Oshkosh: Behind the Scenes
The last airplane hadn’t even left Wittman Regional Airport on the final afternoon of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009, and already the planning was underway for the next year. Planning aviation’s annual family reunion has become a 12-month job. As the tents are brought down and all the buildings cleaned, staff and volunteers are thinking ahead. Certainly, everyone takes a little time to savor the moment and the success of last summer. In a down economy, EAA AirVenture has had a booming year. Attendance was up 12 percent over 2008, to 578,000, while the number exhibitors and showplanes also grew. From the massive Airbus A380 to new electric-powered light-sport aircraft, aircraft of every size, shape, age and description seemed to make it home.
Even as the sun sets on one year’s event, though, the clock starts ticking for the year ahead. “There are more than 4,000 volunteers and 300 volunteer chairmen in the various areas,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of marketing and communications. “We want to get their ideas and comments before they leave the grounds and go home, while things are still fresh in their minds.” That means comments on everything from auto parking to air shows to garbage collection. EAA’s staff adds its comments, while thousands of comments collected on the grounds, in post-event surveys and in letters, e-mails and phone calls are tallied and reviewed. That input comes from members and other aviation enthusiasts who flowed through the gates and landed aircraft at Oshkosh during the week-long celebration of flight. It takes about a month to total up the bulk of the post-event comments, categorize them and get a snapshot of public reaction to the whirlwind of activity that just subsided. “We read every comment we receive,” said Jim Sweeney, EAA director of market research. “While a single thoughtful e-mail or letter will certainly receive consideration, for the most part we’re looking for trends. “Is there something that was a huge hit during the week? Was there something that fell short that we got a lot of comments about? That is the feedback that really helps us determine what the priorities will be for the coming year.”
The 2009 edition of EAA AirVenture especially relied on public input before and after the event. Some of the most significant changes to the site since the fly-in came to Oshkosh in 1970 were made before the last year’s event. A huge amount of EAA-member input went into the final site plan, and the reaction was highly anticipated after more than $3 million of improvements in everything from walkways to restrooms. “The overall feedback we received about the site improvement was very, very positive,” said EAA Chairman/President Tom Poberezny, who has also been AirVenture Chairman since the last 1970s. “We look at every person who attends AirVenture as a participant as much as a visitor, since they bring their airplanes and work as volunteers. “We heard from people who were very appreciative of the new walkways, the expanded exhibit spaces, and the restoration of the traditional “Brown Arch,” for example. And, of course, there was nearly unanimous approval of the flush toilets in the campgrounds and along the flight line.”
Some of the upgrades already in the works for 2010 include an expanded and enhanced warbirds display and program area, as well as an expansion of one indoor exhibit hangar and the addition of more flush toilets in that area. Then there are the airplanes. While many of the 10,000 airplanes that come to Oshkosh each year are privately owned and flown, and their appearances depend on the owner, some of the most visible and noteworthy aircraft take time to draw to AirVenture. Be assured there were discussions last summer that will show their results on the flight line this coming summer. “The Airbus A380, for instance, took three years of planning, including several visits by Airbus engineers from France to Oshkosh to study the airport and logistics,” Poberezny said. “In fact, last summer we already had discussions with people who were talking about bringing particular airplanes in 2012.” As the summer turns into fall, the planning continues at a steady pace. The next year’s online ticket sales traditionally begin in early November, to ensure that those seeking to buy AirVenture tickets as Christmas gifts can make their purchases. Before that time, budgets must be set, admission prices established and the www.airventure.org website updated.
By early December, when the International Council of Air Shows holds its annual convention in Las Vegas, it’s time to talk with potential air show performers about coming to Oshkosh. The performers are volunteers, too, donating their talents for their fellow aviators. They have good reasons to do so, since the visitors from around the world who watch the afternoon air show are the best recommendation for these aerobatic fliers to perform at other air shows throughout North America. “We have some performers who are yearly favorites at Oshkosh, and we invite them back,” said Joe Schumacher, who is AirVenture’s aircraft operations chairman and a longtime air show veteran. “We’re also looking for new acts or something unusual we think people will enjoy. We try to provide a good mix of performers and airplanes each year. And those new acts at Oshkosh need recommendations from those who have flown there before to make the grade.”
By the time the new year starts, the AirVenture momentum is already beginning to build. Some major programs are finalized, such as the “Salute to Veterans” or the 75th anniversaries of the DC-3 and B-17 that will be part of Oshkosh in 2010. In addition, some of the volunteer groups start arriving at EAA’s headquarters to discuss the upcoming year. Those might include volunteer chairmen from the vintage aircraft or warbirds area, or those representatives from government agencies who staff the Federal Pavilion along the flight line.
“The preparation may not be as intense at times during the year, but it never really stops,” Poberezny said. “EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the world’s premier aviation event, and continues to set a very high standard for itself. It takes year-round planning to make sure that we meet the expectations of aviation enthusiasts from around the world.”
