'Fly market' an experience at EAA

OSHKOSH - The festivities at EAA AirVenture aren't all about the planes.

Many people spend a share of the day, or maybe even the whole day, shopping on the grounds. You can buy everything from a toy plane to a real plane. Don't call it a flea market, because “it’s a fly market,” says Ellen Lillemoen of Roseville, Minn.

Exhibitors say it's one of the biggest money-makers for them the whole summer and people come in just to see what's for sale.

"A lot of people come here just for this reason,” said Scott Nerat of Menomonee. “They can shop around here and find almost anything and everything."

Like Mike Prentice, who came all the way from Australia for AirVenture.

“We'll spend a full day here, looking at everything single shop and drag our weary fate home at the end of another 12 hour shift."

Prentice might have to check an extra bag on the trip back, if he can afford it.

"Today, we probably dropped about four or five hundred dollars on DVDs, models, hats, shirts,” he said. “We've been doing that everyday so we're going back broke. Came here wealthy men and we're leaving with barely the shirt on our back, but a lot of aviation stuff."

Many of the exhibitors say sales were actually down a little bit this year. They blame it on the wet weather of last week keeping people away.