Abby's Ramp Ramble - Weather Protests AirVenture Smoking Policy

EAA AirVenture has come and gone for another year, and yours truly had the privilege of returning to the grounds for the second half of the week. Between wildfire smoke scrambling transient traffic patterns, a look at business aviation and unleaded fuel developments and a quick performance report for our Oshkosh Specials Page, there's plenty for FBOs who stayed home servicing transients to catch up on.Pilots to OSH Sidestep SmokeEach year, FBOs prepping for AirVenture transients know they are rolling the dice. Will weather, marketing and fuel pricing align for a strong transient week, or will something unforeseen leave the ramp quiet?Last year, there were storms. This year, it was smoke. Many FBOs who historically dominate the Lake Michigan corridor and Eastern entry into Oshkosh saw notable drops in expected traffic, driven by deviations and cancellations from Canadian wildfires. The haze's reach was significant, with air quality alerts affecting areas as far as the Mid-Atlantic and Washington, D.C. I saw pockets of it myself driving through Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. EAA CEO Jack Pelton told Aviation Week that this year's conditions were "...thicker than the ones in the past. You can taste it."Even so, not every FBO sat through the thick of it. I spoke with a location in South Dakota that reported no visible smoke, but did see an average level of traffic (albeit more from the South than usual due to diversions). Another FBO in Illinois cited similar average traffic, but mentioned a nearby airport getting completely smoked out at one point. Meanwhile, a handful of central U.S. FBOs already reeling from last year's storms took a second hit this year. I compiled the graphic in Figure 1 per NOAA Hazard Mapping data to give a visual of the day-to-day movement.Figure 1. Smoke coverage across the United States from July 15-29, 2026 per the NOAA Hazard Mapping System (HMS) Smoke Product.On the bright side, visibility was not poor on the grounds from Wednesday through Sunday. I was inside of Hangar C for most of the time, but as you can see from this article's main image, we had plenty of blue skies and bright sun to back up the (incredibly awesome) air shows. The bulk of the smoke issues were definitely seen on approach.While geography and marketing can position you well, day-of conditions make the final call on turnout. The FBOs who came out ahead this year weren't necessarily the ones in "reliable" AirVenture routes - they were the ones who could lean on pricing and positioning when those routes got disrupted. Smoke is not a new issue around AirVenture season, but this year was definitely more notable than previous.On a somber note, Appleton and Menasha, Wisconsin were struck by an EF-3 tornado the day after AirVenture wrapped. While the Appleton airport came out unharmed, the surrounding community suffered significant damage. At the time of writing, no fatalities have been reported. Our hearts go out to the Appleton and Menasha communities and the brave first responders who acted quickly to save lives.Business Aviation and Unleaded Fuel at AirVentureAirVenture is not a hotspot for private jets, though you'll see the occasional arrival or departure overhead from a nearby airport. Green Bay, Appleton and Fond du Lac are typically kept busy as KOSH relievers, with nearby alternatives like Manitowoc County providing, well, relief from the relievers.EAA continues to draw aviation business to Wisconsin with a whopping 1,021 exhibitor count in 2026, though FBOs continue to hold a minor presence. FBOs exhibiting at Oshkosh will have their most business-oriented conversations during the first half of the week before the crowd shifts to civil and enthusiast attendance as the show goes on. Some companies send a team to meet pilots and make connections just by walking the grounds, though a few regulars will reserve booth space throughout the week (shoutout to Kyle Kuebler at Porter County Regional (VPZ)! Kyle is a regular exhibitor, a fount of knowledge and I always enjoy our chats.)Speaking of those who attend and walk, I had the pleasure of running into father-son team Mark and Adam Miracle who oversee the Tucker Guthrie Memorial Airport (I35). Adam joined the GlobalAir.com group on Saturday to watch the night show, and gave me permission to share a picture of his parking spot (Figure 2). Adam - if you ever lose your parking spot at night, I will not let you hear the end of it.Figure 2. Adam Miracle's Cessna 182Q parked at night during AirVenture, brightly illuminated by several ground lamps.Most of the FBOs I saw at Oshkosh hail from the Midwest and Central U.S. The FBO and fuel presence was almost exactly what I