What do type club members and restorers want more than anything? What do owners of World War II aircraft need more than anything else? The answer: spare parts. And when you're talking spare aircraft parts, look no further than EAA's Aeromart at AirVenture Oshkosh, located in the Fly Market about two blocks west of the control tower.

Thousands of people pass through the canvas portals every year searching for-and finding-vintage plane parts, gifts for aviators, memorabilia, and even wrecked airplanes, whose attached serial number plates and registration 'N' numbers are highly sought after by aircraft restorers.

Formerly called the Parts Mart, Aeromart is really an aviation swap meet. This will be the seventh year that EAA Chapter 1158 from West Bend, Wisconsin, heads operations, along with volunteers from all over the world. Aeromart is a joint venture between EAA and the chapter, a retail business that lives for one week out of the year and thrives on its international attention. Volunteers enjoy the friendships and camaraderie they've developed over the years, and also realize that this is a very important part of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

Under the leadership of Aeromart Chairman and chapter member Mark Landvatter, the entire operation has been computerized. Bar coding and online transaction processing help to streamline the check-in and checkout processes. "People bring things to Oshkosh, sign a simple seller's agreement, give us a dollar per item, and we put it on the shelf," he said. "It really amounts to a simple consignment sale. When the item is sold, the Chapter and EAA split a 12 percent commission and the seller gets the rest."

People sell gauges, propellers, wheel pants, wing struts, oxygen tanks-from altimeters to azimuths. They go home with money or their unsold parts, or sometimes they simply donate the part to Aeromart. Half the proceeds from the Chapter’s Aeromart commissions are poured back into the operation, allowing Chapter 1158 to continually improve the process with upgraded computers and software, plus acquire retail fixtures to more effectively and efficiently display the sale items.

For those in search of that needed part for their airplane or restoration project, EAA AirVenture’s Aeromart is unique because it concentrates thousands of airplane parts and equipment in one location. About half of the parts arrive by Sunday night-some on trailers-just before the event opens. The rest arrive on Monday or trickle in throughout the week.

Anyone interested in becoming an Aeromart volunteer can contact Landvatter at volunteer@aeromart.org. Those wishing to register in advance to display items for sale can also do so via e-mail at webmaster@aeromart.org. And for more information, visit the Aeromart website at www.aeromart.org.

Map of Aeromart location