There are lots of bugs that make Oshkosh their home during the summer months that see EAA AirVenture Oshkosh take place. Most of them are unwelcome, but some are celebrated as a vital tradition at aviation’s family reunion.
These are the fleet of Volkswagen Beetles that scoot around Oshkosh, carrying various staff members and volunteers to wherever they may need to go during AirVenture. These Beetles have been in Oshkosh nearly as long as EAA’s fly-in convention has called the city home, and they originated from a complaint of sorts.
EAA founder Paul Poberezny needed a way to get around when the convention first came to Oshkosh in 1970, so he simply used his personal sedan. Someone wondered aloud, though, if Paul should get the clear advantage of air conditioning in late July if EAA members did not.
Paul, being Paul, agreed that he should not have that advantage, so he asked Will Schaick, a volunteer at the time, to find a Beetle he could use to get around without getting out of the elements. Schaick Road in Camp Scholler named after Will later on in a well-deserved nod.
After he found an old Bug in a scrapyard, Will got the top chopped off, the doors taken off, and had it painted bright red. Paul loved the Beetle, which became known as Red One I, and asked Will to get 10 more.
One of those 10 was an automatic, which ended up suiting Paul’s needs better. That Bug became Red One II, and Red One I was transitioned to serving as Orange One after a paint job. Orange One found plenty of work as the lead flightline operations vehicle.
After one more switch to an even-more improved Red One III during the 1972 convention, Paul’s vehicle of choice was set, with Red One II also going to flightline ops. Over the years, through both donations and savvy purchases, the fleet of Beetles grew from 11 to around 40.
The Bugs need lots of maintenance before every convention, but the skilled auto crew in South Maintenance manages to get them all ready for AirVenture every year. The fleet includes green VWs for the communications team, white for departure briefings, blue for airplane greeters, and yellow for security, in addition to the orange flightline operations Beetles.
There are exceptions to those rules, though, and plenty of fun and unique Bugs in the fleet as well. The Bugs have too much personality to all follow strict color conventions.
Jim Casper was a volunteer with flightline operations for a decade before he was named co-chairman, a position he holds today. He said when he was first assigned a Beetle, he’d already owned some personally before, so he was used to zipping around in one.
“I was familiar with the car,” Jim said. “The handy part of it is, of course, without the doors on you can get in and out in a hurry.”
Jim said he looks at the Beetles as more substance than flash, as he typically was so busy using his orange VW that there just wasn’t time to be awed by it.
“It was more like just part of the job,” he said. “It was kind of a thrill, the first time they took it and said this is yours now, and here was my name on the side of mine under the other three guys who were chairmen and co-chairmen. That part was neat. But five minutes later I was busy, so that was it.”
EAA’s director of communications, Dick Knapinski, has had extensive experience driving Beetles during AirVenture and agreed that there’s a lot of utility in the VW fleet.
“I’ve had one now for better than 20 years,” Dick said. “It’s absolutely essential to what we do, but being part of the culture and having that fun factor, that’s great too.”
Dick said in addition to helping him get wherever he needs to go in a fun fashion, the Beetles are terrific conversation starters, especially when giving rides on the grounds.
“There’s the fun, there’s the practicality, and there’s the number of stories I’ve heard from people,” he said. “I’ve had Apollo astronauts riding in the Bug. I have had B-25 pilots riding in the Bug. I’ve had people with magnificent stories, and I don’t know how many kids have ridden in the Bug with their families.”
The Beetles in Oshkosh are more than just transportation. Visitors recognize that if they need help finding something or getting somewhere, a nearby Volkswagen is likely carrying someone who can help. The VWs add to the unique, only-in-Oshkosh experience at AirVenture every single summer.