Originally Posted by
gmatejcek
Howdy, and welcome!
Camping on the field you do pretty much have the run of the place, but if you are coming through the main gate I suspect that the hours are limited and posted on the website. As others have commented, there is no way to absorb the whole experience in the time you have. However, for those whose body clocks allow, early mornings are an excellent time to stroll the grounds and gawk at the biggest assemblage of flying machines on the planet. Also, they have been launching balloons very early on Saturday, I think, from the ultralight area for the last couple years. That is pretty neat, and since it occurs prior to the field opening for regular ops, it is quiet and you can hear the burners from a great distance. Conversely, the grounds are open well into the evening and lots more turf can be covered as energy allows. Along those lines, there are water fountains distributed around the grounds, so you can refill your water bottle frequently.
Again, as others have mentioned, the museum is a great place to avoid wx, but it must be said that it is truly a first rate facility. It can also be a nicely air conditioned place to cool off towards the evening, as long as it's not closed due to some special event. The seaplane base is also a neat thing to experience, and if you take the time to go there, you might take the boat ride around the lagoon just because.
I would probably avoid the exhibit buildings and fly market entirely unless you are hard core shopping. They eat a lot of time when there are airplanes to ogle.
You will have a blast. Try to arrive somewhat oriented, but you will be knee deep in like minded friends and help with anything is just one 'excuse me..." away.