Aviation Stories - Paul Pakusch CAMPING AT OSHKOSH 2001 I admit it. I'm a wimp when it comes to camping in a tent. But I wanted to try it at Oshkosh 2001 just to see how much I like it. My biggest fear was being stuck in a tent during a thunderstorm. I passed up a couple of opportunities to arrive at Oshkosh in style in an airplane just so I could have a car to climb into if the nasty weather hit during the night. At least a car won't rock around in the wind. I would be in Oshkosh from Tuesday through Saturday. I booked an airline from Rochester, NY to Chicago O'Hare and rented a car in Chicago. It was supposed to be a $30/night economy car, but when I arrived they said, "We have no economy cars available. Will a Dodge Grand Caravan for the same price be OK?" "Uh...... yeah, I guess I can handle that!!!" Now wimping out would be even easier! Just put the seats down in the back, throw the air mattress on top, and stretch out! The drive to OSH from Chicago took three hours, plus a stop at a grocery to buy cheap food for the campsite. I was constantly scanning the skies for signs of Oshkosh arrivals. I finally saw a couple warbirds in formation over Fond du Lac. After checking in at Camp Scholler, I spent 20 minutes driving around to pick the "perfect" site. Of course the good ones near the flight line were long gone. I finally settled on a site next to a small tree for a bit of shade near a row of porta-potties and not far from the showers. My tent was a 7x7 Coleman, supposedly big enough for three people. I laid out my air mattress diagonally so I could fit my 6' 5" frame in there. Camp Scholler is huge. Shuttlebusses or bikes are needed to get around. I spent the remainder of the first day walking around the flightline, especially the North 40 aircraft tiedown area where there are many campers set up next to their planes. Clouds were moving in from the west and I was getting concerned about the weather. I listed to NOAA weather broadcasts and used my cellphone to talk to my wife at home, who gave me her own Oshkosh forecast based on watching the weather channel. Severe storm watches were posted for southern Wisconsin, but she believed storms would not affect me. She said I should expect a lot of light rain. And that's exactly what happened the first night in my tent. I woke up frequently to the sound of light raindrops tapping the tent. At 4:00 AM, Mother Nature was calling but I decided to hold off, not wanting to walk to the porta-potties in the rain. When I woke again at 6:00, the rain had stopped. I slept a few more hours, then got up, got ready, and headed to the flightline. I caught the FAA seminar on single-pilot IFR and walked around for awhile, looking at the display aircraft. I watched the afternoon airshow. The folks from Worldflight 2000 had their AeroCommander on display. Since they are from Rochester, I hung out a bit with them, as I did several times over the next few days. In the evening, I caught part of a Young Eagles awards presentation at the Theatre in the Woods. This is where camping has its advantage; there is no rush to leave the premises, get caught in traffic, or get back to wherever else you're staying in the Oshkosh area. I stayed at the Theatre in the Woods as long as I felt like it, then went back to my tent. I showered, read by battery-operated light for awhile, then listened to music on my portable tape player. My second night in the tent I dealt with a breeze which kept flapping the tent around. I thought it would keep me awake all night, but the earplugs I brought with me worked fine. I slept soundly most of the night. Thursday started with walking around the Exhibit halls and basically playing trick or treat for freebies. I went to a Forum with Chuck Yeager but left after 20 minutes so I could go to the EAA Museum and see Scott Crossfield. After walking around the Museum I took a helicopter ride. Went back to the flight line, looked some more, checked out the fly market, and went back to the campsite to rest awhile. Back at the flightline, I took the tram to the south end of the field, which I never saw on my first visit in 1995. Checked out the amphibious aircraft and then watched the Ultralights. After that, I watched more takeoffs and landings on runway 36. I wanted to see Thursday evening's presentation at the Theatre in the Woods, which was a conversation with Chuck Yeager hosted by David Hartman. Back at the tent, more music cassette tapes and then a fairly sound night of sleep. I got an early start at 6:00 AM Friday by taking a long walk with no shuttles to the Ultralights. After watching them, I took a bus over to the Seaplane base, which was quite quiet compared to Wittman Field. I decided to come back the next day before heading back to Chicago and spend more time at the Seaplane Base. I killed some more time with airplane display browsing before catching the "Meet the Administrator" forum with FAA head Jane Garvey. In the afternoon I watched the airshow. Dinner was a couple of sandwiches at the campsite, followed by a surreal walk around the flightline at twilight, with lots of parked airplanes and very few people walking around. Then I caught part of the Theatre in the Woods presentation of country singer Mike Snider. This was my last time to the airshow area for this trip. I had a rather restless time for my last night in the tent; Saturday morning I got up earliy enough to walk to the edge of the flightline and catch the yodeler on the PA system at 7:00 AM. I'd heard about this, but just HAD to hear it for myself! It took longer than I thought to tear down and clean up my campsite. I decided that if I ever camp at an airshow again, it will be in a larger tent. After checking out, I drove over to the Seaplane Base and spent some time there. I listened to the briefing for those participating in that afternoon's seaplane fly-by. Then it was near time to drive back to Chicago to catch my flight back to Rochester. Oshkosh is an amazing experience for anyone interested in aviation. I plan to go back again in 2003 for the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flight. New commentary added April 18, 2005: I visited Oshkosh in 2003 (see photos), and as expected, the 100th anniversary celebration was a memorable event. Since this story is mostly about camping, I must note that my next camping experience at Oshkosh came in 2004. I packed a larger tent and slept in it for two nights. The second night, thunderstorms hit. My tent did a beautiful job holding up against the strong winds. However, I finally decided that camping is not for me. Having tried camping, hotels and the U. of Oshkosh dorms, I found I truly prefer staying in a real building during these air shows.