"Jimmy B." wrote in message
.net...
I'm thinking of making my first trip to Oshkosh this year.

How far in advance do I have to plan this? For example, how quickly do
the local hotels fill up? (Haven't made up my mind if I will camp or do
the hotel thing.)

Hotels? The good ones (i.e. nearby and inexpensive) are probably pretty
full. Openings will come up as the date approaches, but you'll need to keep
an eye out to find one. Also, consider the dorms at the local college.
Personally, I like to camp, but I'm a masochist.

Do I need a reservation to park the airplane? If so, how quickly do they
fill up?

You can't get reservations. I don't think they have filled up the field in
the last several years. A good strategy is to time your arrival for mid
morning one day towards the middle or end of the show. Lots of people are
headed home by then, so you can get a good parking place. Of course, there
is more to see at the beginning of the event. Some folks can't take a whole
week to display their whizbang 500...

Not being someone who needs to see everything, how many days should I plan
on to get the true experience?

If you want to see the ultralights, the EAA Museum, a couple of airshows,
all the flightlines from homebuilt, to helicopter, to antique, to warbird,
to ultralight, you'll need 3 days, and you'll be walking yourself to death.
If you want to attend any seminars or take a serious look inside the display
buildings, add more time. That said, I like to plan 5 day trips to Osh.
One day to get there (before noon), one to get home, and 3 on the field. I
get overwhelmed with more than 3 days.


I'm sure I'll have more questions to follow, so please bear with me and
thank you for your useful inputs.