OSHKOSH, Wis. (NBC 26) -- For almost 40 years, a husband and wife raised in the air has made Oshkosh a home away from home.
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"It's what we do," Michigan resident Linda Betzoldt said. "I don't think about why. We just do it."
Dan and Linda Betzoldt are two of EAA Airventure's most experienced volunteers, putting in a week of time every summer for 38 years. The couple has only missed two festivals since the 1980s.
"Of course we missed last year," Dan said. "And that's all of I've ever missed since 1982."
Their fathers both worked together devoloping planes in Michigan. And the duo says flight is an addiction they worn born into.
"I was raised in an aviation family," Dan said. "And my dad was a test pilot. … I had four brothers. My dad taught us all to fly. And three of us still fly."
My mother flew the day she gave birth to me," Linda said. "So I've been flying before I was born."
Together, the Betzoldts currently own four aircrafts of their own.
"We live in a hangar house in Tecumseh [Michigan] on a grass strip," Linda said. "We fly right out of the backyard."
"We moved up to Michigan, I couldn't figure out why they didn't have any airplanes in houses," Dan said. "Nothing. I said 'that's wrong.'"
And at 72 years old, Linda says her career as a pilot is just getting started.
"We still fly," she said. "We fly often. We like to go out on sunset rides at night and watch the full moon go up and the sun set."
"I'm almost 80 years old and I'm thinking about giving up flying," Dan said. "But I'm not gonna want to do it. I'll have to wait until I can't do anything about it."
And the same goes for Airventure. Linda and Dan plan to stand side-by-side at Wittman Airport for years to come.
"I'm not worried about how many years I've done it," Dan said. "I enjoy doing it. And it seems like [it takes] the longest between Oshkosh vacations. It's too long sometimes."
You can catch the two next to the vintage aircraft runway at EAA Airventure.
