OSHKOSH, Wis. — If Jimmy Buffet were to come to Oshkosh this week, he’d probably feel right at home at the Seaplane Base.
“Oh yeah, we’re flip-flop flyers,” said Don Smith, who started flying a seaplane in 2007. “And that’s kind of how the day goes. You get up in the morning, it’s pleasant out, you walk out onto the plane, go for a quick flight.”
Smith flew in from Rockford, Michigan, and said the Midwest has a lot of lakes for pilots to take advantage of.
“I live on a lake at home. I literally walk into my backyard and hop in my plane. I keep an office at a hanger, and I fly to the hanger,” Smith said. “It’s kind of nice to be able to fly to work in the mornings.”
Pilots and volunteers look forward to reuniting every year during AirVenture on the shores of Lake Winnebago. Many said it’s a tight-knit community.
“It’s a big family atmosphere,” Shane Albers, Seaplane Base chairman said. “It only takes one time for people to get hooked and really come to the Seaplane Base and continue to come back year after year.”
Albers said he got his seaplane inspiration from his grandfather. He’s been coming to the annual event in Oshkosh for 27 years and now brings his own children.
“It’s such a reprieve from the main field. The main field is hustle and bustle. Concrete everywhere. Heat. It’s exciting, but when you get the opportunity to come out here you get a nice breeze coming in off the lake,” said Albers. “You have shade from the trees. You just have that slow margarita feel, if you will.”
From lakeside seats, spectators get an up-close look at all the action around the lagoon.
“The main field, all the activity is like on the other side of the line and you really don’t get to see them taking off and stuff," said Smith. "We’re landing right here in the bay. They’re flying right over the lagoon and dropping down into the bay and it’s beautiful.”
AirVenture offers a shuttle service from the main event. Albers said it’s also a good spot to take in the airshows.
“They come right over the top of the Seaplane Base and they’re lining up to get into formation, so we get to see that shift,” he said. “We get the backside, which is really cool. Yesterday we saw the F-22’s 300 feet right over the top of us, just screaming. Everybody here was in absolute awe.”
The base was also a favorite of former EAA President Tom Poberezny, who passed away on Monday — the first day of AirVenture.
“Many years ago, he told one of the past chairmen, this is EAA’s best-kept secret, and it really is. He said it was the crowned jewel, and a little slice of heaven,” said Albers.