Oshkosh - advice and recommendations....

Armageddon Aviator

Armageddon Aviator

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Alon Smolarski
Hi,

I am planning a trip to Oshkosh with a few friends.

I'd love to get some advice on the following issues:

1. Accommodation

Any motels you can suggest in the area ( at reasonable prices ) ?
We don't mind commuting to Fond-du-Lac on a daily basis if required.

I know that some folks are renting houses and apartments instead, that might be an option too...any personal experience with that ?

We don't want to sleep in tents and prefer not to stay at the dorms....

2. When is the best time to arrive ? ( and the best time to leave ? )

I was told that 3 days in Oshkosh should be enough ( is it ? ) - is it better to get there at the very beginning of the event (and skip the closing ceremonies ) or delay our arrival by a couple of days and stay until the end ?

3. What are the essentials items you recommend bringing along ?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Alon
 
Alan - this is a favorite topic and has been done to death here. Use the Search option to find the many threads. Also read the info in the Airventure website, it's the best resource around, and for good reason.

And trust me, if you didn't make hotel reservations last July, you're not staying anyplace as close as Fond du Lac.
 
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How about renting a motorhome? Several places will deliver it right to the campground.

3 days is WAY not enough, even if you stayed the whole week the first time you would not be able to see all the show.

If you are not staying the whole week I do recomend the first half over the second. First half your get pilots and dedicated aviation enthusists. The last weekend is crowded with bunches of locals.
 
Missa said:
How about renting a motorhome? Several places will deliver it right to the campground.

3 days is WAY not enough, even if you stayed the whole week the first time you would not be able to see all the show.

If you are not staying the whole week I do recomend the first half over the second. First half your get pilots and dedicated aviation enthusists. The last weekend is crowded with bunches of locals.
Click to expand...

And the problem with the locals is...?

BTW, the night airshow is Saturday. Another reason to stay the entire week or come in the last half. Another advantage to the last half - you can often find room in the air conditioned dorms.
 
Missa said:
How about renting a motorhome? Several places will deliver it right to the campground.
Click to expand...

This is a good idea if you don't want to sleep in a tent. The campground is one of the most charming aspects of OSH in my opinion, and is something that is worth experiencing. Plus then you don't need to drive to the event from your motel. The two times I've gone, I've camped out and I wouldn't want to do it any other way. Next time I think I'd like to pitch a tent next to the plane.

3 days is WAY not enough, even if you stayed the whole week the first time you would not be able to see all the show.
Click to expand...

This is a matter of opinion and what you want to do. When I was working for an OEM and had OEM duties that I performed while at OSH, spending 5 days there was enjoyable, but I was ready to leave by the fifth day. Now, if I were to attend, I would probably only want to stay there for a couple of days. There are a lot of things I'm sure I've missed, but for me, there's a saturation effect that occurs.

If you are not staying the whole week I do recomend the first half over the second. First half your get pilots and dedicated aviation enthusists. The last weekend is crowded with bunches of locals.
Click to expand...

I'd agree the first half of the week is better. Also, if there are any seminars, workshops, etc. you want to attend, you can plan around those. Many of them are held multiple times, but many are not.

I flew into Osh once towards the end of the day and left mid-morning, and I didn't have any issues coming in or going out. You do need to be on your toes and master of the airplane. Flying into Osh is not the time to be learning slow flight, spot landing, etc. If you are not comfortable flying into a major Bravo airport during rush hour, you probably should not fly yourself in.

Not saying anything about your abilities (or anyone else's), it's just a word of caution to heed. There's a major wreck (or more) it seems every year at Osh. You don't want it to be you.
 
The good t-shirts usually sell out by the next to the last day of the show... If that matters. ;)
 
Missa said:
There's a lot of them and it gets crowded...
Click to expand...

It's crowded every day that I've been there. Perhaps the last weekend is worse (I've actually never been there for the second weekend), but if it is, I would then avoid it at all costs.

Osh is like a densely-populated city. The evenings if you're camping are the best - you and your friends can just hang out, make new friends with the people who come by, etc.
 
1. Accommodation

Any motels you can suggest in the area ( at reasonable prices ) ?
We don't mind commuting to Fond-du-Lac on a daily basis if required.

I know that some folks are renting houses and apartments instead, that might be an option too...any personal experience with that ?

We don't want to sleep in tents and prefer not to stay at the dorms....
Click to expand...

We've attended OSH for the last 29 consecutive years, and have stayed in everything from houses to motor homes to tents.

If you fly all the way to Oshkosh and land/stay anywhere other than on the field in OSH, you will regret it. We stayed off the field for the first 16 years, and THOUGHT we were experiencing AirVenture. Once we started staying on the field, we realized how wrong we were.

Fond du Lac is a nice airport, but it's not Oshkosh. It's sort of like kissing your sister -- even if she's Angelina Jolie, it's not the same.

2. When is the best time to arrive ? ( and the best time to leave ? )


We always try to arrive on the Sunday before the show starts, in order to secure a good campsite. If you're not camping, you just need to be sure that there is room in transient parking. Sunday would be good for that, too.

