Day trips after arrival

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bentmettle

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matt
If I fly in to the event, how feasible or sensible is it to leave and plan to come back?

As in, if I flew in, set up camp, stayed a day or two, is a day trip to go pick up family and bring them in at all feasible? I can see it working from KFLD perhaps, and maybe a person can get out of KOSH early in the day, but you certainly don't appear to be guaranteed to get back in before or after airshow closure slots...

Anyone have some experience and wisdom on this? Is there a way to do it from KOSH, or nearby airports, or is it asking to have my head explode?

My experience level is driving to the event twice, and flying in last year (missing the airshow shutdown, and barely getting in that same day after it reopened.)
 
I've flown demo rides during the show and before they put the nicer shower trailers in, we would fly out to one of the nearby fields that had a shower in the FBO. There's also the flyout to Shawano and the Cubs have their own little thing going at New Holstein. Only once have I been caught off field (there was some incident on 27 that pretty much locked things down). Fortunately we were just up in Neenah and someone drove up and got me.

If you're in vintage, make sure to let people know you are coming back that day. We no longer allow people to fly in early, stake out spots, and leave. Empty spaces are liable to be refilled.
 
Thanks. I’d be in ga camping unless I buy a plane before then, not sure how I’d convince them to get back to my spot or would I need to tear down and start
Over?
 
It's doable. You have to pick your times. The less busy the better, obviously. Last year I went up before the show and got a good campsite, and went home early Saturday. Best to go as soon as the airport opens before the arrivals start coming in. Also nice to have a friend or neighbor who can keep an eye on your camp. I came back Monday AM, again trying to be super early. Show your camping credential and they'll get a scooter to guide you back in. Obviously weather can effect this massively.

I then went home again Thursday morning. This is a big departure day, so once again the key is to be early. I go home, swap kids, and come back after the airshow. That time isn't normally too busy, but last year it became a bit of a circus. Iirc there was weather in the morning so there was a huge departure crush after the airshow that held up arrivals. As always, have a backup plan and lots of gas.

@masloki is the OG in&out guy that gave me confidence to try it. He may have more tips.

It is a bit of a hassle. People often have tents and such that stick into the alleys. Short wings help. In the N40 they don't backfill empty spots until Thursday, but make it obvious that you're coming back.
 
In Vintage, we just grab a sheet of paper and a big marker and write down the row number our space is in and hold it up to folk on arrival.

In actuality, my plane is pretty distinctive and have volunteered/parked there so long, everybody in Vintage knows where it goes.
 
bentmettle said:
Thanks. I’d be in ga camping unless I buy a plane before then, not sure how I’d convince them to get back to my spot or would I need to tear down and start
Over?
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Specifically, the camping credential you get has two halves. One goes at you camp, and take the other with you. When you come back in, have a sign for which campground (n40, s40), and another with your row number. Show the marshals those signs with your camping credential, and they'll get you where you need to go.
 
What most alluded to - there is no guarantee you are getting in or out on your schedule. If you haven’t flown Fisk before, doing it multiple times is a challenge. There are some days/times I won’t fly it as there are just too many planes in too small of a space. I think Sunday before the show at 4 PM was about the worst.

Don’t forget the credential half! Do write your row number on a sign. Do it enough times, as Ron noted, they’ll recognize you. :rofl:

@flyingcheesehead Was the that inspired my comings and goings. When you are a 30 minute flight away from OSH, that gives you a great deal of flexibility.
 
When do they start assigning camping sites? And do you mean camping under the wing? If I could get a good site that doesn’t require a bus then I might do it again. Was planning to take the RV this time.
 
Last year Thursday morning got us in the first row of the n40. Guys who came Friday midday were by the first shower house (which is still a great spot). By the end of the day they had filled to the mass arrival areas and went to the n side of 9/27. Honecks had been there since maybe Monday? He was the first one they let in I think.
 
