Oshkosh 2026

Lowflynjack said:
I became a Lifetime Member a few years ago and thought, okay, they'll stop asking me to become a Lifetime Member... they did. Now they ask me to give someone else the gift of a Lifetime Membership!!
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Yeah, I got a mailing yesterday from the foundation. They make it super simple. Just check the box indicating how many AMUs you wish to contribute.
 
For anyone flying in for the first time, they've got a Webinar tomorrow (Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 7 p.m. CDT)
Click Here: Tips for Flying Into EAA AirVenture 2026

Presenter: Fred Stadler

Learn all about the 2026 AirVenture NOTICE arrival procedures. This presentation will be especially helpful for someone who has not flown into AirVenture before. EAA’s volunteer NOTICE chairman, Fred Stadler, describes FAA required procedures and shares useful tips for reducing pilot workload when flying into Oshkosh for AirVenture 2026.
 
OK, I’ve got a question for everyone

My main purpose for going to Oshkosh is to learn about all the options for the vans RV 10 that I am building

A secondary purpose I need help with I am a big and tall guy and I might never go to such a fly in again I’d like to know what airplanes I should really focus on trying to sit in to see what a big tall person would fit in. I am mainly focused on experimental or slsa aircraft that a light sport repairman can work on.

So what airplanes and manufacturers should I be focused on?
 
The 10 is about as roomy as they come and as a 10 owner you know how it fits you— almost everything else, especially LSA, is gonna be a tighter, in many cases a much tighter fit. Any other mission criteria besides your size?
 
tsts4 said:
The 10 is about as roomy as they come and as a 10 owner you know how it fits you— almost everything else, especially LSA, is gonna be a tighter, in many cases a much tighter fit. Any other mission criteria besides your size?
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I hope I fit in a 15. High wing entry and exit as I age might be easier.
Carbon cubs and the like for short field.
Lancair and similar for the speed.
I want to eval my size with any plane I might fit in should the fancy strike.
 
Well based on that you might as well just sit in whatever you walk by. By and large, most of the E-AB and S-LSA/E-LSA manufacturers are concentrated in 2 areas (red circles in the pic). The main one is by Homebuilt HQ and the Brown Arch north of show center (Boeing Plaza). The other is just west of show center (Boeing Plaza) between hangars C & D. Go to those 2 areas and you’ll hit over 90% of what will be at the show.

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4RNB said:
A secondary purpose I need help with I am a big and tall guy and I might never go to such a fly in again I’d like to know what airplanes I should really focus on trying to sit in to see what a big tall person would fit in.
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How big and tall are we talking here?

I'm 6'4" and somewhere around 325# most of the time, and there's only a few planes I just can't fit in. Most of the time it's more about learning how to get in and out; once you're in you're OK.

The exceptions are mostly two-seaters. I've been in a 152 for a short flight once, but it was really difficult to keep my knees and feet out of the way. I had to cross my legs and put my right foot to the left of the left rudder pedal and vice versa. The Diamond DA20 has the seats too far aft IMO, you're no longer in the fattest part of the bubble there and the roof was about at chin level. The four-seat DA40 was no problem though, and is one of my favorite airplanes to fly. The last one that comes to mind is the Columbia 300 where I was looking at the door frame when sitting in the left seat with the door open, though I could fit in later Cessna 350/400 models OK.

I can and do fit into things as small as a Citabria or a J-3 Cub.

The only pilot I know who's taller than me is @CJones. He's about 6'7" but skinny as a rail and probably fits in fewer airplanes, but he's quite familiar with the RVs...
 
4RNB said:
Carbon cubs and the like for short field.
I want to eval my size with any plane I might fit in should the fancy strike.
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All cubs (including carbon) have a lot more to do with technique of getting in and out as much as the size of the person. I will say that the carbon cubs I fly for clients and Tac Aero are easier to get in and out of than my '52 PA-18 SuperCub but you can also buy 2 or 3 well kitted out SC's for the cost of a used CC.

Moreover - how short field are we talking? If you aren't worried about places shorter than about 1k', buy a 182 and spend all that extra money on training to make yourself comfortable at 1k' long strips. Of all the places we take the cubs in Idaho, very few can't be done in a faster, more comfortable and cheaper airplane. If you want to go to 300' long gravel bars, then you are talking overpowered light airplanes. Good luck and have fun at Osh!
 
Has anyone gotten their requested hard copy booklet of the FISK Arrival NOTAM yet? Last year I found it very helpful in reading up, making notes, etc. Yeah, I can print off a copy from the PDF, but true first world problem is that the booklet was a great tool to highlight, make notes, etc.
 
