OSHKOSH, Wis. — Walking around the AirVenture grounds in Oshkosh can be overwhelming.
“Oh my gosh, there is so much to do and see,” said Dana Arens of Grand Forks, North Dakota. “There’s no way we’ll see it all while we’re here.”
Arens, whose husband is an active Air Force member, is a first-time attendee. Many returning visitors were thrilled to be back after last year’s event was canceled.
“It’s people of like mind. You’re with people that have the same enthusiasm for aviation, whether pilots or just fans,” said Gary Chenier of Camp Verde, Arizona. “You’re able to connect with a lot of people that have similar interests in aviation.”
Arens brought two of her children along for the experience. It may be her first time here but she’ll have plenty of friends on hand.
“We’ve got friends who flew in from Alaska,” said Arens. “We’ve got friends here from Colorado and will be catching up with friends in the aviation world.”
Robert and Dawn Unger made careers out of aviation and look forward to the yearly return to Oshkosh.
“It’s cool. You get to hear different accents from each part of the country,” said Robert Unger from Chicago. “If you walk around and just start talking to people, you start getting their stories. Anywhere from California to New York to Montana from Florida to Texas. Everyone comes here and the best part about it is, everyone gets along.”
Father and son combo Reuben and Matt Hoffman of Fox Crossing have come together for the past 34 years.
“I’ve been coming since I was a month old,” said the younger Hoffman.
“He slept through the first one,” joked his father.
Oshkosh is home to the world’s busiest control tower for the week, something Wisconsinites take pride in.
“Everyone’s coming to Wisconsin,” said Matt Hoffman. “It’s kind of neat.”
Dawn Unger remembers coming to the event years ago when Robert’s father brought a plane to the field. She ran into a man who she will never forget.
“An older gentleman came up and started talking to me. He was carrying around his flight log,” said Dawn Unger. “He had a flying lesson by one of the Wright brothers. Those are the kind of things that can happen to you and you take along with you for your whole lives.”