Our new, heated T-hangar facilities on the east side of the field, opened in early 2024 and are fully occupied. While these 20 new units have fulfilled a portion of our built up hangar space demand, we still maintain a large waiting list for space. To join the waiting list or inquire about your current position on it, please call Kim Maki at 920-236-4933.
Local businesses and community groups are welcome to use our 20 to 40-seat meeting rooms for a daily fee. Included are use of the kitchen area for catering, tables, chairs and audio/video equipment.
Full room 40’x25′ $200/day
Half room 20’x25′ $100/day
Please call for availability (920) 236-4930.
(Oshkosh, WI) – On Tuesday, November 10th, Wittman Regional Airport is set to reopen Taxiway Alpha (A). The reconstruction of Taxiway A was scheduled to be constructed in three phases, with phase 1 & 2 to be completed by November 13th 2020 and Phase 3 to be completed by June 11th, 2021. The successful completion of the $7,521,894 reconstruction project was accomplished ahead of the November 13th deadline and in only two phases. This achievement was done through the diligent correspondence between airport staff, OMNNI Engineering and Vinton Construction. Wittman Regional Airport is thankful to the funding contributions of this project from the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and the matching contributions from the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics state block grant program and Winnebago County.
The 8’000 Linear Feet (LF) of concrete reconstruction project included; upgrading Taxiway “A” lights to LED lighting and signage improvements; improvements to the drainage system with enhanced grading and construction of a 4,100 LF concrete storm drain gutter; and widening the taxiway to 60′. All of these significant improvements will provide enhanced safety for use of the taxiway, and increase its useful life as the previous pavement was constructed around 1967. Taxiway A is heavily utilized year-round, and is unique in that it operates as a third runway during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. This adaptation allows Wittman Regional Airport to operate three non- intersecting runways, providing for arrival and departure rates that are critical to the safety and success of the event.
We’re all disappointed with the cancellation of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2020, as it means so many different things for everyone who attends. For thousands of aviators, flying to Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) is a highlight in the logbook.
As AirVenture 2020 is not taking place, Wittman Regional Airport will operate normally as a public use airport with contract tower services. For those considering flying to Oshkosh in late July, it’s important to manage expectations about what is permissible:
For those who still want to fly to Oshkosh during AirVenture week, we encourage you to park at the Terminal / Basler FBO ramp, stay at one of our local hotels, and enjoy some of Oshkosh’s hospitality. Please coordinate with Basler Flight Service to arrange any ground handling needs.
Published June 10, 2020
CORONAVIRUS UNCERTAINTY FORCES CANCELLATION OF EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2020
Health and safety of participants, volunteers primary concern
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (May 1, 2020) — The continuing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has forced organizers of the world’s largest fly-in convention, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2020, to cancel this year’s event at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The 68th annual Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in convention was scheduled to be held on July 20-26, 2020.
“We looked at every possibility over the past six weeks as to how EAA could move forward with AirVenture this year, because it is such an important reunion for the aviation community,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and Chairman of the Board. “The current status in Wisconsin is that it is still under a stay at home order until May 26, which completely eliminates our ability to start grounds preparation May 1. The reopening of the state also has no specific dates, creating uncertainty about mass gatherings in July. Ultimately, preserving the health and safety of all who would attend – and all the varying guidelines between states and countries from where our participants arrive – along with the massive commitments needed now for an event to meet EAA’s high standards, made cancellation the only option for this year.”
All pre-sold AirVenture 2020 admissions and camping reservations can be rolled over to the 2021 event or are eligible for refund. Those who have made such purchases will be contacted individually within the next two weeks regarding these options.
“Those of us involved in aviation know very well the importance of information gathering and planning prior to any flight, and I looked at AirVenture in much the same way before reaching this decision,” Pelton said. “While no one can see every eventuality, as we looked as the scenarios for holding the event in 2020, it was dependent on a number of important factors where there are currently no definitive answers. That is not the way to commit to an event that welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors to Oshkosh from more than 90 countries.
“There is no way to describe the disappointment I feel for everyone who sees AirVenture as aviation’s family reunion each year. You can be assured that EAA is already eagerly looking forward to gathering along the AirVenture flightline on July 26 through August 1 in 2021.”
About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s yearly membership convention. Additional EAA AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available online at www.eaa.org/airventure. EAA members receive the lowest prices on admission rates and all those age 18 and under are admitted free. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or visit www.eaa.org. Immediate news is available at www.twitter.com/EAA.
