“We are ready to accommodate anyone who flies to Oshkosh,” EAA director of communications Dick Knapinski told AVweb Friday, following a Thursday storm that flooded parts of Milwaukee but largely missed Oshkosh. Milwaukee’s International Airport was closed Thursday into Friday by roughly seven inches of rain that swamped the runways there. But north of MKE the airshow grounds of Wittman Regional Airport (a.k.a. AirVenture Oshkosh) saw only about an inch and a half of rainfall. That altered some early parking procedures at AirVenture, which turned all operations onto hard surfaces to give fields normally used for parking a chance to dry out. Says Knapinski, “It’s not a typical year, but every year offers challenges.” Find aircraft parking status here.
Storms were in the forecast for Friday night but (as of Friday) the following days were expected to offer relatively pleasant temperatures … and conditions suitable for drying. Aircraft were already in place on the “North 40” and that field will likely open sections as they dry to provide traditional parking. “’93 and ’94 were similar, and we’ve learned,” says Knapinski. Whatever comes, he said, “We have the plans in place and we will make it work.” That includes aircraft, cars and campers.
