Oshkosh - 2018

It is tentatively on the schedule but having a young family there are no promises. The goal is to be back in the left seat by then and fly in with my dad who just got signed off for the first time in 30 years last week.
 
See ya'll at Spring Break... err... I mean Sun-n Fun!
 
I don't want to spam the thread, but here's a YouTube link of Paul Bertorelli flying it last week. We live streamed it with multiple cameras. Pretty darned cool.

Oh good lord you were having waaaay too much fun there. Nice!
 
turn it into a competition.........something to get people to pay for your online training but make it a competition that 'the winner' gets a ride on the DC-3. OR, just give the ride to the guy who came up with the idea ;)

Or you can just stop by and say Hi to him every 5-10 minutes until a spot opens up ;)

For the record, The Monkey had such a blast on the ride, that he shamelessly promoted Gold Seal the rest of the week.
monkey.jpg
 
AVweb just posted their video of the DC-3 close-in pattern work. Different perspective than the live streamed version:

 
lets just say....you'll need a nice rain proof tent, cause it's gonna rain. Don't let this happen to ya....wett'n the bed ain't fun pal.;)View attachment 55305
After the rain storm during the fireworks show, I made it back to camp and noticed the family across from me had apparently taken down their tent, but just left it laying flat on the ground. Turned out after I heard them get back to camp later, it had just collapsed and they spent about an hour trying to bail water out of it and dry things off. I felt bad for them while I was dozing off in my dry tent! I always seal my tent with Scotch Guard, especially the seams.
 
I bought pretty good tents. Good backpacking tents come sealed and look like wind tunnels. Oshkosh is my big vacation every years, I'm not going to ruin it by going cheap on a tent. This year was the first in my memory where there weren't any big powerful storms.
 
Well, most of us are mired in the midst of winter, and we are 188 days from the start of Airventure 2018. I saw the other thread about securing hotel rooms, and that seems to be quite futile at this point. I'm kicking around the idea of making my first trip to OSH this summer, using a club airplane and camping to get the full experience. Anyone else planning on going? I'm coming from the Mid Atlantic region.
 
I'll be there. EAA invited me back as a photographer, so I'll be walking around, loaded down with cameras, and wearing a bright yellow vest that says EAA Photo on the back. Once there, I'll post the number on the back of the vest so if any of you see me around, we can meet. I would love to get some of the POA planes in the magazine and on the website.

Last year was my first time. I usually camp at fly-ins no longer than 2 days and I was worried about camping for a week. Turned out to be a non-issue. They kept me busy from before sunrise until late in the evening, so by the time I passed out, I think I could have slept standing up. The showers were nice (and no lines at 4AM!!), learning the shuttles was easy, 99.9% of the people there were friendly. A Deputy Sheriff took care of that one guy for me!!

As someone else mentioned, there is plenty of food on the field. One thing was odd to me. You can bring beer in your plane. You can buy beer outside and bring it through the gate. However, if you go to one of the restaurants on the field that sells beer, you can't take it out of there. One night I was exhausted and after my last photo shoot, I grabbed a sandwich and 3 beers and was headed back to my campsite. The security guard stopped me as I was leaving and told me I couldn't leave with the beer. I grabbed the closest table to her and ate my sandwich, drank the beer, and enjoyed her company!

Can't wait to get there.
 
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I'll be there. I fly out of Bay Bridge, but unless a miracle occurs, I'll be taking commercial to Appleton, renting a car, visiting my Dad at his summer cabin up in Tomahawk, then arrive Saturday night, and camp in Scholler until about mid week.

I'll see what I can volunteer with this year. Last year I helped make sandwiches. About killed me! That's hard work and the old-timers get to go out into the flightline on the cart...newbies are stuck in a shack making sandwich after sandwich. (But I got the volunteer t-shirt and patch, which is totally worth it and met some really nice people who rock at sandwich making.) I had a buddy work the Vintage flight line and he had a great time.

So you're a AirVenture newbie. You will be astounded at how awesome it is and frustrated that you can't see it all. I know I'm ready for warm weather and airplanes and great people in beautiful Oshkosh, WI!
 
Just got my E-mail to teach Origami at the craft tent. Cushy job, but I'm the only one with the expertise to do it.

At SnF, that's labeled the "Women's Activities" tent.

Just saying. ;-)
 
Easy volunteer job surrounded by wimmin'. Steingar is wise. Beats Jack having to schlep cameras around all day.
 
I believe the "can't carry beer out of a serving area" is likely a state liquor law. Your campsite is the equivalent of your "home" as far as the revenooers are concerned.
 
Easy volunteer job surrounded by wimmin'. Steingar is wise. Beats Jack having to schlep cameras around all day.
Yeah, especially when you see my cameras! I get to hang out with some pretty good lookin' wimmin' too though!

I believe the "can't carry beer out of a serving area" is likely a state liquor law. Your campsite is the equivalent of your "home" as far as the revenooers are concerned.
Yeah, I think you're right. My campsite was very close to the end of the ultralight runway and I was hoping to sit back with a few beers and watch the night show. I ended up making a friend though, so no complaints from me. I will find a 12-pack of Spotted Cow to keep at the plane on ice this year though!
 
Hoping to make it,have been the last three years,I usually do OSH ,every other year.
 
