OSHKOSH, Wis. — For over 70 years, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has been putting on its annual AirVenture event in Oshkosh.
The week-long event starts on Monday, July 22 and runs through Sunday, July 28. During that time, thousands of aviators will flock to the area, making Oshkosh the busiest airport in the world.
Volunteers have been preparing for the big event.
Former naval officer and EAA volunteer, Jeff Sander, has been lending a hand for 14 years. He leaves his home in Florida twice a year to help.
“I love building things and then doing it in an atmosphere here around airplanes and around people that love aviation,” said Sander. “We have a great time working together.”
Sander said he has constructed passenger bridges, signs and anything else the organization asks him to build. The projects come in one at a time, so he said each one is a pleasant surprise.
“It’s a great time… I have friends that come visit me during the show and to spend a day with me and I like to go around the grounds and point out projects that I’ve worked on and so those things are great,” said Sander. “I can hardly go anywhere on the grounds now without seeing a project that I’ve been working on.”
EAA communications director Dick Knapinski has been working for the organization for 32 years. He said this event is unique because of the variety of planes you’ll see. It’s also a fun perk to see the pilots fly and park on the grounds.
“But more important than all of that are the people,” said Knapinski. “The people who are involved in aviation are passionate about flying. They look forward to getting together. It’s kind of their family reunion and they see each other once a year and they make sure it’s right here in Oshkosh.”
Sander said his favorite plane is the “Lockheed Constellation.” He said he encourages anyone with even a slight interest in aviation to come out. He said the best part of his job as a volunteer is helping others gain knowledge.
“It’s just a great place to learn something new about an aspect of art that’s a sort of central part of our life in the U.S.,” said Sander., “Flight, flying, aviation, whatever it is, it’s just a big part of what we do.”
Although Sander is far from his family this week, he said he knows he is right at home volunteering for an organization close to his heart