Wittman Regional Airport, site of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, suffered damage on Saturday after a thunderstorm front came through the Oshkosh area.
The front was part of a line of storms across Wisconsin. There are no reports of injuries. Several people sheltered at the EAA Aviation Museum during the storm; otherwise, people sheltered in place as they saw fit.
EAA says it has received reports of some trees and branches down in the drive-in campgrounds. There was some property and vehicle damage from falling branches.
OSHALERT: Severe thunderstorm, lightning, 40-60mph winds expected in Oshkosh around 5:15pm. Rain is expected until around 2am on Sunday. Shelter in place & stay safe!
— EAA (@EAA) July 23, 2022
“Lots of tents collapsed but were able to be resurrected,” Leon Jackler, a pilot and Oshkosh camping veteran wrote to FLYING in an email. “Now that that’s over, the weather for the rest of the week looks good.”
There were reports of some aircraft on Boeing Plaza being damaged, but other aircraft parked on the field seem to have weathered the storm well.
One EAA-owned aircraft was flipped onto its nose near the EAA museum despite being well-tied down.
There was some damage to the main gate of the AirVenture grounds due to the wind. Several smaller exhibit tents were blown down. Numerous trash cans and unsecured objects were blown over, as well.
EAA sent trucks out on Sunday morning to help remove areas of standing water left after the storm.
Thanks to the National Weather Service presence on the grounds, EAA was able to get early notification of the storm’s path and intensity, and make the appropriate announcements in advance of the storm front’s arrival.