Jim K said:
Specifically, the camping credential you get has two halves. One goes at you camp, and take the other with you. When you come back in, have a sign for which campground (n40, s40), and another with your row number. Show the marshals those signs with your camping credential, and they'll get you where you need to go.
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The attach to vehicle thing only really is designed to get your car in and out of Scholler if you're camped there. It means absolutely squat for airplane camping (at least in Vintage).
 
flyingron said:
The attach to vehicle thing only really is designed to get your car in and out of Scholler if you're camped there. It means absolutely squat for airplane camping (at least in Vintage).
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I don't know about that, as I have an ultra modern airplane built in 1976 (6 years before I was born...). I can tell you that they won't let you back into the north 40 without it.
 
mandm said:
When do they start assigning camping sites? And do you mean camping under the wing? If I could get a good site that doesn’t require a bus then I might do it again. Was planning to take the RV this time.
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IIRC Camp Scholler opens June 28th or there abouts. But like aircraft camping they don't assign campsites - its' first come, first serve (one exception are the improved Scholler sites with water and electricity -- those can be booked online). You do have more choice as to your exact site in Scholler vs aircraft camping, but the closest spots fill up as soon as it opens (yes folks pay for a month of camping to lock in those choice spots). IIRC, for aircraft camping/parking they don't get the parking lines laid out until the Tuesday or Wed before the show so they don't want folks showing up before then. Plus that early there's no marshallers or services (ie food, porta-potties, buses/shuttles, etc) on the field yet.
 
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masloki said:
What most alluded to - there is no guarantee you are getting in or out on your schedule. If you haven’t flown Fisk before, doing it multiple times is a challenge. There are some days/times I won’t fly it as there are just too many planes in too small of a space. I think Sunday before the show at 4 PM was about the worst.

Don’t forget the credential half! Do write your row number on a sign. Do it enough times, as Ron noted, they’ll recognize you. :rofl:

@flyingcheesehead Was the that inspired my comings and goings. When you are a 30 minute flight away from OSH, that gives you a great deal of flexibility.
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I used to go in and out from GAC quite a bit - I have around 40 Fisk arrivals under my belt. I think my record for a single year was 7. I'll sometimes give rides to people who have come a long way, or I'll pick up people like @TangoWhiskey who have airlined up to MKE, or I'll run an errand via air here or there, or pick up a family member, or... Lots of reasons.

That said, I don't do it any more. I've been solely a non-airplane (Scholler) camper since 2014. I've still brought the airplane up and put it in GAC when there's room, but without a campsite I don't need to get back to the same spot.

I *was* always able to get back to my spot, but part of what soured me on it was a volunteer who came running toward my airplane with the prop spinning, forcing me to pull the mixture suddenly, and then wouldn't let me go anywhere until he got someone on a moped to actually go to the row I had on my sign and verify that there was a tent that was missing an airplane. Like, why would anyone lie about that? Sheesh.

But yes, get one of those giant sharpie markers and add "ROW xyz" to your GAC sign. And these days, probably "NORTH 40" or "SOUTH 40" would help. Might need two signs, marshallers need to be able to see it from 100+ feet away. And be sure you're flying an airplane that's light enough that you can shut down and push it back into your spot, even in rough grass. Ensure you aren't coming back when the airport is closed (2-6:30 PM or after 8 PM) or super busy (immediately following the air show). You will slow down the volunteers just a tad, and it's not nice to do that with people behind you.

There hasn't been a ton of room since 2020, last year when they didn't close parking early in the week I went and got the airplane, but I ended up parked in the very last row against the south fence of the airport so we'll probably leave the bird at home again this year. :(
 
I am looking to do something similar. I have 4 kids and only a 4 place airplane. For the last 6 years we have driven up and stayed in a hotel but this year the kids all want to fly in and camp. I am thinking about flying in Monday stay til Wednesday, swap kids with my mom and then come back Thursday morning.

So if I left overnight(or 2 if weather) with my tents setup it sounds like I should be able to get back in.
 
Skylark23 said:
What's the problem with this spot? Too far to walk?
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That's one thing. It's very far. It's way past where all the trams and busses stop. I did laugh when I was about halfway down and someone had put up a sign that said "Welcome to Fond du Lac!" :rofl:

OK, I had to look. It's about 4,600 feet, or more than 3/4 of a mile, from the south end to the nearest tram stop. :eek:

The condition of the taxilane down there was... Well, very bumpy, so make sure you're not using one of the types that is more susceptible to a prop strike, and don't get tempted to taxi fast at all.

I was really glad I wasn't camping down there (just parking) and that we had people to come pick us up and give us a ride back to relative civilization.

All that said, the South 40 is pretty new. I'm sure they will add better transportation and more amenities as time goes on, and hopefully smooth out the bumps a bit.
 
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