The last time I went to Oshkosh, we flew into Austin Straubel in Green Bay and left the plane there. We stayed in Green Bay and drove back and forth each day. I have been looking at the "Cherokees to Oshkosh" website thinking that might be a fun way to go. I have camped by my plane at Sun-N-Fun and think it would be fun at Oshkosh too.
 
I've been camping "near" the plane all except my first year (I stayed in the dorms that year). First two years in the North 40 and the next 22 years in Vintage. You'll find my plane (hopefully) parked up against the trees behind the hangar cafe. I'll be one of the two dozen Cabela's Alaskan Guide dome tents in the woods there where the volunteers camp.
 
I never was a happy camper. I've flown into Oshkosh a half dozen times...parked the plane....and stayed nearby at the YMCA. They have a nice air conditioned facility that serves a modest breakfast, nice work out equipment, nice showers, pool, hot tub, and an indoor soccer field to pitch your tent and gear. I've met folks from all over the country each time I've gone. They are very hospitable there....;)
 
The last time I went to Oshkosh, we flew into Austin Straubel in Green Bay and left the plane there. We stayed in Green Bay and drove back and forth each day. I have been looking at the "Cherokees to Oshkosh" website thinking that might be a fun way to go. I have camped by my plane at Sun-N-Fun and think it would be fun at Oshkosh too.
You should, there a fun group. You just have to learn to do formation.
 
Planning to be there. No clue how just yet. Karen looks to have an immovable object in her schedule this year, and it’s killing her. She wants to come see all our friends at OSH. No fifth wheel so I won’t be camping in style this year, most likely. Might bring the airplane, might not. Just don’t know yet, but I had better figure it out. It’ll be here sooner than I think.
 
The Frau has given me the go ahead for a solo trip (she has no interest in spending a week transiting to/from OSH with multiple hot, sweaty days wandering around a flightline in between). I'd love to fly out, but I've made the decision that I will only make the trek if I have my IR finished by go time. I really want that extra tool in the pocket if the need arises while traveling such a distance. Time will tell!
 
Note that IFR arrivals during the NOTAM period require a reservation.
Yeah, i've seen that. I'm more thinking about the getting to/from the midwest from the east coast. I'd like to have the option to not be grounded by a low cloud layer that's only 500' thick ;)
 
The Frau has given me the go ahead for a solo trip (she has no interest in spending a week transiting to/from OSH with multiple hot, sweaty days wandering around a flightline in between). I'd love to fly out, but I've made the decision that I will only make the trek if I have my IR finished by go time. I really want that extra tool in the pocket if the need arises while traveling such a distance. Time will tell!
If you have some flexibility you'll probably be fine. I've been going to Oshkosh annually for years. The only year I didn't make it was because the field was flooded. And I've always been VFR.
 
I made one IMC arrival into Oshkosh, but I typically arrive before the NOTAM comes into effect. It has come in handy en route, I admit.
 
We hope to make my second OSH / her first OSH if all the schedules align. Bought all the proper gear to hang in HBC last year after rolling the dice with Wally World gear my first time (I survived), but family scheduling did us in.

@Lowflynjack, come by HBC pavilion first Sunday night, we have a BYO regional brew party, I'll bring extra which you can carry home (probably homebrew), no security for us!

@mcdewey, we should do our own POA meetup, I am often tinkering in hangar C8.
 
I’m planning on going and it sounds like I need to hang around Jack. Maybe he needs someone to carry all those cameras and keep the line of ‘wimmin’ organized.

Gary
 
I usually file for Green Bay, cancel IFR and do the Ripon thing.
That's the preferred way. I generally file for GYY and then go VFR from there. The one time I did that I was just past MKE and realized OSH was IFR.

27K: Milwaukee, looks like Oshkosh is IFR. Can I get a clearance from you?
MKE: *SIGH* (yes, he literally sighs over the air like "it's starting already") Are you rated and equipped?
27K: Affirmative.
MKE: Cleared direct Oshkosh, maintain 4000.
 
Note that IFR arrivals during the NOTAM period require a reservation.

I made one IMC arrival into Oshkosh, but I typically arrive before the NOTAM comes into effect. It has come in handy en route, I admit.

Enroute is nice.

I also used an IFR to get OUT of OSH one year. Field was forecast to be IMC in the morning and I hopped on the cellular iPad, made a reservation while eating dinner in the North 40, and was the first airplane taxiing the next morning. (Yes, even I was surprised the FAA website actually worked with a mobile browser. Ha ha.)

The poor volunteers were literally doing the clown car thing popping out of vehicles in front of us as we taxied. Heh.

Even more odd, literally as the takeoff clearance was issued the field officially went Low VFR. (Which means here come the scud running arrivals, at OSH... LOL!)

But it was nice to fly the NOTAM departure and then hear “radar contact” and on to Iowa... or wherever we stopped for fuel on the way back.

Ironically we didn’t technically need the clearance after all, but we’d have been in a long conga line of departures that were all behind us. We were literally the first airplane off of 27 that morning.

I’m not as good of an alarm clock as the warbirds for those snoozing soundly in their tents, but I tried. :)
 
@catmandu You're the first POA person I've heard of at W29. I'm often at B12, with the flying club plane. I'll be at the airport tomorrow, getting checked out in CSP's new C172 to start on my IR. I'll keep an eye out for you!
 
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