Has anyone ever volunteered at Airventure?

[X3 Skier]

Past couple of years, my girlfriend and I volunteered at the Seaplane Pilots Association Booth hawking SPA Merch. Nice group of folks and easy work for a wristband. SPA has shifts from half days to all week at the main booth and at the Seaplane Base. No clue if other minor Alphabets have similar openings.

Also did a shift at the Sonex One Week Wonder. The “Leads” were shall we say “varied” in skill and knowledge but the Sonex factory types as well as more experienced builder types kept close watch IMNSHO.

 

[mcdewey]

This will be my 3rd year volunteering. As the dates for the show grow nearer, some of the areas that need volunteers will post here: https://www.eaa.org/eaa/support-eaa...ture/available-airventure-volunteer-positions
You can also post your desire on the EAA Facebook page. But for a number of areas it’s basically finding out who the vol lead is and asking them directly.

During the show they used to post a list of where they need help by the Red Barn across from the Fly-Mart but I’m not sure if they still do that.

You can volunteer as much or as little as you like, but as mentioned if you volunteer for 20 hrs you get a weekly wrist band for the following year, and 40 hrs gets you free camping the following year. You also get a free lunch on the days you volunteer.

They still post needs on a whiteboard at the volunteer booth by the Red Barn market.

I've volunteered a few time parking planes on N40 and Vintage. It's a great chance to see planes up close, work with some interesting characters, and realize how bad at following directions some pilots and attendees are.

I volunteered for Operation Thirst once, thinking I'd get to drive around the field under the blue skies, golden sun and cooling breezes to give food and drink to grateful volunteers. Instead, I got the opportunity to build my character by standing in a small shack for hours putting lettuce on sandwiches. I staggered out with aching wrists and a profound understanding of how hard they work there.

 

[tsts4]

Instead, I got the opportunity to build my character by standing in a small shack for hours putting lettuce on sandwiches. I staggered out with aching wrists and a profound understanding of how hard they work there.

I feel your pain. My wife and I volunteer at SnF in the kitchen each year making and bagging sandwiches for the other volunteers.

 

[flyingron]

The sandwiches ain't the same since they moved on from mystery meat on wonderbread with the jolly rancher smushed into the the bread.

 

[Mike Leimetter]

I’ve been volunteering at AirVenture for 28 years. I spent my first 5 years there just being a tourist but found that volunteering Greatly enhanced my experience. The waste disposal, toilet cleaning etc. are farmed out to companys now. There are a plethora of areas to volunteer your time and all will greatly appreciate it. Usually after putting in some time they will offer you some incentive to keep coming back like free camping passes, or free weekly wristbands. We can always use help in FlightLine Safety so if you’re planning to attend, please come find me or shoot me a PM and I can give you some info and my cell number! Would love to meet some fellow PoArs. There is a Volunteer Center for those looking to volunteer and they can help you find your locations of interest.

Mike Leimetter

 

[Mike Leimetter]

The sandwiches ain't the same since they moved on from mystery meat on wonderbread with the jolly rancher smushed into the the bread.

lol I REALLY miss the mystery meat sandwiches. It was always a treat when you got the ham salad

 

[Mike Leimetter]

I don’t think it’s as hard to get into interesting vol jobs as you think it is. I have zero connections with anyone and simply asked and bingo. Also knocking out 20 hrs for the week is pretty easy. 40 hrs is a bit harder but it can be done and still have lots of time to do/see stuff on your own. The long pole would possibly be scheduling work around a specific time that you want to do something.

Remember it’s not a “job” so you schedule your “work” time around your other activities, not the other way around. The entire convention is run mostly by volunteers. Put in some hours and get your passes paid for! More $$$$$ to spend on avionics (don’t ask me how I know lol)!

 

[Mike Leimetter]

Vintage volunteering isn't restricted to vintage members or even people with airplanes. We have positions from marshalling airplanes, parking them, playing crossing guard for the two points where airplanes cross the roads, working in the operations area (checking volunteers in and out and operating the radio), crowd control during the airshow (and unfortunately during emergencies like the airplane crashes), providing refreshments to the other volunteers, transporting volunteers to the various work locations, etc... I've done just about everything there over the years (I started by answering the radio calls for N number lookups my first year as I had injured my foot and couldn't walk far or ride the scooters).

I've not bought a campsite credential or wristband in years. Vintage Flight LIne had over 12,000 hours of volunteers last year.

The Vintage folks are an awesome area to volunteer in!

 

[tsts4]

Remember it’s not a “job” so you schedule your “work” time around your other activities, not the other way around. The entire convention is run mostly by volunteers. Put in some hours and get your passes paid for! More $$$$$ to spend on avionics (don’t ask me how I know lol)!

It's not a job, but for some of the volunteer areas the scheduling isn't as flexible, so workarounds can depend on the needs of the area. Some areas have a finite number of slots to fill, like the one to work for. Also, my area has more people volunteer for it each year than can be used and priority scheduling goes to those wanting to fill 20hr or 40hr blocks. When I submit our schedule inputs (the call for inputs comes out in early June) I look at the events/forum schedule and plan accordingly. Typically, we tend to front load and knockout our hours in he first half of the week leaving us free to do stuff in the back half. Lots of variables and everyone's situation is going to be different.

 

[Mike Leimetter]

It's not a job, but for some of the volunteer areas the scheduling isn't as flexible, so workarounds can depend on the needs of the area. Some areas have a finite number of slots to fill, like the one to work for. Also, my area has more people volunteer for it each year than can be used and priority scheduling goes to those wanting to fill 20hr or 40hr blocks. When I submit our schedule inputs (the call for inputs comes out in early June) I look at the events/forum schedule and plan accordingly. Typically, we tend to front load and knockout our hours in he first half of the week leaving us free to do stuff in the back half. Lots of variables and everyone's situation is going to be different.

Makes total sense. in our area we are usually begging for bodies on Sat and Sun at the end of the show when all the volunteers start leaving. There were some lean years when it was pretty much our Chairman, myself and a couple others on Sunday lol. We can get to a point of saturation but that just gives our staff time to take a break and check out the sights and that riveting forum they need. For me it’s a labor of love and I’m usually putting in 12+ hour days being on the field from 0700 till close. Safety is everyone’s business but we’re there for when it goes sideways. Stop in at the Flightline Safety building and say hello. We’re located at Knapp and the P1 taxiway with Homebuilt Parking.
Mike