A map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the intensity of smoke over Wisconsin from the Canadian wildfires.
As pilots begin their annual trek to the world’s largest airshow, the Canadian and Minnesota wildfires are bringing dense smoke and impacting early aircraft arrivals into Wittman Regional Airport for the 73rd annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin.
Smoke from the fires is impacting air quality and visibility levels in the area.
“We’ve had Canadian smoke multiple times over the last few years,” Jack Pelton, CEO and chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association, tells Aviation Week. “This one really is different. It’s thicker than the ones in the past. You can taste it.”
The good news? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expecting visibility and air quality to improve around noon on Friday, July 17, said Pelton, who had just hung up from checking on the situation with NOAA. Pelton is crossing his fingers.
Starting the morning of July 16, roughly half of Wisconsin, including Oshkosh, was in the “very unhealthy” Air Quality Index category.
“I’m wishing the smoke would clear,” Pelton said July 16 late afternoon. From his office window at the EAA Museum, “looking all the way to the runway, I can’t see the trees and they’re probably a mile away.”
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Fly-In runs July 20-26. Pilots who fly in for the show, many of whom camp at the campsites along with their aircraft, begin their trek in the days prior. AirVenture attracts more than 700,000 attendees, more than 10,000 aircraft, nearly 6,000 volunteers and 900 exhibitors throughout the week.
VFR flights into the Wittman airport were not possible on July 16.
“On Thursday at noon, the only way to get into Oshkosh is IFR,” Pelton said. Flying IFR into Wittman Regional Airport requires a reservation with the FAA. Those slots are already booked.
“There are no more reservations,” Pelton said.
“NOAA is telling us right now they are expecting the smoke to remain into effect until noon tomorrow (Friday, July 17),” he said. Hopefully, VFR conditions will return then.
Should smoke linger deep into the weekend, attendees may begin rethinking their decision to attend, he said. Some also may delay their trip and come a little later.
Some workers setting up exhibits on July 16 were wearing bandannas over their mouths or face masks, Pelton says.
Because of the unhealthy air quality, attendees, volunteers and others should follow whatever precautions they feel are needed based on their individual conditions.
Most of the setup work is finished, Pelton said.
For those flying into Wittman Regional Airport during AirVenture, the EAA has released a 32-page document for pilots.
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