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Every year the staff of Van’s Aircraft, Inc. fires
up the company RVs and heads, like pilots all over the
world, for the aviation mecca of "Oshkosh",
the annual Experimental Aviation Association event at
Wittman Field in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For
Van’s it is a combination trade show, re-union and
fly-in. We set up a large tent in the vendor display
area, and park a couple of static display RVs in front
of it. We typically take a staff of eight or nine people
and work twelve or thirteen hour days, but we are often
assisted by builders who volunteer their time – part
of the RV "circle" that we enjoy so much.
Our day begins shortly after sun-up, when we arrive,
pull back the tent flaps and wipe the morning dew off
the airplanes. There are almost always a couple dozen
potential RV builders waiting for us to arrive, and we
are immediately plunged into explaining, talking and
showing RVs. The canopies are opened and prospective
builders invited to sit in the airplanes and see how
they fit….it’s an unusual person who doesn’t.
Information packs, videos, Preview Plans Sets, T-shirts,
RV hats and all the other essential accessories to
airplane building sell briskly and the booth,
particularly during the first three or four days, is
often filled to overflowing. 
While the booth is a great place to get basic
information about RVs and meet the people who make up
the company, it is NOT a good place to ask "tech
questions" about your RV project back home. We just
don’t have the time or manpower and there are just too
many distractions, to give your question the
consideration it deserves. We can answer this kind of
question much better when we’re home with all the
materials we need for the job. Besides, do you really want
an answer from someone who’s short on sleep,
trying to carry on three simultaneous conversations, and
hasn’t had the chance to go to the bathroom for six
hours?
 RV
forums are held in nearby forum tents. Although these
tents are large with seating for about 300 people, there
is rarely an empty seat. After a brief explanation of
the past year, the floor is opened to questions about
the company, the airplanes and future developments.
Meanwhile, out on the runway, the RV demonstrators
are going up and down, up and down. Rides are available
by signing up on the schedule at our booth (if you want
a ride, go directly to the booth when you arrive. The
schedule for the entire event fills up quickly.) We fly
as many people as we can. These rides are necessarily
brief, usually ten to twelve minutes, but you will get a
chance to handle the controls and see what all those RV
pilots are grinning about. Due to the high demand, and
our desire to introduce as many people to the RVs as
possible, we restrict rides to one ride per potential
project and only those who have NEVER flown in an RV of
any type. A word of warning: often the schedule is
difficult to keep. Weather, traffic, and delays are
impossible to predict. If you sign up for a ride at
Oshkosh, be patient and understanding. We will do our
best, but it IS the world’s biggest aviation event,
and a lot of it is beyond our control. While you’re waiting for your ride, stroll the RV
parking area. There’s plenty to look at! There are
usually hundreds of homebuilt RVs, flown in by proud
builders from all over the continent…or even other
continents. In 1997, there were 288 RVs parked on the
field…about 25% of the homebuilt total. You can find
other RVs in the camping areas and even in vendors’
booths, where they are used to display other products.
RV builders are creative and competent people who are
usually proud to show you their airplane and tell you
their "building stories." You can learn a lot
just walking around!
 After
the afternoon airshow, there is usually another crowd at
the booth. Our flying is over for the day, and if
we’re lucky, it’s cooling down a bit. In the early
evening, we close the tent, say our good-byes and head
back to our lodgings, looking forward to a shower, a bit
of dinner, a cool drink, and soon enough, a bed. And we look forward to doing it again the next day.
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