If you own a Bonanza you probably should not fly it without being a member of ABS. It is, without doubt, the finest type specific organization in the world. Where else can one get real answers to questions about your airplane, answers that have not been emasculated by passing through the corporate legal department? Knowledgeable non-pilot mechanics join just for the incredible technical expertise every month. The ABS Magazine is the unparalleled leader in its field. The list of benefits is too long to enumerate. For more information and to join: Click on the American Bonanza Society logo.
Yes. It’s $20 per airplane. Emery Air is our host and they arrange for use of the huge UPS ramp, which we need to stage over 100 airplanes. Emery requires overtime from almost a dozen employees over the weekend we are there. Emery takes GREAT care of our needs. Emery provides their big hangar for our Hangar Party at no charge. Most years B2OSH pays the ramp fee, depending on sponsorship.
Absolutely. Travel Airs, too. Our twin engine fleet is growing and their pilots are developing their own "brand" of camaraderie. In 2009 there were 20! For safety reasons twins fly at the back of the formation and take off with a larger interval to accommodate Blue Line airspeed. Training requirements are the same.
Absolutely. When B2OSH started the attendees were almost all male adults. Over the years we have grown to a family organization and encourage spouses and children of all ages. They are the future of aviation. You will find they quickly join up with others their own age, have a great time playing together, make life-long friendships, look eagerly to coming back to AirVenture to see their friends again.

In the Photo are Gia deBastos, Natalie Olsen & Kaytie deBastos partying together at a function away from OSH. While one family is from IL and the other MD, friendships made at OSH are special and survive distance and time.
Yes. Check the box on the registration form that you will “Not fly in the formation”. Fill out the registration form, pay the registration fee.

Party with us at RFD. Do not park on the UPS ramp - park on the Emery ramp. Depart just prior to our departure on the alternate runway, do the Ripon Fiskarrival according to the NOTAM. You must follow directions of flagmen. Because there is no reserved parking intheNorth40,youwill not be parked among B2OSH formation aircraft. Depending on your arrival time vs. that of the formation, you will be parked close to the group. No one is allowed to trail the formation into OSH.

Park where directed. EAA North 40 Parking does not take requests. Period. The only way to park with the group is to fly in with the group.

If joining us at OSH and not participating at RFD, fill out the registration form, pay the registration fee, time your arrival at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time. Unfortunately weather may dictate a different arrival time for our group, so be flexible. If you join us at OSH you still need to fill out a registration form. We need that to plan food supplies. Registrants who choose to not fly in the formation will be accorded all other privileges, such as eligibility to participate in our raffle.
Yes. If you are FAA-qualified to fly the airplane you can fly in B2OSH, and you attended a B2OSH clinic, you are good-to-go.
We need ramp space for more than 100 aircraft. UPS allows us to park on one of their huge ramps. Emery Air takes great care of us. RFD is 110 nautical miles from Oshkosh, making for a flight of slightly less than 1 hour. If there was a closer airport that met our needs, the flight would be too short, considering the large investment in training we make.
No. You must reserve your own motel room with a credit card guarantee for late arrival. The telephone numbers are on the web site. See the Motel Page for details. We have discounted rates & blocks of rooms held for B2OSH participants at multiple motels. 
We were offered first choice of arrival slots, because ours is the oldest and best group. We chose the first available slot – noon take-off; 1:00 PM arrival. The lunch-time arrival turned the Margarita Party into a Pizza AND Margarita Party.
We cannot guarantee the ability to park together (let alone a prime parking spot) if we arrive the day prior to AirVenture. The entire concept of B2OSH is parking together. It also allows a great time period the following day for the Museum and the flight line before they get overcrowded.
In prior years we turned people away who did not get their registrations in on time. Ordering the proper number of shirts and caps for embroidery requires lead-time. The past few years we have been a little more lenient, but there is so much extra work demanded to accommodate late registration that this is an incentive to do on time what the vast majority seem able to accomplish.
They will be distributed at RFD prior to and during the party and prior to the mandatory Saturday pre-flight briefing at RFD. This saves a 7-10 dollar shipping and handling fee.
Refunds will be given if cancellation is received by May 31. Otherwise, thank you for donating to our great party.
Unless otherwise instructed we will try to sell them and refund the money. Otherwise, we will ask for a shipping/packaging fee to mail them to you.
B2OSH was organized to enable friends camping together. The formation is the means of arriving together to accomplish this. If health or other reasons require a stay in a room, we still welcome your participation, but we discourage people joining us for the formation flight and not camping with us. B2OSH is NOT, repeat, NOT an alternative for those who merely wish to avoid the Ripon Fisk arrival.
All planes parked in the camping area must pay the camping fee regardless of the presence of a tent. There is a separate parking area for planes not wishing to pay a camping fee. It is located on the opposite side of the airfield, far from all B2OSH activities. Pay the camping fee and stay with the group. Do not argue with EAA volunteers posting a notice on your plane to pay the fee. It reflects poorly on all of us. Those registering for "Party Only" may park wherever they wish.
For purely selfish reasons you will save significantly on the daily admission fee and get a free admission to the EAA Museum. The savings is greater than the cost of membership. Going with family? Get a family membership for only ten bucks more and really save a bundle. Additionally you receive many benefits including one of the finest magazines in aviation and you support a wonderful organization that benefits all of us in general aviation. To receive the discount you must buy your membership before buying your ticket. Check the following link for EAA fees: http://www.airventure.org.
Registered pilots will receive explicit instructions via e-mail & Emery’s crew will direct you.
No, but you may request to fly with specific wingmen. However, there are no guarantees. Handled on an individual basis. This was once nearly impossible to accommodate, but the Emery ramp crew has become VERY good at handling special requests.
You can’t. Even if in the same element, you might be parked at the end of one row and your friend at the beginning of the next. If you arrive at RFD together and are in a flight near each other you will improve your chances. Once on the ground we are at the total mercy of the ground crew and must do as they direct. If it doesn’t work out consider it an opportunity to meet great new friends. That’s what this is all about
Flight leaders need a higher level of proficiency than wingmen. Flight leaders have multiple years of experience in the B2OSH formation and/or extensive military formation experience. Even with military experience, no one is a flight lead without prior B2OSH experience. Want to be a flight lead? Request it, but there are no guarantees.
The flight has flown through rain showers in the past, relishing the cooling and cleansing effect. VFR visibility is required. The only delayed departure was in 2001. It is possible the formation flight can be delayed a day due to weather or other issues. There are no contingency plans for delay beyond one day. Whatever group holds together will still probably fly in together when able. Life can be like that. In 2010 Oshkosh had so much rain in the first two weeks of July that the field was saturated. Four inches and three inches of rain the two nights before our arrival finished off the field. The first two aircraft into OSH the morning of our arrival Saturday sank in to their axles immediately on leaving the tarmac. The field was closed for arrivals until Wednesday and the formation flight was cancelled. Some of us flew to adjoining airfields or drove in from Rockford. Nearly everyone made it to OSH. Read the 2010 Annual Review. We camped on the only available parcel of reasonably high ground and had one of the best times ever.

