Oshkosh 2020

I need one of these before next OSH.

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I'll be there again with the mass Cherokee arrival. This year we were lucky to have made it in Saturday morning before the big storms
 
Wife and I are thinking about coming for the first time, and bringing our 3 year old son who LOVES airplanes. We would be flying in commercial, and getting a hotel room. Anyone have any advice on where to fly into or where to stay?
 
We'll be there. The only thing is we're not sure how we're going to travel or where we're going to stay. For the past 5 years we've flown in and camped in HBC. I'm 99% sure we'll still fly in, but we may ditch the tent for an RV in Sleepy Hollow if a slot opens up (we're on the list), so we'll see.
 
jssaylor2007 said:
Wife and I are thinking about coming for the first time, and bringing our 3 year old son who LOVES airplanes. We would be flying in commercial, and getting a hotel room. Anyone have any advice on where to fly into or where to stay?
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Only if you want to stay near Osh look at booking now. Also look at AirBnb type operations too.
 
jssaylor2007 said:
Wife and I are thinking about coming for the first time, and bringing our 3 year old son who LOVES airplanes. We would be flying in commercial, and getting a hotel room. Anyone have any advice on where to fly into or where to stay?
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FLy into Milwakee, rent car and drive north. If you haven’t made hotel reservations, do it NOW! Car reservations now, also.
 
jssaylor2007 said:
Wife and I are thinking about coming for the first time, and bringing our 3 year old son who LOVES airplanes. We would be flying in commercial, and getting a hotel room. Anyone have any advice on where to fly into or where to stay?
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See if theres a flight into Appleton that's convenient/inexpensive. It's closer than Milwalkee.
 
jssaylor2007 said:
How many and which days should we try and plan for?
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How plane-crazy is your family? Assuming they are as nuts as the rest of us, I think you will want at least 4 days to see the show. As for which days, I don't think it really matters much. Stuff comes and goes across the entire week. The only exception is if they schedule one of the 'big' demo teams. Blues/TBirds/etc. If so, they usually fly at the end of the week and the last weekend.
 
I second the Appleton suggestion. But better book your hotels now. 2 days minimum at Oshkosh.
 
If we're doing this, is anyone interested in a POA first day land grab in Camp Scholler for the non-flyers?
 
Well transportation to Osh is going to be fairly expensive even looking this far out. Driving isn't really an option as it is a 19hr drive. Are all vendors set up all week, or do some come and go? Was kind of thinking about doing a fly down Thursday, stay Thursday through Saturday night, and fly out Sunday. Closest connecting flight to Appleton is out of ABQ, and that's a 4 hour drive from me. The flights alone are looking to be about $500 pp.
 
The vendors stay for the whole week in my experience. Thurs through Sunday would be a good go at it.
 
jssaylor2007 said:
Well transportation to Osh is going to be fairly expensive even looking this far out. Driving isn't really an option as it is a 19hr drive. Are all vendors set up all week, or do some come and go? Was kind of thinking about doing a fly down Thursday, stay Thursday through Saturday night, and fly out Sunday. Closest connecting flight to Appleton is out of ABQ, and that's a 4 hour drive from me. The flights alone are looking to be about $500 pp.
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Fares for next Aug aren't loaded yet - but I just checked SouthWest in March, $169 from Lubbock to Chicago-Midway, then a 3-4 hour drive depending on traffic. Or, if you know someone with an airplane in the area, take a taxi to Executive and fly the last part.

Might get better fares if you go Wed-Sat. Thurs, Fri, Sun and Mon are prime travel days.
 
denverpilot said:
Never had a problem with it. Jay takes an end spot and sets up a damn Army camp. LOL. But a couple of small tents within the normal confines of a typical airplane spot isn’t going to bother anybody or get any comments from volunteers. And no, you don’t have to wait until after dark to set the second one up.
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They're starting to crack down on this. I had two small tents this year, pitched well within the footprint of the plane, and officials served notice. I had to pay for the second tent. :(

Seems kinda silly because we had two people camping there, one per tent. We could've easily shared a single larger tent, but I brought two because that's what I had on hand.
 
