Upgrades, Expansion for AirVenture Homebuilts Area

November 21, 2018 - More homebuilt aircraft parking, a new Homebuilts in Review interview area, and a better sense of community are among the changes coming to the Homebuilts area for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019. The major site improvements, approved by the EAA board of directors earlier this month, will encourage more people to visit the Homebuilts area on the grounds and engage further with the fastest-growing area of recreational aviation.

One immediately noticeable change will be the shift of the North Exhibit Area exhibitors into a new central location that was formerly occupied by the International Federal Pavilion. That building, which dates from the 1970s, was removed this fall as it had reached the end of its lifecycle. Look for the government agencies from the former Federal Pavilion inside Exhibit Hangar D in 2019.

“We sought to build up the AirVenture Homebuilts area as an up-to-date destination with inviting features,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programs. “Placing the exhibitors in a highly visible, central location will create a campus plaza feel for the Homebuilts area, with workshops, forums, exhibitors, and more within easy access. It also allows us to add parking for even more homebuilt aircraft, which are coming to Oshkosh in increasing numbers each year.”

An upgraded Homebuilts in Review interview area is being developed between Homebuilders Headquarters and the Aeroplane Workshop buildings. That area will allow featured homebuilts to be displayed in an area where the builders, owners, and pilots of these notable aircraft can be interviewed. This will mirror the highly popular programs in the Warbirds and Vintage areas.

One other significant change is moving the AirVenture Today building to make Eide Road a straight north-south thoroughfare from Boeing Plaza into the Homebuilts area, and north to warbirds. That line-of-sight access will add to the attraction of the Homebuilts area as a destination for all AirVenture attendees. The AirVenture Today facility will be moved to a location along Waukau Avenue, just east of Press Headquarters. Longtime AirVenture attendees may recall that the building served as convention headquarters until 1995, when the current headquarters in Exhibit Hangar A was built.

“Creating another north-south thoroughfare will also not only bring more people into the Homebuilts area, it will relieve pressure on other north-south routes on the grounds,” Larsen said. “We see this as a major step forward in visibility and possibilities for all of the homebuilt activities and exhibitors that are part of Oshkosh each year.”