Volunteers Prepare for AirVenture Oshkosh 2001

Saturday morning Norma Gerber sits on the porch of the Replica Fighter's Association clubhouse staring at the folded tables. "I'm supposed to pull all the old staples out of the edges of these tables so no one cuts themselves." Staring at the four tables leaning against the post she says with a smile, "When I agreed to do this I didn't know they also meant those too." She points to another stack of about ten more tables.

Norma is one of the hundreds of EAA members who have arrived at Wittman Field long before the fly-in starts to help get things ready. Norma arrived yesterday, but her husband Gary has already been here a week.

Gary is the president of the Replica Fighter Association, aka Squadron 12 of the Warbirds of America. Gary's been with the replica fighters group since 1992, but he's been helping out at Oshkosh for 21 years.

Back in those days he helped out each year with preparing the campgrounds, repainting signs, and lots of other miscellaneous refurbishing.

This year Gary has made all sorts of repairs to the clubhouse. He painted the floor, fixed a leak in the air-conditioner, cleaned all the windows, put in a new counter and replaced a lot of the trim. There's no end to the work needed to prepare for the world's largest fly-in.

Gary and Norma are from Syracuse, Indiana. They fly out of Wawasee Airport on the shores of Lake Wawasee ("the largest lake in Indiana!")

Woody Holmes and Phil Ferrone are sitting in low folding chairs under the wing of their rented Cessna 172. They flew in from Camarillo Airport in Ventura California.

Their plane is parked in the coveted North Forty parking space of Row One Spot One. They arrived on Wednesday, but they didn't plan on arriving that early. They had allowed a few days in their trip for weather delays but didn't need them. Instead, the weather cooperated and they came straight on through to Oshkosh in 20 flying hours spread over three days.

Phil attended his first AirVenture in 1997 and this is Woody's first time. In spite of their early arrival they plan on staying through until the very end. "We're looking forward to seeing every kind of airplane there is."

"We normally wouldn't come this early," they said. But they're not complaining as they relax in the shade and watch the activity on runway 27.

In Row 4 Steve Goulter and his son Jeff are finishing up unloading their 1966 Cessna 150. They made the six and a half hour trip from Brampton Flying Club in Brampton Ontario Canada, which is near Toronto. They arrived Thursday afternoon after taking the "Chicago Route" to Wittman Field.

Steve has been coming to Oshkosh since 1978. Over the years he's traveled here in a Cessna 140, he's driven, he's come in a 172, and now for a third year in his 150.

Steve's very proud of his 150. He talks of its 7000 hours of service and points out the modifications he's made to the aircraft. He's added windows to the lowers part of both doors and skylights to the roof.

"We're from Canada so the paperwork involved in getting these mods approved is even worse than here in the U.S.," he says. He describes the half-inch of paperwork required, but says that his aeronautical engineering background, and the help of a friend who understood the ways of Canada's bureaucracy, smoothed the way.

Eighteen-year-old son Jeff is here at AirVenture for the "4th or 5th" time. He's a student pilot. The Goulters will head home on Friday or Saturday and plan to take the northern route so the will have completely encircled the lake.

Laying claim this year to the coveted bragging rights of being the "first North Forty arrival" is Joe Thomas. When Joe taxied in on Monday there were no other airplanes on the grass. We met Joe, a retired Pan Am pilot, in this column last year.

Joe has taken advantage of his early arrival to lay claim to the runway end of Row 3 where he has a great view of the comings and goings on runway 9-27.

Joe made the nine hour flight from the Wellington Florida fly-in community where he lives. In his 26 years with Pan Am Joe flew DC6s, 707s, 727s, 747s and L1011s. These days Joe flies his blue and white Cherokee Six.