2014 was my 27th straight year attending the convention. (EAA member 20+ years.) Still, the three-night minimum stay at Camp Scholler caught me unawares. I understand it's a longstanding policy -- it just took me this long to make a trip where it mattered!
I'm not angry. I'm posting this note about my experience mostly for the record, since the Airventure regs aren't specific about Camp Scholler fees for arrivals late in the week:
I should say up front that I think Camp Scholler is a great value at $25/night, especially with the wi-fi and charging station improvements in recent years. It's not perfect, but it makes attending the convention pretty convenient for camping types.
I drove in on Saturday morning, so there where two convention days left (Sat and Sun). My Camp Scholler fee was $50, from $25 charges for Saturday and Sunday nights. So the good news is, there's some common sense being applied when it comes to that three night minimum. Thank you to whoever is responsible for that aspect of the policy! It would really rankle to have to pay for three nights of camping with less than three days left in the convention!
The bad news is that Camp Scholler is less of a good value for members making a one-night trip. Be prepared to pay $50 to $75 for one night of camping. The exception presumably would be for Sunday arrivals; it looks like you'd be charged just $25. But as OSH veterans know, Sunday content and activities can be relatively sparse. So while a one-night stay on Sunday would take you back to par value at $25/night, you'd be making sacrifices in other ways.
Now for some opinionizing:
IMHO, a three-night minimum stay makes more sense for dormitories and hotels, with their limited room inventories and the demand far exceeding supply. And perhaps for GA camping, which I believe has been full on some days in most recent years and which requires staffing (marshalling) to get planes situated. But as far as I know, Camp Scholler has never filled up. And finding a camping spot is a self-service project. I think there's an opportunity for Camp Scholler to be more welcoming to members who can only manage very short trips. There's a long tradition of opening the campground early for members who can devote weeks to Airventure. (They of course do pay for their pre-convention nights, whether actually in attendance or by way of reserving a staked-out campsite to occupy during the convention.) It would be nice to do something as accommodating for those who really can devote only hours.
In practical terms, this probably is an issue for a small part of the member base -- those who live within easy driving distance. (I'm in Minneapolis.) If you're coming from farther, your travel means you've probably invested more in time and money than would make sense for a one-night Camp Scholler stay.
It's a pretty good bet that I'll be back for OSH15! See you there!
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