure. What's better, first two days or last two days.

I'm finally making it to Airventure for the very first time(I'm not flying, just going) but my availability is limited so I can either do the first two days and the weekend before or the final two days(Saturday & Sunday). I'm gearing up to either build a Hummel H3, so I'm hoping to get in on a workshop or two. I'm also interested in seeing ultralights and LSAs both flying and on display. With my limited schedule, which would be better, the beginning or the end?

 

First two

 

First two days. Many aircraft are gone and vendors are packing up by Saturday. By sunday the place is a ghost town.

 

Yeah, first 2. Wed and Thu are good too. Starts to die down after that.

 

It’s interesting that the “OSH week” just seems to creep further forward with the big arrival push now being Fri-Sat for the start of the show on Monday; at my usual Monday morning arrival the place is already packed wall to wall with people, planes and campers. I guess over the last few years the feeling is to arrive early to beat the arrival crowd, which just creates the same arrival crowd a day or two earlier. My usual days are Mon-Thurs, then I bail; have never been around for the actual weekend show.

 

Monday and Tuesday are the best two days for the show. Most everything is there and people are still full of energy. The weekend before the show is great for the anticipation, watching arrivals, walking up and down the rows looking at planes, going out to eat with friends, and figuring out where everything is. The latter is a best practice for a newbie. Wear good shoes.

 

Maybe they ought to segment the show to "interest" areas; maybe different days for military aviation events, commercial aviation, general aviation, etc., and even do the same for the seminars. Idea is to spread out arrivals and departures. I'd still stay for much of the show anyhow, but folks could target coming on days they're interested in.

 

I kinda say go anytime the schedule allows, if flying or camping, peek at the weather too.

I do agree, most energy is on the front end. Some go days prior just to get in position. I’m usually a Monday-Tuesday guy.

 

Sat & Sunday before, sitting by the runway and watching the aircraft arrive is best part for me.

 

I arrive in town on Saturday night and drive out Wednesday morning, staying at the Dorms.

Found this was the best for the airshows, forums and wandering around. Might be volunteering at the One Week Wonder build and at the Seaplane Pilots Association.

Cheers

 

Just a failure of EAA greed trying to make it a 10 day event.

 

Mon-Tue if you want so see tons of planes and lots of energy.

Sat-Sun if you want to see the night air show.

The night air show is one of my favs. I just do it on Wed.

 

now that sounds like the way to do it!!

I haven't been to as many Airventure shows as I have Sun n Fun events...but I agree with sourdough...go whenever you can even if it's not the most ideal day. Even bad weather days can be an experience even if not great. Head out between showers or do indoor stuff. Crowds will be way down so it's not all bad.

My preference is a day or two before to watch the arrivals. Great time to focus on the tons of stuff that's not open or not on any schedule...there's plenty of that.
But the point of everyone feeling the same way is valid.

Am I wrong in remembering they used to run Airventure like Sun n Fun used to... Saturday through Sunday...so there was two full weekends? Or was it Sunday to Saturday?

 

Progressive could totally film a “unbecoming your parents” commercial at AirVenture with the groupthink of a bunch of old pilot dudes jockeying to get good parking and “leave before the crowd”. I always go to OSH as an exhibitor and the last weekend is a ghost town. The locals come on Saturday and no one comes on Sunday, mostly because you’d be tripping over everyone tearing down their displays.

 

Early is better. Saturday is full of non-flying public; it’s like a crowded theme park. Sunday is absolutely melancholy, like December 26.

 

If it's your firs time, first two.
Once you've been for the first two days, following years, you'll take the whole week off work.

Really the Wed night airshow is a must see event when you are able.

 

@SixPapaCharlie amd others . . . 15 year old son is maybe interested in aviation, maybe humoring dad. Not clear, and he’s a pleaser.

Let’s say he’s faking it. We camp there 2 nights . . . Something cool for him all day or he’ll be board out of his mind?

I have safety seminars lined up and pilotage, IR stuff, the air show etc.

Thoughts? Taking him for his first flight since he was 5 this Friday if the WX holds. 30 min flight to breakfast and back.

 

The One Week Wonder to see how a plane is built and pull a rivet
The Sims in the AOPA? Tent
Helo or Tin Goose ride

Cheers

 

What arrival days are worst for risking “camping full, go away” type of situation?

