Welcome to the Canadian Campers’ Guide for AirVenture 2025, July 21-27!

By Phillip Johnson, EAA 378381; EAA Canadian Council

AirVenture 2023 and 2024 were great successes, with many Canadian campers able to gather and mingle amongst fellow Canadian aviation enthusiasts at our “Little Canada” campsite. We met on Sunday evening with a welcome complimentary BBQ organized by the EAA Canadian Council, gathered in the evenings to share our aviation stories, and we helped each other set up and take down before bidding farewell to our fellow Canucks. Unfortunately, unlike 2023, we were divided into three sites with two in close proximity and the third a little farther away. Nevertheless, everyone was close to all the action and had shade, and a windbreak from some trees. It is likely this year will be similar because we will not have the aid of EAA to mark out our site on the first day that it can be marked out. If you’ve never camped at AirVenture’s Camp Scholler, here is how it works for the average show attendee, in other words, not part of the ‘Little Canada’ contingent:

You arrive at EAA’s registration wicket and pay for camping from the day you arrive, right up to the last day of the event. If you leave before the last day of the show, you get a refund for the unused nights of camping with a minimum of three nights. You are given credentials for your travel vehicle and your camping unit, then you proceed to find a suitable camping spot. Camp sites are 20-feet x 30-feet. Camping at Camp Scholler has become so popular, many campers will arrive weeks before the event and purchase their camping tickets from that date, until the end of the show. They will mark out their spot and stake their campsite credentials inside their marked-out locations (which is all within the rules), as they have paid for that spot. In 2024, a site cost about $39 USD per night, so with the gates opening around the end of June, these campers were paying around $1,200 USD to lock in their spot. The earlier you arrive, the more choices you have, but Camp Scholler never runs out of space.

Why am I telling you all this? The map below shows where we had the campsite in 2024 (Red and Blue), and we are trying to achieve a similar arrangement this year. There are no guarantees, but we will all be together.

Here is how it works:

Group Camping

If you want to be considered for group camping, you need to let me know by early June. You will be required to send me, by eTransfer, the Canadian funds commensurate with EAA’s pricing and the rate of exchange at that time. I convert the Canadian funds to U.S. funds from within my U.S. bank account and submit them to EAA. This all happens at the last minute as exchange rates vary. Do not send monies before I make the request for funds as the exchange rate changes hour by hour, and I only make one large exchange in funds.

If you sign up for Group Camping you will be guaranteed a spot close to our desired location, but it is important we know everything about your travel party and your camping/travel equipment as that impacts the size of the marked-out spot.

Ad Hoc Camping

The title “Ad Hoc Camping” I’ve assigned to those campers who just want to take a chance. (I couldn’t think of a better name.) There are no guarantees for a camp site, but we will do the best we can. (In 2023 and 2024, we managed to accommodate everyone and even some latecomers.) You will purchase your camping credentials in advance and provide proof of payment so I can confirm your sincerity for wanting to join us and have a space marked out for you if there is room. This is really important as I create a large jigsaw puzzle of campsites, including travel vehicles and kitchen tents, which is why I need to know in advance and for accurate filling out of the Google form. If you have a one-man tent and arrive on a motorcycle for the full week, there is a very good chance I can accommodate you, but if you arrive in a 40-foot motorhome and only want to stay three days, your chances are slim but not impossible as demonstrated last year.

Flying to AirVenture

If you are flying to AirVenture, we will probably be able to accommodate you on an ad-hoc basis as we assume your camping equipment will be minimal. If you let us know ahead of time, we will be able to pick you and your camping equipment up at your airplane, and bring you over to our campsite by golf cart.

Google Form

Access the Google Form here.

While the Google form should be self-explanatory, there are some questions that may need clarification. The question on travel vehicle is there so I can estimate space for you. If you are camping in the same vehicle as the vehicle you travel to AirVenture, then you answer with “same as Camping Unit” as I don’t need to account for the travel vehicle. Likewise, if you fly to Oshkosh, you won’t be needing additional space for a car, van, or truck, but you may need help getting your camping equipment to our site. Some campers just camp in their car/pickup truck, in which case answer “None”.

Kitchen tents or additional tents will be considered but no bigger than 10-feet x 10-feet.’ The last question is a catch-all for any missed information; i.e., I need to be close to the Porta Potties, or something else.

Please note, if we are fortunate enough to get the same spot as last year, and you have a motor home, you will need to bring some levelling blocks. All vehicles will be arranged in accordance with the plan as last year caused some serious reorganisation and lost site area.

This is really important. If you are travelling/camping as a group, you will each need to fill out the form. Don’t send me an email saying there are three of you under one name as Google forms will only show you as one site, and that’s all you will get. I need one set of campsite credentials per form entry.

Contact Information

Contact me at chapters.eaacc@gmail.com or call 613-790-4929.