Here we are again. AirVenture 2007. It’s still early, but a steady stream of planes are arriving in the North 40 camping area.

Wandering around the North 40, we see planes taxiing to their spots in the grass. Pilots exiting the cockpit to be greeted by the EAA volunteers. Camping gear being unloaded and assembled. And people standing beside their planes, squinting in the sun, looking around and surely thinking, "I’m in Oshkosh."

William Chalker of Georgetown, South Carolina kicks back in his lawn chair, under a canopy in North 40 row 511.He made the nine-hour flight to Oshkosh this year in his red and white American Yankee. It’s his third visit to AirVenture in four years.

There’s a particular subject he’s looking into this year.

"I’m interested in light sport. I really would like to see more light-sport information, and cheaper airplanes of course."

His home field is Georgetown County Airport (KGGE).

"It’s an old military base from World War II, built for the Marines. It was a Marine base where they did submarine details, submarine watch, and training. Flight training too."

He’s been flying for 11 years.

He comes to the fly-in by himself. "The little plane won’t carry more once you get all this gear in it."

Like so many AirVenture visitors, he’s very proud of his airplane. "It’s an American Yankee. One of the originals. It’s a 1969 model, the first year they built them."

He’s owned the plane for four years. He bought it when he got his medical back after a period of heart problems.

"Right now I’m particularly interested in light sport, so I try to pick up on all the light-sport information. Obviously I want to know what Cessna’s gonna do. I’d like to find an inexpensive light-sport aircraft."

Mark and Brenda Bayley

Mark and Brenda Bayley are from Ancaster, Ontario, near Hamilton.

They arrived at the fly-in this year on Friday and plan to stay until Thursday. "We may stay a little longer; we’ll just watch the weather and see what happens."

This is their third time to the Oshkosh fly-in. They came for the first time back in the ’80s. Then they returned in 2004, and now in ’07.

Mark took his first flying lesson when he was 11 years old.

Brenda isn’t a pilot, but she’s been flying with Mark since she was 16.

Mark grew up in an aviation family. His father was an instructor and is the one who taught him to fly. The 172 he and Brenda now own was once part of the stable of planes his parents owned and flew out of their family field, Green Bank Airport, just northeast of Toronto.

Green Bank is still in operation, though the Bayley family sold it some years ago.

Their plane is a 1975 Cessna 172M. It’s the last remaining plane from the family fleet.

"It doesn’t even have 3,000 hours’ total time on it."

Over the past few years they’ve refurbished the entire airplane with things like new upholstery and a fresh paint job.

After starting young, Mark moved into an aviation career. He now flies a Challenger 300 for Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. He’s one of three pilots for that company.

A fond memory of past AirVentures is when they had a chance to meet and talk with air show pilot Sean Tucker.

"It was just an absolute honor to speak with him."

Visit the Around the Field Archive at www.AroundTheField.net.