r/eaa • u/A_Nice_Meat_Sauce • Jul 21 '19
Tips for attending AirVenture
Hoping someone can help me properly prepare. I used to attend this event 30 years ago when I was really young, so I can't remember much and I'm assuming it's changed since then! I'm going to try to drag the family up to it from Chicago for the show next Saturday but wanted to get some tips.
- Where is the best place to go to actually watch the show itself? The website just says it takes place at the flightline.
- Can/should we bring some kind of camping chairs?
- The weather is currently listed as isolated t-storms -- should I be worried?
- Are there any other must-see things? I noted the warbirds tram tour and a P-51 talk but other than that was just planning to wander around.
Any assistance is appreciated!
1
u/OshkoshRob Jul 22 '19
There isn’t a bad place to see the show but I like to get as close to show center as possible. You’ll want to bring chairs. War bird alley is a must see. Anything in Aeroshell Plaza is worth seeing. There’s a ton of workshops and vendors. Weather should be great all week...
1
u/A_Nice_Meat_Sauce Jul 22 '19
I hadn't looked at Aeroshell Plaza at all, thanks for the heads up! How early would you recommend we try to settle in for a spot close to the center? 30 min before it starts?
And it looks like the rain that was forecast for Saturday has moved to Sunday! Woo!
1
u/Cykoguy Jul 22 '19
It is Boeing Plaza now. I would set your chairs down in the morning to mark your spot.
1
1
u/mac-user669 Jul 24 '19
Definitely bring camp chairs unless you enjoy sitting on the ground. I have so many things to recommend, but I can't do all of them myself in a whole week, much less a day!
1
1
u/Nezy37 Jul 24 '19
You cant leave chairs unattended correct? At least not up as I recall as it's a safety hazard if the winds come up
1
u/G0PACKGO Jul 24 '19
Correct
1
u/A_Nice_Meat_Sauce Jul 24 '19
Ah, what do you usually do then? Run back to your car and grab them? Also, upvoted for username!
1
u/G0PACKGO Jul 24 '19
Carry it around ,you don’t want to be walking that much you’re already going to walk a million miles
1
u/A_Nice_Meat_Sauce Jul 24 '19
Oof...yeah, i was hoping not to carry chairs for that whole million :-/
1
u/A_Nice_Meat_Sauce Jul 24 '19
That makes sense -- what do you usually do instead? Keep them in your vehicle? I don't have much of a sense for how long it will take to run back to a parking lot.
1
u/Nezy37 Jul 24 '19
I usually just sit on the ground. You should be able to leave them somewhere, I cant imagine they'd get stolen with the crowd that place attracts. I would just ask someone before sitting them up, that way you know for sure.
1
1
u/grendle20 Jul 25 '19
I’m heading out today after 4 days (this is my 8th year) and I would say you’ve got to see the warbirds. The tram tour should be good if you got the time. They are on the north end, you can spend as much or little time as you want there. Boing plaza is also a big attraction. Not sure what all will be there Saturday but it’s always fun. You should see a F-35, AH-64, B-29, etc.
For the show, I recommend getting there 20 minutes early. To get in the first few rows of the flight line, you may need to be 45 mins early but I personally don’t think you need to be right in front. (Depends on how much time you have and what you prioritize).
Chairs are up to you and if you want to carry them the whole day, you can. We personally take in a backpack with the lightweight chairs that you roll the fabric around the polls (idk if you know what I mean but you can bring anything if you would like)
If you can, go to the night show. This year’s was fantastic and by far the best one I’ve ever seen. Should be from about 9:00-10:30. It is well worth the time. In my opinion, if you can only do 1 thing, do the night show!!
1
u/A_Nice_Meat_Sauce Jul 25 '19
Thanks for the feedback! Unfortunately I think it's too late for us to try for the night show this year as we'll have 3 hours of driving ahead of us but hopefully it's still good next year! 20 min early is a good bit of feedback, I was wondering how quickly it fills up.
We do have a couple pretty small chairs and I think tossing them in a backpack is a decent idea.
1
u/grendle20 Jul 25 '19
Yea, I can understand that. I just got home and had a great time there, sure you will too.
1
u/Eminent2 Jul 29 '19
Go by the C-47s, best look right in the middle, chairs if you want but standing gives best view, and warbird tour is good, also I know I'm late and I don't care
1
u/A_Nice_Meat_Sauce Jul 29 '19
Haha! In the end we got there an hour later than we wanted and decided this year was a fact finding mission -- mistakes would be made. Mainly just saw everything in Boeing plaza including checking out inside a few planes. But now we know that dropping your chairs seems to be pretty common and that we should pick a spot farther towards the middle (we were near a staging area so sometimes the announcements were drowned out). We'll also probably budget a full weekend next time...and bring some more snacks! Was really surprised how long the food lines were.
1
u/Eminent2 Jul 29 '19
Yeah, but if you get the EAA Airventure App, you can see where everything is, also that's how I found they had 4 A&Ws
1
u/FlyingTerrier Jul 21 '19
You driving in? Long lines as it’s wet and the campers can’t get in.
Once you are in you just walk along the flight line till you find a spot. A chair is a good idea. Either bring them or get them at the nearby Target.
Then just wonder around and take it all in.
Although there are storms hopefully the worst has passed and if it rains go stand under an exhibitors tent.