EDITOR’S NOTE: EAA CEO/Chairman Jack Pelton will be available at a media conference call on Friday, May 1, at 10 a.m. Central Time. Please use the following link to reserve a slot at this conference call and receive sign-in information:
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4176640460235492363
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (June 25, 2019) — The National Intercollegiate Flight Association (NIFA) SAFECON flight competition is coming to Oshkosh for the first time on May 18-23, 2020. SAFECON is the premier collegiate flight competition with over 500 competitors from more than 30 schools.
Young pilots from across the country will compete for awards in a variety of aviation skills including: landing, navigation, preflight, flight planning, crew based simulations, safety, sportsmanship and more. The entirety of the competition will be hosted on the EAA grounds, utilizing both the convention grounds and the museum. All ground, spot landing, and flying events will be based at Wittman Regional Airport except the cross country competition which will start in Oshkosh and briefly leave the area.
“This competition brings together the nation’s top collegiate pilots to showcase their flying skills,” said Rick Larsen, EAA vice president of communities and member programs. “Many of the competitors in SAFECON are those who become the next generation of top professional pilots and flight instructors.”
Thanks to the establishment of NIFA, these competitions have made their way from being held exclusively at Ivy League schools in the ‘20s and early ‘30s, to the EAA grounds in Oshkosh to celebrate the 100th year of competition in 2020.
Teams will arrive a few days prior to the competition, bringing economic impact to Oshkosh and the surrounding area. The NIFA SAFECON competition is also being supported by the Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau, Midwest ATC, and Basler Flight Service.
Governor Tony Evers approved funding totaling $400,000 to develop a master plan for the Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, and an additional $218,000 for pavement maintenance.
The airport is host to the annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Air Venture event, which brings in more than 10,000 aircraft and approximately 500,000 people. This event is important to the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration, the aviation community, and surrounding communities and needs to be considered when looking at future projects.
According to Lucas Ward, P.E., airport development engineer with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Bureau of Aeronautics, the project will guide the airport’s development for the next 20 years.
Funds from the state, Winnebago County and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be used for the planning project.
Funding Breakdown
The planning project is scheduled to begin in June 2019 and should be completed in early 2021.
In addition to the airport planning work, this summer work will begin to crack seal and microsurface airport pavements and will continue over the next year and a half. This work will extend the useful life of the pavement.
Funds totaling $218,000 will come from the state, Winnebago County and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the crack seal and microsurface project.
Funding Breakdown
Airport improvement projects are administered through the WisDOT Bureau of Aeronautics. Wittman Regional Airport is one of 97 facilities included in the Wisconsin State Airport System Plan, which makes it eligible for state and federal funding.
The EAA fly-in convention was first held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1953. In 1959, the event moved to Rockford, Illinois, where it was held annually through 1969 before coming to Oshkosh. EAA moved its permanent headquarters from the Milwaukee area to Oshkosh in 1983.
“A half-century ago, EAA founder Paul Poberezny saw Oshkosh as the perfect place to bring together aviation enthusiasts,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programs, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “Oshkosh has become synonymous with ‘The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration’ so it’s natural that we commemorate 50 consecutive years here with events that involve those who attend and those who have made the city such a welcoming place for aviators.”
EAA is seeking any of the showplanes present at the 1970 EAA fly-in convention and inviting the current owners to bring them to Oshkosh next summer. They will be featured in exclusive parking areas on the grounds. In addition, EAA is seeking members and volunteers who will be attending their 50th consecutive fly-in in 2019, and unique memorabilia and stories from the 1970 event that will add to the history of what has grown to be the largest annual fly-in in the world. In 2018, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh welcomed more than 600,000 people from 87 nations, along with more than 10,000 aircraft.
As a thank you to Oshkosh residents for welcoming the aviation world to their city for the past half-century, there will be special offers for community members and additional ways to engage in this historic milestone. Those details and others are still in development and will be announced as they are finalized.
“Over 50 years, nearly every significant aircraft type in the world has landed on the runways at Wittman Regional Airport to be part of the EAA fly-in,” Larsen said. “More important are the stories of the people who have come to be a part of this event and the legacy of what is now known simply as ‘Oshkosh.’ That is what we will be celebrating in 2019.”
About EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration” and EAA’s yearly membership convention. Additional EAA AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available online at www.eaa.org/airventure. EAA members receive lowest prices on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or visit www.eaa.org. Immediate news is available at www.twitter.com/EAA.