WDD said:
Has anyone gotten their requested hard copy booklet of the FISK Arrival NOTAM yet? Last year I found it very helpful in reading up, making notes, etc. Yeah, I can print off a copy from the PDF, but true first world problem is that the booklet was a great tool to highlight, make notes, etc.
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Yep, got my hard copies a week or two go
 
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EvilEagle said:
All cubs (including carbon) have a lot more to do with technique of getting in and out as much as the size of the person. I will say that the carbon cubs I fly for clients and Tac Aero are easier to get in and out of than my '52 PA-18 SuperCub but you can also buy 2 or 3 well kitted out SC's for the cost of a used CC.
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Yep. On all these, the preferred technique (at least for us tall dudes) is to sit on the back of the door frame and lift your legs through the front of the door, then use the tubes overhead to pull yourself forward into the seat. It's not hard once you've done it once or twice. The Sport Cub/Carbon Cub do make it a lot more comfortable with the wide door than the older ones, though!
 
WDD said:
Has anyone gotten their requested hard copy booklet of the FISK Arrival NOTAM yet? Last year I found it very helpful in reading up, making notes, etc. Yeah, I can print off a copy from the PDF, but true first world problem is that the booklet was a great tool to highlight, make notes, etc.
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Hit the website and request again, there's still time. I get at least a couple copies each year. I like to have backup hard copies. If you submit 2 requests on the website in quick succession I usually get 2 in the same envelope.
 
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4RNB said:
OK, I’ve got a question for everyone

My main purpose for going to Oshkosh is to learn about all the options for the vans RV 10 that I am building

A secondary purpose I need help with I am a big and tall guy and I might never go to such a fly in again I’d like to know what airplanes I should really focus on trying to sit in to see what a big tall person would fit in. I am mainly focused on experimental or slsa aircraft that a light sport repairman can work on.

So what airplanes and manufacturers should I be focused on?
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As @flyingcheesehead mentioned, I am long and lean (though not as lean as I used to be). I'm 6'7" and did my initial training in a 152. When I showed up for my PP-ASEL checkride, when I walked into the FBO, the line guys said "holy cow! How do you get in that thing!?" I said "I don't really get 'in' it, I kind of 'put it on'". But yeah.. That was fun at the time (~26 years ago !!!!!), but not sure if my knees could handle much more than a loop around the patch these days.

My dad (roughly 6'5" 240lbs himself) and I built an RV-7A and flew it together a bit. When we built it, we mounted the rudder pedals as far forward as possible and put the piano hinge for the seat pan as far back as possible. Then we went with the thinnest padding we could tolerate for the seats - we basically cut the standard seat foam in half and would put the 'extra' half in when regular sized people were flying with us.

The 177RG was a good plane for us. The big doors made it easy to maneuver our long legs into/out of and the way you sat in it, you kind of got to stretch out a bit more than other planes I've flown. 182/182RG was about the best for regular head and shoulder room - also being able to wrench the seats down till they're basically on the floor helped as well.

The RV-10, though... That's the good stuff. We can get into it and we don't rub shoulders or have to make sure our seatbelts are sinched tight so we don't knock our heads on the canopy in turbulence like we did in the -7A. And other than the pre-flight control checks, our knees don't get in the way of the controls like they did in other planes. It's a very comfortable travelling plane even with both of us up front.
 
baboss said:
Hit the website and request again, there's still time. I get at least a couple copies each year. I like to have backup hard copies. If you submit 2 requests on the website in quick succession I usually get 2 in the same envelope.
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Finally got copy in the mail the other day - took a phone call and two web requests.
 
kyleb said:
You wanna talk about stress? My party of 4 still needs to lose about 25 pounds of fat between now and then. ;-)
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So what’s the strategy for making sure that 25 lbs don’t reappear for the trip home? Just sayin…
 
Tools said:
So what’s the strategy for making sure that 25 lbs don’t reappear for the trip home? Just sayin…
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Our/my goal is to get to Oshkosh with everything we need to safely tie down the airplane and camp the first night. Everything else ships in. When we leave, we ship out all the stuff we shipped in plus the tents, sleeping gear, tie-downs, and wheel underlayments.
 
kyleb said:
Our/my goal is to get to Oshkosh with everything we need to safely tie down the airplane and camp the first night. Everything else ships in. When we leave, we ship out all the stuff we shipped in plus the tents, sleeping gear, tie-downs, and wheel underlayments.
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How does this work?

This will be the my second Oshkosh, first time flying in. My wife and I are taking our Ercoupe which gives us ~20-25 pounds of baggage capacity for the long XC-trip. Trying to figure out how much we can get on the campgrounds vs. how much we absolutely need to bring. I was not aware shipping could be a solution.
 
BirdsAreNotReal said:
How does this work?

This will be the my second Oshkosh, first time flying in. My wife and I are taking our Ercoupe which gives us ~20-25 pounds of baggage capacity for the long XC-trip. Trying to figure out how much we can get on the campgrounds vs. how much we absolutely need to bring. I was not aware shipping could be a solution.
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Guest Services | EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Many services and amenities are available, most without having to leave the grounds, as a convenience for EAA AirVenture attendees.
www.eaa.org www.eaa.org

Scroll down to the Shipping Services section
For attendees, not exhibitors/vendors

The United States Postal Office will not have a location on the convention site. Do not ship your items via the US Postal Service.

Shipping Labels: Use these shipping labels for all inbound shipments as they will expedite handling.

Inbound Shipping: For attendees, not exhibitors/vendors: FedEx, UPS, DHL, Amazon, etc - Must be picked up at the GES Service Center by 5 p.m., located on the west side of Exhibit Hangar A, just south of the Red/Yellow Tram Hub.

Outbound Shipping

For attendees, not exhibitors/vendors: Packages can be shipped out from The UPS Store located on the west side of Exhibit Hangar A. Shipping services are offered Mon 7/20-Sun 7/26, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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I’ve been chasing an autopilot glitch for the past couple of weeks but finally fixed it today. All that’s left is to give the plane a bath and pack the gear so we’re close to initiation of terminal countdown.
 
BirdsAreNotReal said:
How does this work?
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We use the 27 (?) gallon plastic storage tubs from Home Depot or Lowes as shipping containers. Stick an address label on the outside (to the GES location listed in a previous post), zip tie the container closed (they have handy slots for that) and let 'er rip through your preferred shipper. Good idea to put new zip ties and return address labels inside your container so you can ship it back to yourself after the trip. We usually ship stuff from Atlanta on the Tuesday before the show and it is ready to pick up on Friday.

The GES tent is just to the West of main exhibit hangar A and is where you pick up and drop off your stuff.
 
kyleb said:
We use the 27 (?) gallon plastic storage tubs from Home Depot or Lowes as shipping containers. Stick an address label on the outside (to the GES location listed in a previous post), zip tie the container closed (they have handy slots for that) and let 'er rip through your preferred shipper. Good idea to put new zip ties and return address labels inside your container so you can ship it back to yourself after the trip. We usually ship stuff from Atlanta on the Tuesday before the show and it is ready to pick up on Friday.

The GES tent is just to the West of main exhibit hangar A and is where you pick up and drop off your stuff.
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And don’t forget to bring a knife to cut the zip ties. :)
 
For the past twenty years or so, we've had a storage locker in Oshkosh I split with a dozen other attendees. Whoever gets there first, borrows a truck from one of the locals (if they didn't drive in) and goes and starts unloading stuff in our camping area.
 
tsts4 said:
I’ve been chasing an autopilot glitch for the past couple of weeks but finally fixed it today.
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I have one of those too. If you feel like stopping in SouthGa on your way up to Oshkosh……….
 
Tools said:
So what’s the strategy for making sure that 25 lbs don’t reappear for the trip home? Just sayin…
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Ed Haywood said:
Stay AWAY from the cheese curds! Pretty sure I gained 25 pounds from one serving.
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The cheese curds weigh somewhat less after you've eaten them, as long as you've had a chance to, ahem, digest them... So you might as well eat them, it takes up less useful load than throwing them in the cooler before your trip home! :D
 
Starting to feel real now!!
Screenshot 2026-07-02 at 8.35.58 AM.png

And since I'm leaving on Thursday morning, it's time for my own countdown timer!
Screenshot 2026-07-02 at 8.37.21 AM.png
 
I think I gained 5 pounds just -thinking- about Oshkosh…


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BirdsAreNotReal said:
How does this work?

This will be the my second Oshkosh, first time flying in. My wife and I are taking our Ercoupe which gives us ~20-25 pounds of baggage capacity for the long XC-trip. Trying to figure out how much we can get on the campgrounds vs. how much we absolutely need to bring. I was not aware shipping could be a solution.
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Also, there’s a Target within walking distance (and serviced by regular shuttles) which sells a lot more camping stuff during OSH than the usual Target. And a Walmart not terribly far away but more Uber distance.
 
Llewtrah381 said:
Also, there’s a Target within walking distance.
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Kinda. It’s not bad at least from the friar tuck gate, but you also have to add the distance from your campsite. Empty handed or lightly loaded it ain’t bad, but could be a bear if you’re trying to lug a bunch of stuff back.in that instance a combination of Uber (which you can pick up at the Baymont Motel by Friar Tucks) and shuttle can make it way more palatable.
 
Uber/Lyft also makes stops on whatever that curve is just outside the green shower house / Red Store area.


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Is there a POA get together and if so when and where?
 
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