OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — About 186 South Africans have made the roughly 9,000-mile trip to Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture, and they are leaving a meaningful mark on the local community before they head home.
Every year, South African Chapter 973 purchases sleeping bags for use during the event. After AirVenture wraps up, those sleeping bags are donated to multiple local charities, including Day by Day Warming Shelter, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Salvation Army.
This year, the chapter is adding a new giving initiative.
"So new this year, we are going to be donating our aluminum, or 'al-u-mini-um' as we call it, for recycling and the money we get from there, we are going to be donating to EAA chapters in the USA," Chapter 973 President Neil Bowden said.
Leftover non-perishable food is also donated. Because shipping supplies home is so expensive, the arrangement is a win-win for everyone. The chapter also has plans to add tents to the donation list in future years.
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South African attendees say the scale of EAA AirVenture is unlike anything back home.
"We're back from South Africa, we never have anything to this magnitude. It's incredible what they put together here," camper Kevin said.
Fellow camper Etienne offered a striking comparison.
"There's more RVs parked in the campsite here than what we own in South Africa in terms of airplanes," Etienne said.
The South African chapter is one part of a much larger international presence at EAA AirVenture. More than 90 countries are represented at the event, bringing not just people, but also international aircraft from around the world.
"We've got the Flying Bulls, a P-38, and a DC-6 that are coming all the way from Austria, and Oshkosh is their one air show that they're doing this year in the US. We've also got the Red Arrows coming from the UK," EAA Senior Communications Specialist Drew Stephani said.
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