Volunteering To Help AirVenture Oshkosh 2025 Get Off Of The Ground
Story and photos by Ken Kula
The Experimental Aircraft Association‘s AirVenture Oshkosh has been and still is the world’s largest gathering of aircraft year after year. Oshkosh Wisconsin’s Wittman Regional Airport sees over 10,000 aircraft movements during one week, with close to three quarters of a million attendees and participants flocking onto the sprawling grounds. More attendees and their aircraft stay close by at airports like Fond du Lac and Appleton. Although the local hotels and motels are booked solidly a year ahead, there’s plenty of space adjacent to Oshkosh’s airport at the EAA’s Camp Scholler, which contains hundreds of acres of camping in anything from pup tents to bus-sized motor homes. Of course, there are thousands of attendees who pitch tents under or around their airplanes in which they arrived in too.
Starting a month or more before the late July “convention”, volunteers from around the U.S and beyond begin to arrive and initiate a metamorphosis that changes the landscape and buildings from a dormant state into a lively and well-groomed venue. Some 5,000 members volunteer their time and descend on the area to perform tasks like lawn mowing, weeding, window washing, and sweeping. Electricity and computer networks are turned on and checked. Some people perform tasks that they’re familiar with, while others learn new skills while they work with seasoned veterans. And while there are contractors involved with setting the event up, many of the fine details like the well manicured lawns or the fresh flowers which make the AirVenture grounds feel like a neighborhood, are handled by volunteers.
The EAA’s vision ” is to be a vibrant and growing aviation community.” The EAA’s mission is “…to grow participation in aviation by promoting the Spirit of Aviation.” The thousands of hours of volunteer work completed by EAA members convey the sense of pride and purpose that has been present for decades, starting with the organization’s founders.
A very strong sense of community has developed over the many years (more than 70) since the first fly-in/convention occurred. Every year, many friendships are rekindled, and others begin during the days leading up to AirVenture. Setting up, maintaining, and closing the AirVenture grounds is truly a labor of love, and nobody seems to mind Someone told me that founder Paul Poberezny once said that the airplanes will attract you to Oshkosh, but the people will keep you coming back. Many friends return yearly and volunteer their time and efforts to make the event happen.
Although I’ve been an EAA member for a while, 2025 was the first year in which I’ve been able to arrive a week early and help set up the grounds. I was and still am amazed at the amount of positive energy which grew daily as we transformed an older warehouse into a comfortable gathering place for EAA’s Lifetime members. Working together with new friends was effortless, especially since we shared that same sense of pride and purpose. Not only did I get to see some of the behind-the-scenes preparation, I got to see some of the early aircraft arrivals to the grounds… display aircraft and early plane-side campers flew in before the main event started. Here’s a small recap from this past week, come back here daily for more photos and snippets of information that Photorecon.net team members will present:
