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Number of Oshkosh homebuilts on the grounds

Vansconvert

Well Known Member
Just got back from a Saturday spent at OSH and was surpised to see how few homebuilts were on the field. Between the brown arch and north to the warbirds area there was only a scattering of planes.
I would estimate a half dozen empty spaces for every plane that was parked in that area, and this was on a beautifull Saturday morning.

I would hope there were more homebuilts there earlier in the week.

Did see a one-off Breezy on amphibious floats.
 
Just got back from a Saturday spent at OSH and was surpised to see how few homebuilts were on the field. Between the brown arch and north to the warbirds area there was only a scattering of planes.
I would estimate a half dozen empty spaces for every plane that was parked in that area, and this was on a beautifull Saturday morning.

I would hope there were more homebuilts there earlier in the week.

Did see a one-off Breezy on amphibious floats.

That's pretty typical of OSH. Most of the homebuilts arrive the weekend before and leave on Wednesday or Thursday. I arrived on Saturday and left on Thursday. I can tell you that HBC and HBP were pretty full Sunday through Wednesday morning.

If you want to see homebuilts, you have to go the first part of the week.
 
I agree with Bob...

We arrived on Sunday to a pretty full HBC and HBP area. More arrivals on Monday filled up the areas to the north of HBP to the North 40. By Wednesday, you were hard pressed to find an empty space. Come Thursday morning, all the little birds started to fly from the nest tho ... when we left on Friday, it was starting to look sparse.
 
Once in the last 15 years I flew in late in the week. It was deserted in the HB area. Always had done early in the week and have gone back to early every year since then. (It also helps avoid the large general public crowds that come for the big air shows over the weekend.)
 
RV Parking

This is what RV Homebuilt Parking looked like when I was on my way to the airplane for Saturday morning departure.

 
This is what RV Homebuilt Parking looked like when I was on my way to the airplane for Saturday morning departure.

Your picture looks familiar, I was parked (Polished and Blue 6A) just on the other side of the green aircraft that you can just see the spinner of in your picture (row 315), see my picture below.:)
Departed Thursday @ noon.

DSCN1120_zps7580c7c6.jpg
 
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This is what RV Homebuilt Parking looked like when I was on my way to the airplane for Saturday morning departure.

Yep, I have that same picture from Friday late morning when we left, with just my airplane up by the taxiway.

Just woke up from 12hrs of sleep in my own bed, life is good.
 
We have left on the last Sunday evening a couple of years - and Louise once left on Monday morning. On Sunday night, you are ALMOST the only airplane anywhere on the grass - and on Monday morning, you have to explain to the Tower why you ARE parked in the grass.... ;)

We arrived on Saturday (early) this year, as usual, and by Friday, we're pretty well cooked and ready to launch for home. The last weekend is primarily an airshow - not a fly-in.
 
RV count at Oshkosh

Was riding with ChatterBox @ Osh2014 on Wednesday and spoke to an EAA Orange vest that was counting the RV's in the home built area. Monday's count was 443, and on this beautiful Wednesday night it was down to 398. We all have just so much time to be tied down and waiting for flight. My wife & I ...AKA
~ pair of 8's, parked our machines at Brennand ( 79C )...so 445 and counting.
FYI - 79C has new owners and charged no fee to park this year. The owner Keith & family have done an amazing job upgrading the facility, he also owns and flys an RV 10. Great spot to fly anytime you want during the OSH week, and leave when ever...OSH 2014 was a great one.
 
I left Saturday morning and there was still a pretty good wait for takeoff -- about 45 minutes of "taxi" time. By Saturday anybody who came in over the previous weekend has pretty much seen everything -- air shows, night air show, vendors, etc. and experienced every weather condition. So as the crowds pick of on Friday and the lines get longer, it's time to go.

Chris
 
Close to 900 Registered

I believe that we will see the final number of homebuilts registered at OSH will be close to or over 900 for the week. This includes homebuilts parked anywhere outside of the Homebuilt Parking area.
 
I believe that we will see the final number of homebuilts registered at OSH will be close to or over 900 for the week. This includes homebuilts parked anywhere outside of the Homebuilt Parking area.

Hi Gary,
Does EAA post the final numbers anywhere publicly?
 
The Word..

I received from HB HQ was about 400 campers in HBC. We were busy up until Thursday, then started to taper off through Saturday. I left the grounds at 2 AM Sunday morning to drive back to north Georgia:eek:
Laundry about done, camping gear put away & like Scott said, Life is good:D
 
I received from HB HQ was about 400 campers in HBC. We were busy up until Thursday, then started to taper off through Saturday. I left the grounds at 2 AM Sunday morning to drive back to north Georgia:eek:
Laundry about done, camping gear put away & like Scott said, Life is good:D

And a BIG, BIG thanks to Jerry, who really hauled the load all week!
 
We have left on the last Sunday evening a couple of years - and Louise once left on Monday morning. On Sunday night, you are ALMOST the only airplane anywhere on the grass - and on Monday morning, you have to explain to the Tower why you ARE parked in the grass.... ;)

In 1998 I may have been the last guy off the field, on Friday, 4 days after the show closed. The weather went IFR on Sunday evening (back then it was awards night) and stayed IFR all week. The VFR people, mostly vendors with display airplanes who could not leave early, were camping in the local motels. You would go downstairs to get coffee at dawn, and there would be 30 scruffy pilots draped over lobby chairs, staring at the Weather Channel like zombies.

That Friday I made it all the way to Watertown, scud-running a WWI biplane at 60 mph. We were sooooo glad to leave OSH...
 
My wife & I ...AKA ~ pair of 8's, parked our machines at Brennand ( 79C )...so 445 and counting.
That orange vest would be me. 443 was the actual count of RVs on the field at Oshkosh (your's don't get counted- sorry) which is about 40 off the record we set in 2012 for the 40th anniversary, but up slightly from 2013.

The question of total number of airplanes is surprisingly hard to answer. We use registrations as the official total, but that is not accurate since a significant number of folks do not register. I'd guestimate that number as high as 10% but there is no way to know for sure. I do know that based on registrations, in 2009 homebuilts passed Vintage for the first time, and we've never looked back.
 
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