I was told that 3 days in Oshkosh should be enough ( is it ? ) - is it better to get there at the very beginning of the event (and skip the closing ceremonies ) or delay our arrival by a couple of days and stay until the end ?
Click to expand...

Most years we spend the full week, and never feel that we've seen everything. Three days would whet your appetite, but you would just be figuring out the "lay of the land" and it would be time to leave. It's THAT big.

3. What are the essentials items you recommend bringing along ?
Click to expand...

If you're not camping, you can simplify it down to two pairs of broken-in comfy tennis shoes, and one pair of comfy, broken-in sandals. Alternate daily, to give your feet a break. You will walk anywhere from 2 to 10 miles a day while in OSH, so get in shape before trying it.

Lots of loose fitting cotton shirts, a big, floppy hat, sunglasses and a few bottles of pump-spray sunscreen will help a lot, too.

As for affordable motels, you'd have to go to Milwaukee to find one that doesn't jack the rates during OSH.

Good luck! We start dreaming about OSH in January...so you're ahead of the curve! :D
 
Ted DuPuis said:
This is a matter of opinion and what you want to do. When I was working for an OEM and had OEM duties that I performed while at OSH, spending 5 days there was enjoyable, but I was ready to leave by the fifth day. Now, if I were to attend, I would probably only want to stay there for a couple of days. There are a lot of things I'm sure I've missed, but for me, there's a saturation effect that occurs.
Click to expand...

I agree with the saturation effect which is why I usually take a day off in the middle of the show, Wed or so I'm done with it but that's when I just spend a day away from the show about then but considering the distance he will be traveling it might be better to plan the whole week and try to see more of the show.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
It's crowded every day that I've been there. Perhaps the last weekend is worse (I've actually never been there for the second weekend), but if it is, I would then avoid it at all costs.

Osh is like a densely-populated city. The evenings if you're camping are the best - you and your friends can just hang out, make new friends with the people who come by, etc.
Click to expand...

Yes, the final weekend is more crowded particularly Saturday when all the locals have work off and decided it's a good day to take the kids to the airshow.
 
Missa said:
I agree with the saturation effect which is why I usually take a day off in the middle of the show, Wed or so I'm done with it but that's when I just spend a day away from the show about then but considering the distance he will be traveling it might be better to plan the whole week and try to see more of the show.
Click to expand...

What I did when Rick and I rode our motorcycles out a few years ago was decide I'd stay until I felt like leaving (allowing for the full week). One day I woke up, decided I was done, and was on the road within 30 minutes. 13 hours and 830 miles later, I was home. :)
 
Jay Honeck said:
Good luck! We start dreaming about OSH in January...so you're ahead of the curve! :D
Click to expand...

Green Bay is closer, the hotels/motels are cheaper than the dorms, and there's bus service direct to OSH. However, if you want to rent a car, it's got to be Milwaukee.
 
murphey said:
Green Bay is closer, the hotels/motels are cheaper than the dorms, and there's bus service direct to OSH. However, if you want to rent a car, it's got to be Milwaukee.
Click to expand...

I rent a Hertz at OSH every year. If you rent early, the rates are normal.
The manager explained that the reservation system gives normal rates until the local cars are gone. Once the system sees that they'll have to bring cars in, the rates go up.

When I get back, I make a reservation online for the next year. If I can't make it, cancel the reservation. No problem, no charge.
 
Thanks a lot for the useful advice - highly appreciated.

See ya in Oshkosh

Alon
 
I've stayed at Marian College in Fon Du Lac. The dorms were fine--I paid extra for the ones with a/c in the room. Prices were reasonable The rooms were 2 people to a room but it was me and a friend so no big deal. The cafeteria served breakfast every morning too. 30 minute drive early morning to get to the show... If you late then traffic could be very bad. The drive was the biggest drag, I would try to find a place closer if you're staying the whole week.

Nothing beats flying in and camping though. :D Well... maybe flying in and staying at the Hilton on the north side of the field...
 
Ted DuPuis said:
What I did when Rick and I rode our motorcycles out a few years ago was decide I'd stay until I felt like leaving (allowing for the full week). One day I woke up, decided I was done, and was on the road within 30 minutes. 13 hours and 830 miles later, I was home. :)
Click to expand...

That's my goal this coming year. I'm hoping to get a spot to set up a tent in the campground and stay 2 or 3 nights, then trek home again. A friend in Ohio about half way that I hope to be able to crash at for a night on the trip out / back.
 
Rob Schaffer said:
That's my goal this coming year. I'm hoping to get a spot to set up a tent in the campground and stay 2 or 3 nights, then trek home again. A friend in Ohio about half way that I hope to be able to crash at for a night on the trip out / back.
Click to expand...

If you can, consider taking the long way out and going via Canadian backroads. So much nicer than I-80!
 
So who does one contact for these motor homes that get delivered to the field and any idea of the cost?
 
When I looked into it two years ago, I just did an internet search and at the time there was a place offering an Airventure special.

It was around $1500 for the week.
 
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