saw in 2024, and I have a feeling it goes beyond a love for the show. Conversations this year suggested that these locations are getting enough return on exhibiting to justify the year-over-year cost. I don't think we'd see the same results if every FBO exhibited at Oshkosh, and I don't think every FBO would benefit, though it seems like attendance works well for the ones dedicated.Amidst concerns about a finite lead supply for aviation gas, the three leading unleaded competitors made major AirVenture announcements. Swift Fuels announced an expansion to their Approved Model List for 100R, now covering 1,200 piston engine models, and entered a testing partnership with the FAA's Tech Center to strengthen a case for fleetwide approval. GAMI announced they have begun the ASTM specification process - a long-standing sore point among operators - and continues to cite material compatibility issues as stemming from aircraft conditions outside of G100UL's composition. VP Racing, whose UL100E remains furthest along the FAA's formal PAFI fleetwide-authorization track, announced a target for late 2027 approval.Great, more unleaded news! Why should you care? On July 30, the FAA released a final Transition Plan to Unleaded Aviation Gasoline (originally posted in January for comment), which intends to shift the piston fleet away from 100LL by 2030 - or 2032 for Alaska - without cutting the fuel supply to general aviation pilots. Despite the plan holding steady to 2030, FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau suggested at AirVenture that the "aggressive" timeline may slip. Swift and GAMI currently remain on an STC, model-by-model basis, while VP Racing continues to pursue a fleetwide authorization through PAFI.Even if it seems far away, keep your eyes on unleaded fuel, but don't expect an overnight switch. Production, distribution and government timelines rarely move fast. Approvals and mandates alone don't drive changes this large, but a determined push from the right person or organization will. It doesn't hurt to research the three unleaded frontrunners to see who is on track to cover the largest portion of your piston client base.GlobalAir.com Oshkosh Specials Page PerformanceIn case you've missed it, GlobalAir.com hosts an annual Oshkosh Specials Page compiling fuel deals and special offerings for pilots flying to EAA AirVenture. It is linked directly on EAA's website and reaches thousands of transients each year.Live for just around 90 days, the 2026 page attracted 27,000+ visitors and averaged around 2,000 page views per week. About 21% of that traffic came through paid ad campaigns across Google and Facebook, plus our own internal ads. We posted a final total of 133 FBO fuel deals and specials for transient pilots.A substantial update to the page for 2026 helped drive the most robust results I've seen in the nearly three years I've overseen the GlobalAir.com Airport Resource Center. We are so glad the changes have landed and are already considering improvements to continue benefiting both pilots and FBOs in 2027.If your FBO wasn't listed this year, these are numbers worth weighing for AirVenture '27. Thousands of pilots actively plan their transient fuel stops on GlobalAir.com, so make sure you get your callout in front of them.Figure 3. GlobalAir.com team members enjoying the Saturday show after a full day of exhibiting. (left to right: Abigail Sheets, Clay Martin, Eli Martin and John Alden)At the end of the day, none of this happens without the people who make AirVenture fly. This year drew a record 734,000 attendees (a daily count, so a full-week visitor would be tallied seven times) and around 6,000 volunteers who gave nearly 300,000 hours to put on this amazing show. That is a debt shared by every FBO banking on Oshkosh transient traffic, every pilot flying in and every attendee baking in lawn chairs on the flight line (A.K.A. us in Figure 3). None of this exists without EAA and its volunteers keeping the show running safely and effectively. So to all AirVenture volunteers and EAA personnel reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do.And as always, safe fueling!RELATED STORIES:Abby's Ramp Ramble - Winging it in Oshkosh (2024)Abby's Ramp Ramble - The Oshkosh Scramble (and Where the Eggs Went) (2025)FAA releases roadmap for unleaded avgas transitionAbby's Ramp Ramble is a monthly news and opinion column that serves the FBO industry. Abigail Sheets maintains the GlobalAir.com Airport Resource Center and serves as its Director. Her background is in aviation maintenance and management. She graduated from Purdue University with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering Technology, an MS in Aviation and Aerospace Management and a certificate in Data Sciences.