With no AirVenture Oshkosh convention in 2020 due to the pandemic, officials at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) have had well over a year to put some serious thought into ways their 2021 AirVenture Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) can better serve the thousands of pilots who fly into the show each summer. The 32-page notam for AirVenture 2021 has now been released and reflects numerous changes that all inbound pilots need to read and know.
There are several important FAA-approved changes in the 2021 notam, which details important arrival and departure procedures for EAA’s 68th fly-in convention from July 26 to August 1 at Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
One of the more substantial changes to the 2021 AirVenture notam meant to ease holding and congestion involves new ATC-assignable transition points approaching Oshkosh from the west on the FISK VFR Arrival. These points are at Endeavor Bridge, Puckaway Lake, and Green Lake. They will be announced on the arrival ATIS when ATC puts them into use at times of highest traffic flows.
“As mentioned in the 2021 notam, pilots will be informed of the assigned transition points via ATIS, so it’s important to monitor that as they approach within 50-75 miles of Oshkosh,” said Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety. “When announced on ATIS, pilots would be given the transition point to which they should proceed. FAA air traffic personnel will activate those transition points as needed upon saturation of the usual approach. In other words, when Ripon becomes saturated, ATC would open Green Lake. If that becomes full, Puckaway Lake would open, then Endeavor Bridge.”
The notam also states that there are few visual reference points on this transition between Endeavor and Puckaway Lake, so a track of 095 degrees for 11 miles can be used as a reference.
“With AirVenture on hiatus last year, it is more crucial than ever to thoroughly read and understand the 2021 AirVenture notam to ensure safe operations on arrival and departure for this year’s event,” Elliott said. “We also urge all pilots to log appropriate cross-country time prior to their trip to Oshkosh so they have the proficiency and confidence to fly safely in conjunction with a thorough knowledge of this year’s notam.”
Elliott explained that it just wasn’t a single year that prompted the addition of the new transition points, but several years of experience with a growing use of holds because of increased AirVenture attendance, along with weather situations and other factors. “It is especially true when conditions change from low IFR to marginal VFR, which ignite a quick rush to Oshkosh by pilots that can oversaturate the system. The purpose of the new transition points is to ease that oversaturation and increase the length of the conga line to Wittman Regional Airport. There were no incidents in 2019 when oversaturation occurred, but the feedback we received from pilots said that the large holds that year put them in uncomfortable situations,” he said.
Any pilots intending to fly into AirVenture 2021 can download a PDF of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 notam, or pre-order a free printed copy that will be shipped to you once it becomes available. Additionally, the NTSB also offers a PDF entitled “Major Fly-In Tips” with suggestions on keeping your mind on safety when flying into major aviation events such as EAA AirVenture.
EAA is also hosting a webinar on June 23 at 7 pm regarding flying to AirVenture 2021 and changes in this year’s notam. Pilots are encouraged to participate in that webinar to build their knowledge before their flights to Oshkosh.
Pilots can always Text OSHARRIVAL to 64600 for updates on the current status of AirVenture arrivals. Also, numerous AirVenture frequencies are always monitored by LiveATC.net for listening on any mobile device or computer with internet access.