1. Kevin O'Halloran donated many great items to the ABS tent. One of those items is an electric strip that can accommodate multiple phone chargers, either standard electrical plug or 12-volt vehicle accessory plug.
2. There are several outlets at the shower area. There are many cell phones plugged in there most evenings, but you are trusting your fellow pilots.
3. EAA provides a reasonably secure area for this in the little building where they rent tie-downs, near the registration building and the temporary FSS building. It is locked overnight and attended during the day.
4. Find a friend staying in a home or motel.
5. There are always vendors selling batteries and chargers. They will gladly recharge while you spend an hour or two with lunch or watching the airshow. One more point, there will be over 100,000 people there each day. Those little walkie-talkies only have a few frequencies and you will be hard-pressed to get a word in edgewise.

A board approximately 12" x 18" placed under each tire in the camping area prevents the wheels from sinking in and makes pulling out of your parking space much easier.

From Art Brock: "One of the important things we learned from the ABS spar web study (and demonstrated to the government) is that the cracking is caused by tension stresses on the belly of the airplane resisted by the spars. This can arise in several ground operational scenarios, hard braking, high power run-ups, and towing over bumps or out of trenches in the turf. If you can visualize pulling hard on the nose gear while the mains are stuck in the mud you are visualizing the exact scenario that would cause the web to want to pull away from the huck bolts and eventually form cracks. Not only do the boards make it easier on your back, they may help prevent a future spar web crack."

Note: Do NOT leave your boards behind! This is NOT a generous gesture for "the next guy". It’s a HAZARD for the next guy who mows the lawn.

1. Food - you can buy anything and everything you need at the local supermarket. We now take a cooler, pack it with camp supplies, then empty it out and store food there. Don't bring any food, unless it's a regional item you want to bring and is not available at Oshkosh!
2. Camp Equipment - Bring the best tent, sleeping bag, cot, etc. that you can afford. When it's raining, and you are soaked - it's not the time to wish you hadn't bought "el cheapo". It can be unbearably warm or relatively cold at night. In general, a normal summer weight sleeping bag will do, with a sheet available for the really hot, humid nights. Camp stoves, tables, lanterns - really is up to you - be realistic with how much time you really will spend in camp.
3. Clothes - Pack lightly. Every year I bring WAY too many clothes. In general, shorts, light shirts, maybe a pair of sweats, and one set of decent "going out clothes". Do NOT skimp on socks and good walking shoes. Your feet will thank you. Also, pack a "hit and run" kit for the night at Rockford - you don't want to drag everything out for just one night at HoJo
4. Tie Downs - BRING THEM! You do not want to buy the EAA sets. I recommend going to the local farm supply store and getting "pig stakes". Use motorcycle tie downs instead of rope - as they are infinitely adjustable. Rope does work.
5. Sunscreen, Bug Spray, etc. - Bring whatever you think you will need to last the week in Wisconsin in the middle of the summer. Bring a rain poncho, backpack, and water bottle for the day long hikes to AirVenture.

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