 

Ah... I try to go solo so its easier. I also have the family that isn't as plane crazy as me.
I went with my dad once and after day 2 he was done so we left early.
My wife is coming this year so I am having her commercial in on Tuesday and Fly home on Thursday.

You don't want to keep him out there for a week if he is miserable. You won't likely get to go back with him in the future.
First two days and if he wants more, sounds like you get to go back longer for future Airventres.

 

Its becoming the Sunday before. Many are going in early and getting spots prior.
I flew in around 8:00 AM sunday and I was put in nearly the furthest row in the North 40 next to the fence.

 

I’ve been once. It’s pretty easy for a first timer to get saturated. Crowds, noise, the whole experience. The one place I found that was a really nice break was the seaplane base. I took the shuttle out there and found a quiet place in the shade to look at airplanes and get a break.

The thing I would put on my list of things to take the next time is a very small, pack able camp chair. I carried a small backpack with water bottles and a few other items and it would have been easy to stuff a small chair in it. There’s always something flying and it’s nice to sit on something besides the ground when watching.

I think a 15yo would have a good time. Take plenty of cell phone charging packs and give him a large enough per diem and he’ll find something to do on his own.

 

Nobody comes in on Sunday anymore because the traffic is too heavy . . .

 

All I know is when I wanted to go to AirVenture with my wife, she didn't want to stay for the whole week, so I made plans for 3 days. However, we were stuck in traffic to get onto the airport, and she said, with no prompting "Next time we come, it has to be for the full week."

Unfortunately, we never made it back.

 

I've only been there twice (flying in both times) and it seems that weather might be a major factor as to when you'd want to arrive and depart. It affects when you can fly and it also determines when other pilots will arrive/depart. Being open to having a flexible schedule is a good thing and my wife (with me in 2021) understands that really well. Last year, it seemed that half of the planes in our camping area left on Wednesday evening when a storm/tornado watch was announced for that night.

 

One of the most enjoyable times was arriving early in the morning on Saturday towards the end of the show. We taxed right up to a front row spot in the North 40 and enjoy the night air show and saw everything at a relaxed pace. Departed early in the morning on Monday and had a blast.

 

We've only been to Air Venture twice, but have hit both options. First time we flew in Thursday morning and stayed til Sunday afternoon, last year we flew in Sunday morning and stayed til Wednesday. This year we'll be back to going the second half of the week. We saw more military jets the first time we went, not sure if that's a trend but that's one of the reasons. We too were camped a long way away on the north 40 flying in on Sunday morning, we had a much better campsite flying in Thursday. We also bailed on Wednesday last year because of the weather, like bee's leaving the hive, it was nuts!

Plan this year is to arrive Wednesday morning and stay until Saturday morning.....I would like to have stayed until Sunday afternoon but my wife has a baby shower she "has to" be at Saturday afternoon.

 

You don't want to miss the Wednesday night show....just spectacular.

 

The night airshow is a must-see, and it only happens Wednesday and Saturday. To me, the best single day is Saturday. However, Sunday is by far the worst day - Most of the planes that are left are departing, and the exhibitors are packing up and don't have much left to show or sell. The highlights of Sunday are hitting up all the vendors for deals on stuff that's remaining (you can get a lot of free stuff) and all of the show planes being stacked up in Boeing Plaza in the afternoon in preparation for departure.

Oshkosh is vacated at a surprising pace on that Sunday. Twice I've taken both the plane and the car up there, and left the plane up there and gone back for it Monday. Both times, I was the last plane to leave. Sunday at 8 AM there's probably still close to 100,000 people there. 12 hours later, pretty close to zero. It is fun to depart in your airplane that day, though - They alternate sides of the runway (N123AB, line up and wait runway 27, left side... N456CD, cleared for takeoff runway 27, right side" and so on. If you count both runways, there's probably a dozen departures per minute.

If it's your first time, do whatever you need to do to make it the first three days so you can close it out on the night airshow on Wednesday. You won't regret it.

 

@SixPapaCharlie and others you have it all wrong! The last two days are the best! The vendors who want to leave don't want to carry their stuff back with them so they give away a ton of stuff, Hats, Auto pilots, T-Shirts, GPS units, candy, Cirrus

 

How was the night Airshow and fireworks display for Saturday this year vs Wednesday's? Better, worse, or the same? Are there any differences between those night airshows and fireworks?

I only attended the Wednesday show.

 

First two is my choice ,all the vendors are fresh and enthusiastic.