Our first trip to Oshkosh air venture from Australia

[cfnapier@gmail.com]

We plan on travelling to the Oshkosh air venture for 2016 from Queensland, Australia. After returning recently from the Omaka Classic Fighters air show in New Zealand (which was an awesome weekend show by the way) we discovered that we may be the only two people there who haven't yet been to Oshkosh, apparently, so we would now like to set things in motion to change that and would love to hear from like minded people who may have done the trip before from here, we know you're out there, no point in trying to hide now! We did the "glamping" thing at Omaka in a six birth motor home as well as once before in England when we went to Farnborough air show, so we have a bit of an idea of what's involved in motor home living, plus residing permanently in our own caravan is to our advantage as well, we have a few questions we'd like answered please, what flights do we take from here to land where in USA which would be most practical & closest to the show venue, do we just need flights or other modes of transport as well & where from, any suggestions on where to hire a motor home from nearest the venue, do they provide airport pick up/drop off or deliver on site at the venue? Any help would be greatly appreciated, I eagerly await all positive responses. Kind regards Carole

[bluepeace]

We plan on travelling to the Oshkosh air venture for 2016 from Queensland, Australia. After returning recently from the Omaka Classic Fighters air show in New Zealand (which was an awesome weekend show by the way) we discovered that we may be the only two people there who haven't yet been to Oshkosh, apparently, so we would now like to set things in motion to change that and would love to hear from like minded people who may have done the trip before from here, we know you're out there, no point in trying to hide now! We did the "glamping" thing at Omaka in a six birth motor home as well as once before in England when we went to Farnborough air show, so we have a bit of an idea of what's involved in motor home living, plus residing permanently in our own caravan is to our advantage as well, we have a few questions we'd like answered please, what flights do we take from here to land where in USA which would be most practical & closest to the show venue, do we just need flights or other modes of transport as well & where from, any suggestions on where to hire a motor home from nearest the venue, do they provide airport pick up/drop off or deliver on site at the venue? Any help would be greatly appreciated, I eagerly await all positive responses. Kind regards Carole

Hi Carole, so as not to bore the fellow readers with details of Aussie flights, I have sent you a reply to your email directly.
feel free to contact us to the mobile phone number.
regards,
Ivan

[GeorgeP]

G'day Carole,in 2013, I travelled from Melbourne and a friend came down from the Gold Coast. He participated in the Torii Tours 11-day trip and I travelled independently. My itinerary was (and will be again in a couple of weeks) : Melbourne to Los Angeles (QF A380) Los Angeles to Chicago (United 737) Chicago to Appleton (United Express ERJ-145) I found this route to be the most direct and cheapest option for me. My friend's tour itinerary was : Brisbane to Sydney (Virgin) Sydney to Los Angeles (Delta) Los Angeles to Detroit (Delta) Detroit to Appleton (Delta Express). His route was a little tiring because it included an overnighter at Sydney plus some long transit times at Los Angeles (~6hrs) and Detroit (~3hrs). This year he, too, is travelling independently from Brisbane to Los Angeles (where we will meet) and together fly to Chicago then on to Appleton. We shared an airconditioned room at the University of Wisconsin which we will do again this year. I would recommend this type of accommodation because it is very comfortable, there is an excellent dining facility at the uni and you are mixing with lots of like-minded people from all corners of the world. Bookings for 2016 accommodation will open soon after the conclusion of this year's Oshkosh. Check the EAA and/or University of Wisconsin websites for details. Hope this helps.[EDIT] I tried to separate text but it appears that the website only formats in a continuous line of text.Cheers,George

[pylon500]

Having done the trip three times, I had variations each time.
First off is getting to the US, it's a l-o-n-g way, and sometimes the even longer routes can be cheaper, ie; Brisbane to New York, may be cheaper than Brisbane to L.A.
Obviously Brisbane to New York wont be direct, but the booking systems often calculates from start to finish, regardless of the stops in between.
My first trip was Sydney, Osaka (Japan!), then over the North pole past Alaska and Canada into JFK.
Was cheaper than Sydney to L.A., then a separate booking to Chicago.
Have a look at direct to Chicago? (it will have stops, but as I say above...)
The closest you can fly to Oshkosh is a place called Appleton (a bit bigger than Ipswich), on a commuter flight, then it's a 16 mile bus ride to Oshkosh.
Lots of people aim for Appleton, it's the aircraft overflow parking for Oshkosh, so everybody going there to hire, gets Oshkosh related prices.....
If you want to pick up a van/camper, Chicago is the closest big city, so lots of hiring choice.
Remember, Airventure is during the US 'summer break' and peak tourist season, prices are accordingly.
Take hats, umbrella's (for sun and rain), and GOOD walking shoes!
Enjoy.

[FlyingRon]

Appleton is ATW most of the flights are regional to other midwest cities (DTW, ORD, MKE, MSP). Mostly on carriers associated with Delta Air Lines.

Milwaukee MKE and Green Bay (GRB) are not much farther away and frankly even driving up from Chicago (ORD).

There's information on shuttles for the various local airports on the Airventure web page. I've in the past just chatted it up with my seat mates going into ATW and managed to wrangle a ride with someone who rented a car. If you're up to driving on the right (but perhaps not in your eyes, correct) side of the road, you can rent a car. Getting to the fields and parking isn't particularly onerous. If you're camping in Scholler you can park right along side of your tent and come and go as you please.

[MNWORD]

Hello Carole, Here is a web site that rents RV/Motorhomes in the USA, we see a lot of them out on the road so they must be reilable. You will have a blast camping at Camp Schollar. The camp has very few Water/Electric Hook up sites, so a motor home with a Generator would be nice if you would like coffee in the AM, etc,etc. They have a Lavatory dump site at the south end of the camp along with a potable water filling station. If you have any questions feel free to post them and Ill be glad to help if able or Ill send you in the right direction. Have Fun. www.cruiseamerica.com

Mike Wordell
EAA 779745

[CarlOrton]

Hi, Carole; ATW is served by both Delta and United, but as noted above, it's regional-jet connections only. Milwaukee is the closest major airport that is served by just about all major US airlines. It's 1.5 hrs away by car, and not a bad drive at all; open Wisconsin farmland that's quite scenic if you're into sampling the US midwest. O'Hare is 2.5 hrs away, but can be more of a hassle, depending on the time of your travel (i.e., rush hour delays). I've flown into Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Chicago and prefer Milwaukee far and away over any of the other alternatives. One thing to factor-in for your trip, depending on your ground transportation. If you connect thru just about anyplace to Appleton, you'll probably get there faster by car than by waiting for your connecting flight, the flight itself, then de-boarding and having to take a shuttle to Oshkosh. One other little issue that has bitten me more than once: On your flight home, summer storms around Chicago often result in delayed departure from the feeder airports (Green Bay, Appleton, Madison, etc.) that may create some tension in making your connecting flight. Milwaukee tends to service more of the 737 / MD-80 class of aircraft and is not susceptible to Chicago delays (unless you're going from MKE to ORD, that is...). Lastly, compare rental car costs if you're going to use one. For the full week, Chicago runs about $200 more than Milwaukee for the same car. Green Bay is also higher than Milwaukee. No experience with renting out of ATW. Best wishes for a great Convention!

[Joe Delene]

Just get at least as close as Chicago, then the rest should fall into place. It could be as simple as renting a car and driving up. Then sort out accommodations, look for cancellations near Oshkosh, 'sub-leases', or drive out a ways daily. Tenting is an option for the hardy, not the best with limited gear long term.

Welcome. I don't have my schedule that far out, but when I am around I try to help best I can.