OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – Monday kicked off the first day of EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
For the next week, thousands of planes will be flying in and out of Wittman Regional Airport.
At last year’s EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh was ranked number one for most flights coming in and out of any an airport in the world; that’s more than airports like Chicago O’Hare and Atlanta Hartsfield.
This year the control tower expects to be just as busy keeping an eye to the sky.
70,000 people a day are expected on the grounds and about 2,000 of them are traveling in from foreign countries.
From Argentina to Zimbabwe, people from around the globe have converged in Oshkosh.
Nicholas Caines came here from Australia
“To tell you the truth, Australia doesn’t have anything like this so it brings me all the way over here”
Mercedes Benites is from Argentina
“Everybody’s in their world, you know? It’s like being a little kid with your toys!”
EAA’S AirVenture is a place for aircraft and people from all over the world and the event is known globally for showcasing the best aircraft and aviation innovations.
To help foreign travelers feel at home, AirVenture has its International Visitors Tent.
Michele Bryson is EAA’s chairman of international visitors.
“We offer interpretation and translation services. We’re a place for them to get general information about the grounds and the show”
Because many international travelers have cell phones that don’t work here, EAA has bulletin boards where visitors can leave one another messages.
According to EAA, guests travel to AirVenture from 70 to 80 different countries. One of the largest groups comes from South Africa.