Didn't bring the canopy this year, so can't say much on this topic. But Jay and crew had their estate up, and no one seemed to mind. Personally I think it a bit petty. We pay plenty to camp inter field.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
They're starting to crack down on this. I had two small tents this year, pitched well within the footprint of the plane, and officials served notice. I had to pay for the second tent. :(

Seems kinda silly because we had two people camping there, one per tent. We could've easily shared a single larger tent, but I brought two because that's what I had on hand.
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We’ve camped with 2 tents a few times in HBC and they just wanted us to display credentials on both tents (no extra cost) and to stay within our footprint. The only time I saw anyone have an issue was there was a group that joined the guy next to us and together they had 4 tents— the powers that be politely told that was a no-go and 2 of the tents came down the next day.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
They're starting to crack down on this. I had two small tents this year, pitched well within the footprint of the plane, and officials served notice. I had to pay for the second tent. :(

Seems kinda silly because we had two people camping there, one per tent. We could've easily shared a single larger tent, but I brought two because that's what I had on hand.
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I had two tents and they said the opposite. Only had to pay for one
 
jssaylor2007 said:
Wife and I are thinking about coming for the first time, and bringing our 3 year old son who LOVES airplanes. We would be flying in commercial, and getting a hotel room. Anyone have any advice on where to fly into or where to stay?
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Appleton is closer (~25-30 minutes to OSH), Green Bay is a possibility (~1 hr to OSH), but Milwaukee (1.5 hr to OSH) is probably cheaper to fly into, has much more capacity, and is probably an easier/cheaper place to get a rental car that week. There are certainly a lot more flights to Milwaukee. It's the closest you can get on Southwest too, if you like them.

jssaylor2007 said:
How many and which days should we try and plan for?
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Well, I would say to come on the first day and keep coming 'til your kid gets tired of it. ;) But even if you go for the entire week, you will never see all there is to see there. I always spend the entire week, and I wish it were 6-8 weeks long so I could see everything. (Oh who am I kidding, I wish it were all year long. When I die, if I was good, I'm going to Oshkosh.)

Most of the show is going to be there all week. The vendors are all required to be there for the entire thing (although they're allowed to, and do, start packing up early on Sunday). The last day, Sunday, is also "locals get in free day" and most pilots are packing up and leaving, so it's a bit of a throwaway day and can get a bit crazy and nasty. I would plan to do like everyone else and travel home on Sunday if you're there that late.

The things that do change: The "big stuff" in whatever they're calling the West Ramp this year (Aeroshell Square? Boeing Plaza? Ford Field? Who knows). Last year, they had a UPS 747 that was replaced with a C-5 Galaxy for example... Also, the airshow changes day to day. But given the difficulty (and expense) of lodging, it's hard to pick your days at the show based on these things, as they won't be announced until it's WAY too late to get any lodging within a 45-minute drive.

The one thing I do highly recommend is that you catch a night airshow. These happen on Wednesday and Saturday. They're really cool, and each year the fireworks display is more spectacular than the last. I mean, here's this year's Wednesday finale - The whole thing is worth watching, with the music and all, but it really gets good starting with the wall of fire around 2:25, and if you want to see why my heart was beating in anticipation watching the whole thing just now, look at 3:20:


So really, the "how many days" is up to you as a parent, knowing your kid (and your wife). I also have a plane crazy kid who'll be 3.5 years old at next year's Oshkosh. He's already been there three times (four if you count in utero)... But usually it's just for a day. So far. But SO worth it to see him enjoy aviation so much:

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bflynn said:
If we're doing this, is anyone interested in a POA first day land grab in Camp Scholler for the non-flyers?
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Depends what you mean. First day of the show? Not much point in a land grab, since all the good spots are already gone. First day Scholler is open? Well, then you have to pay for every night from then until the show ends. $$$$$...

Best price/performance ratio is usually 1-2 weeks in advance of the show. You can get a good spot, and it's gonna cost ya, but at least it's less than the $840 a single campsite costs if you get it the day Scholler opens (usually 30 days before the end of the show).
 
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I think you've got one too many dollar signs in there. :) Probably around 1 AMU, not 10.

Yes, opening day land grab is expensive. There are some advantages and you pay for them.
 
For me, “camping” means staying in a hotel that doesn’t have an ice machine at the end of the hall. I don’t do tents, even though I know many people love them. I haven’t been to Oshkosh yet. Any recommendations of hotels that still have reservations available for 2020 (and ice machines at the end of the hall)?
 
I'm almost ready... not quite fully recovered yet.

