GREENVILLE, WI (WTAQ) – The excitement from EAA reaches across Northeast Wisconsin.
The planes, and for the first time this year, even the campers are at Appleton International Airport.
It’s almost 25 miles away from EAA Airventure, but you can still see, and hear, the outer ring of plane activity in Greenville at the Appleton International Airport.
Pat Tracey, Appleton International Airport’s marketing manager, tells WLUK hundreds of planes park at Appleton International for the week.
“Everyone here loves aviation, it’s a chance to meet people literally from all over the world.” New this year, some of the airplane traffic is from people who’ve come to the Appleton airport to camp for EAA.
There’s enough room for 30 airplanes and their passengers.
Tracey said, “It’s a lot quieter here as opposed to Oshkosh, it’s very peaceful.”
Between the campers and the other airplanes parked here, the airport expects to see about 600 airplanes come through by the end of the week.
“Air traffic control tower brings in extra staffing for the week because we’re very busy.”
Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson says…
“When we think of EAA we think of Oshkosh, but this is a great thing for Appleton, it’s a great thing for all of Outagamie County, it’s a great thing for most of Northeast Wisconsin.”
75 volunteers are also on hand at the airport to deal with that extra traffic.
Tracey says the success of this pilot year for camping, means the airport is already gearing up for next year.
“We are already talking about doubling our camping next year to 60 sites, we have this beautiful field here waiting for us.”
The airport charges $20 a day for the camping.
