An EAA Air Academy cadet uses today’s technology to capture a picture of vintage aircraft flying overhead. Photo by Phil Weston

More than 10 years ago, Geoff Peck came to AirVenture and parked his Piper Arrow in the North 40—about four spots from the shower building. One morning he noticed an electrical outlet on the corner of the building nearest his airplane. It gave him an idea. He made a quick trip to Wal-Mart, bought a couple of orange extension cords, and an electric lantern.

That night, when all of the North 40 was dark, Geoff’s tent stood out like a shining beacon. And if you peeked inside you saw him sitting in his camp chair with his laptop opened and a laser printer humming beside him. (Why he had a laser printer with him is another story, but if you knew Geoff, you wouldn’t be surprised.)

Things have come a long way since Geoff and his orange power cords. EAAers are innovators, and the rapid advances in communications and information technology of the past few years have been embraced by many of the Oshkosh faithful.

Residents in the EAA campgrounds are using all sorts of devices and connections to enhance their enjoyment of the fly-in, and stay in touch with the outside world.

Tom Morawetz of Hampton, Ontario, was sitting under a wing in the North 40 with his laptop open. He likes the addition of wireless Internet in the campgrounds.

"You can get your e-mail. You can check the weather, which is a big thing. You can do your pictures. I think it’s a great idea ’cause you can do a little bit of business and perhaps stay longer as a result."

He’s only a few rows from one of the Wi-Fi "hotspots," and he says the connection quality is okay. But he has a suggestion.

"It’s not bad. It’s like anything free; it’s a little sketchy. I would say, charge something for it and improve the quality."

He also sees this new access to the Internet as a good way to improve the safety of his flying.

"You can make a go/no-go decision at 10 o’clock tonight when flight service is closed."

Ian Phillips, of London, Ontario, is using his Sony PSP from the North 40 during the show. He likes the new Wi-Fi.

"It’s good. You can keep contact with things going on at home."

He’s not only checking e-mail and the weather, but also using the voice-over-Internet service Skype to phone home and let friends and family know he arrived safely.

Another form of technology became common in the campgrounds years ago: cell phones, and they’ve become indispensable. The ability to stay in touch with home, direct from the campsite, is very useful. And many visitors coordinate with others in their party as they travel to different areas of the convention grounds. And of course, the ability to file and get a preflight briefing from beside your airplane is both convenient and a safety enhancement.

Others are finding that devices such as pocket PCs and text-messaging capable cell phones are great ways to stay in contact with the outside world while attending AirVenture.

Dan Bruggeman of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, says he uses his pocket PC to keep him updated on his company’s work.

"I use the wireless Internet to check e-mail and send text messages to co-workers," Dan said. "When I need to download and view larger files, I use the Internet Café in Membership Village."

Dennis Spivey of Lansing, Illinois, uses his laptop and the new Wi-Fi capabilities in Camp Scholler to send pictures to a friend who couldn’t attend this year.

"I know my friend wishes he were here. Sending pictures of AirVenture 2007 through e-mail is a nice way to let him know what’s going on."

One common challenge with all this technology is how to keep your batteries charged. Many people will leave their devices plugged in at the shower buildings, but others are reluctant to leave more valuable devices, like laptops, unattended.

More and more attendees are using small gas-powered generators to keep their batteries full. And others are using charge packs, which they plug in at the showers, then carry back to the plane or camper to plug into the laptop.

When we found David Rodwell, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, using his laptop in the North 40, he wasn’t aware of the new wireless Internet.

"There’re lots of laptops out here. I was kinda wondering what they were doing."

He connected as we spoke and was excited by the possibilities it provided.

"Oh, I’d be all over that. The first thing I would do is Skype my wife at home. We’ll file online; we’ll certainly get into weather and all that."

But not all technology here is being used for communications.

Exhausted from the humidity of "Wisconsin weather," Doug Lescher of central Pennsylvania was found resting in the shade, using his Palm Pilot to play a game of Sudoku.

"It’s just nice to be able to relax and pass some time."