I camp, but I have a large 6-person tent that my friends make fun of, but I find it's just about right for one person! I was even able to put my chair inside and sit comfortably during one rain shower, plus I have a screened-in porch where I can take refuge from the Wisconsin state bird. As long as I have a nice shower nearby, I don't care where I sleep.
 
Few Things I learned flying out to OSH '19:
1) If you are flying in from south of the Lake... take the Chicago Flyway (under the Bravo shelf) north towards OSH. Amazing views of the City.

2) Fond du Lac is no boobie prize. Safe, quiet and easy to depart when you want to depart. I flew in after OSH was filled and closed. The shower facility is C-, but so what, it is camping after all. The bus trip is comfortable and convenient... and, I bought $20 worth of gas and they lent me the airport car. Nice people.

3) I was only able to stay for 1 day... my oldest son had a health issue as soon as I arrived, so, back East I went. I want to go back.
 
Lon33 said:
For me, “camping” means staying in a hotel that doesn’t have an ice machine at the end of the hall. I don’t do tents, even though I know many people love them. I haven’t been to Oshkosh yet. Any recommendations of hotels that still have reservations available for 2020 (and ice machines at the end of the hall)?
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There's probably something available in Minnesota... ;)

The Hilton is out. The Super 8 at the northwest corner of the field? Probably out, and really expensive anyway.

According to hotels.com, the cheapest thing is the Stay Inn Motel 18 miles away for $150/night. One room left. Cheapest chain is the Quality Inn 19 miles away for $174/night, cheapest close-in thing is the Motel 6 two miles away for $190/night. If you want something highly rated, the Comfort Suites at the Appleton airport is showing $248/night. These prices are going to go up as the show gets closer.

If you're willing to interact with real live people, airbnb has rooms as cheap as $24/night in Appleton or $64/night in Oshkosh, VRBO has a one-room cabin in Omro for $125/night.

VRBO gives a glimpse into the scarcity of lodging during the show, though: 78% of all their properties in the Fox Valley area (Fond du Lac, Appleton, Oshkosh, Green Bay) are already rented.

There's the dorms at UW-Oshkosh. Dunno if they have an ice machine.

Finally, there's always an RV. They can be rented, though you'll probably get them cheaper if you rent near wherever you're flying into and drive them to Oshkosh yourself.

Whatever you do, GO!!! And have fun!
 
Sigh... Took me several days to realize I posted a broken YouTube link in post #59. Fixed:

flyingcheesehead said:
The one thing I do highly recommend is that you catch a night airshow. These happen on Wednesday and Saturday. They're really cool, and each year the fireworks display is more spectacular than the last. I mean, here's this year's Wednesday finale - The whole thing is worth watching, with the music and all, but it really gets good starting with the wall of fire around 2:25, and if you want to see why my heart was beating in anticipation watching the whole thing just now, look at 3:20:

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It's worth watching full screen... still nothing like the real thing.

 
I have a moral objection to paying $160/night for a motel 6. Thankfully I can still camp. If I couldn't camp, I would probably build a teardrop trailer.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
There's the dorms at UW-Oshkosh. Dunno if they have an ice machine.

Whatever you do, GO!!! And have fun!
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The dorms I’ve stayed in had an ice machine on the first floor.

Pick a place and GO. The first trip will be a learning experience so plan on returning:D

Cheers
 
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steingar said:
Maybe, but you'd have more fun learning Origami from me. And I'm on every day.
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MORE fun, I don’t know, but I’ll tell you this much: if I have time next time around, I’m up for folding some paper!
 
George Mohr said:
See if theres a flight into Appleton that's convenient/inexpensive. It's closer than Milwalkee.
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Flying into Appleton is usually incredibly more expensive than Milwaukee. Like 3x more expensive. Check fares to see the difference.
Lon33 said:
For me, “camping” means staying in a hotel that doesn’t have an ice machine at the end of the hall. I don’t do tents, even though I know many people love them. I haven’t been to Oshkosh yet. Any recommendations of hotels that still have reservations available for 2020 (and ice machines at the end of the hall)?
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GreenBay is the most cost-effective. Anything closer is high priced for the week. Check the dorms at UW Osh.
 
So the wife surprised me and said she wanted to go to Osh next year, I won’t complain.

Looking at the website it says airplane camping is available on a first come first served basis. Do you have to stay the entire week? When can you arrive?
 
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