New Grounds Access Rules

[mcdewey]

Hi Folks,

I got this notice about new grounds access rules (https://www.eaa.org/en/airventure/eaa-airventure-news-and-multimedia/eaa-airventure-news/eaa-airventure-oshkosh/04-19-2018-new-grounds-access-rules-established-ahead-of-eaa-airventure-oshkosh-2018). I can see why they did it, but getting from front ticket area to the flight line will require walking around outside the fence.

[biggles1998]

just to expand - its only for the dates up to the 23rd..

[mcdewey]

Yep. Sorry I just used EAA's headline and should have made it clearer it was restricted before Monday. I get in early Sunday and spend the day watching arrivals and scoping out the grounds for what I wanted to look at once the show opened. Plenty of other things to do.

[Sam Oleson]

Hey guys, just an update to this. The "restricted" area applies to all vehicles, but pedestrians will be allowed to walk through it. However, caution is advised as there is still a lot of set-up occurring during the days in which this policy is in effect.

[mcdewey]

Thanks for the heads up. I usually try to avoid that center area anyhow. There's a lot of heavy stuff being moved around.

[Sam Oleson]

One more clarification: pedestrians are being encouraged to use Wittman and Knapp when crossing what's being called the "restricted" area. We're trying to avoid traffic (foot and vehicular) around the exhibits in that area, because of the use of forklifts, etc. We're developing a common Q&A list involving this policy, as there has been confusion about certain things. Thanks for your patience!

[Jeff Point]

I might be in the minority here but I think this is a good idea and long overdue. I've been an early-arrival volunteer for many years (usually there by Wednesday before the show) and the place is just not ready for spectators that early. I'll suggest to the EAA folks that including Sunday in these restrictions might be a bit much, but certainly Saturday and before is reasonable.

[FlyingRon]

Someone on another forum discussing this suggested you just have to wear an orange vest. I decided to post a picture of these two miscreants in orange:

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10600658_10202509894539640_1419903169892927428_n.j pg?_nc_cat=0&oh=4c2e1cd7ca07461585ac4147a8a0b33d&oe=5B52E125

[Bill Berson]

Shouldn't it be called "Warning airspace" rather than "Restricted airspace"?

[Wrongway Feldman]

I've been going to AirVenture since the early 80's and been volunteering for the last 8 years.
The days I volunteer are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, leading up to the start of the convention.
I have been primarily volunteering over at Kermit Weeks Hangar.
At noon I head over to the volunteer kitchen for lunch. Which is outside the convention grounds.
After lunch I like to go over to the Convention HQ/Exhibit Office (Which is inside of the convention grounds) and pick up a
Visitors Map and Visitors Guide.
With this new policy I would not be able to do this.

There have been a couple times when planes have arrived early, for example the
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress arrived on the Friday before the convention.
I was able to drive up to the flightline to watch it land.
With this new policy I would not be able to do this.

There are mass arrivals on Saturday before the convention starts.
I was able to drive up to the flightline and watch them land.
With this new policy I would not be able to do this.

There should be away to allow vehicles to enter, so they can watch the mass arrivals
on the flightline before the convention starts. At least on Saturday.

There have been other years when I have volunteered Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and the Camp Scholler Volunteer Center sent me to the Vintage Aircraft Red Barn (Which is inside of the convention grounds) to help set-up. With this new policy I would not be able to use my personal vehicle to transport myself from the Camp Scholler Volunteer Center to the Vintage Aircraft Red Barn.

I think in order to implement this new policy smoothly you will have to allow the people at the Camp Scholler Volunteer Center, the ability to issue vehicle credentials to volunteers, otherwise the volunteers will have to park their vehicle outside the convention grounds and walk to their volunteering location. Which would slow down the entire convention set-up process.

This new policy only effects the 3 days before the convention, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Sunday has always been is a wrist band day.
During the convention Vehicle permits have always been required from Sunday to Sunday to enter the convention grounds.
Although the convention does not officially start until Monday.

Sounds like to me vehicle permits and credentialed vehicles are different?

7150

[Auburntsts]

Why do you have to drive to the flight line to watch early arrivals? Couldn’t you just park somewhere close by and walk?

[Skyguy]

Because your not handicapped?

[FlyingRon]

By the time Friday rolls around I'm allowed on the taxiway to watch the arrivals. Before that we stand back and wait for things to come to us.

[Wrongway Feldman]

Why do you have to drive to the flight line to watch early arrivals? Couldn’t you just park somewhere close by and walk?


Because your not handicapped?

Well the answer to Auburntsts reply is partially what Skyguy's reply was.
My legs & back don't work as well as they use to.

The other reason is the vastness of the convention grounds.
There is no way around it, it is just more efficient (quicker)
to use a motorized device to transport volunteers from point A. to point B.

[Mayhemxpc]

The past few years I have flown in on Saturday, camping at Warbirds. I try to stay out of the way of people trying to set up in that area. However, last year, it almost seemed like the unofficial start date was Sunday, with a large number of people there and into everything. The display and vendor people seemed to be very accommodating (and I was very happy that the food stations were up and operating.) This could be an effort to regain some measure of order to keep the "unofficial" AirVenture start date from creeping ever further back. I think this new policy is reasonable and I will work with it.

[FlyingRon]

The day before the official start has always been busy because many want to be there when the thing opens Monday morning. For the past bunch of years, the daily wristband for Monday has also covered Sunday admission.

I don't begrudge the food being open early. This was NOT always the case in the past. We'd arrive two days before the show started and the only food option was to jump the fence to Friar Tuck's. That wasn't bad when I was camping in the North 40, but when we moved to Vintage, it's a long hike. Thank heavens for Vintages Tall Pines cafe and earlier setup of the food vendors (and the volunteer kitchen).