Oshkosh 2026

The guy who got two IFR slots to get in complaining about IFR arrivals when he’s trying to leave. :D

We saw the B-52 circle overhead before they came in. Fortunately, we were able to depart before it came in because they were talking about the field being closed for at least a half hour so it could land, which seems like overkill to me.
 
Dave Theisen said:
The guy who got two IFR slots to get in complaining about IFR arrivals when he’s trying to leave. :D

We saw the B-52 circle overhead before they came in. Fortunately, we were able to depart before it came in because they were talking about the field being closed for at least a half hour so it could land, which seems like overkill to me.
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I hear you. In my defense I've never come in IFR during a heavy departure period, and when I do it on heavy arrival days, they slip me right in between the VFR arrivals.

I think the B52 might've been part of the issue for us. I didn't see anyone coming off 36, and there were planes coming from the south merging in with us. I didn't think the B52 could land during the show because they have to remove some runway lights...maybe that's the reason they had to close it. If so, that seems like pretty poor planning...It's not like they don't know everybody leaves on Thursday.
 
Just giving you some crap. Mostly since I couldn’t get an IFR slot when I needed one. :)
 
Dave Theisen said:
Just giving you some crap. Mostly since I couldn’t get an IFR slot when I needed one. :)
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Oh believe me, I was thinking the same thing as I was sitting there watching those landing lights come in over the lake...karma :biggrin:
 
Jim K said:
The issue that I saw was the groups of warbirds that felt the need to go fly Thursday morning. Of course, they don't have to wait in line with us poors. Right to the front. Oh, and that formation is ready to come back in? Well stop departures and make way. The other big holdup was IFR traffic. Several bizjets came & went which was a major disruption tying up the runway for several minutes each. Of the 55min I spent in line, I'd guess only 10 of that was actually launching GA spam cans.
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Agree that Thursday morning opps need more tweaking. Pausing arrivals until 8am was a great idea. But … The trimotor really doesn’t need to fly. Warbirds can stay in their nest.
 
Initial Fix said:
Agree that Thursday morning opps need more tweaking. Pausing arrivals until 8am was a great idea. But … The trimotor really doesn’t need to fly. Warbirds can stay in their nest.
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There are a number of takeaways from last weekend and this week.

- Protect the arrivals and departures. For instance, set aside a window every day for military arrivals and departures. Preferably sometime between 3:00 and 6:00. Prohibit "out and return joy rides" until afternoon on Thursday. Don't make up a 2 mile in trail arrival process and spring it on the arriving aircraft.

- Reopen the Friar Tucks gate. It was apparently padlocked late in the week. That's where all the campers exit for groceries and off-field food. Might require an extra guard, but camping creds should be the only necessary access documentation.

- If there is a way to punish bad actors in the arrival stream, make it so.

- Speaking of the arrival stream, they need to clarify the point that the only time you pass other aircraft is if you're behind a much slower aircraft (say a Cub) and there is a big gap in front of the Cub. The point is, playing follow the leader is the primary guideline in the arrival stream. Passing similar aircraft to cut in front is capital offense. I'm still PO'd over what I experienced on Friday.

- Get the long promised "low and slow" grass field up and running to get the Cubs, Champs, and biplanes out of the 90 knot stream.
 
Jim K said:
The issue that I saw was the groups of warbirds that felt the need to go fly Thursday morning. Of course, they don't have to wait in line with us poors. Right to the front. Oh, and that formation is ready to come back in? Well stop departures and make way.
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Yeah, I saw that with the warbirds on Thursday morning and it sort of bothered me, and I’m a warbird guy. They should know that Thursday morning is “shift change” and traffic is nuts both in and outbound… yet they go out to have their fun and clog **** up. Are they selfish or just oblivious? Dunno, but they could do better scheduling their formation flights.
 
ytodd said:
That is my buddy Wes and his son Hank in that Baron! Was nice seeing you at OSH Jim!
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Haha that's awesome! The kids were having a ball seeing how many people they could get to wave back, and it was close to 100%, with lots of smiles. It was one of those cool only at OSH moments. Nice seeing you too!
 
Jim K said:
The kids were having a ball seeing how many people they could get to wave back, and it was close to 100%, with lots of smiles. It was one of those cool only at OSH moments.
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I saw you and the family and returned the wave as I was taxing for departure Thursday morning! I wished I had a horn in the Skyhawk.

I was sitting in line pretty much at the departure end of rwy 36 watching the smoking Buff coming down final right towards me. Glad the drag chute worked.
 
So other than knocking a 6” hole in one of my rear windows while loading for our departure on Friday morning that will be a PITA to fix , we had a great Osh. That said we’re in decompression mode weaning ourselves off Osh.
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So, what’s happening now?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
tsts4 said:
So other than knocking a 6” hole in one of my rear windows while loading for our departure on Friday morning that will be a PITA to fix , we had a great Osh.
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Yikes! Nice repair to get home though. Goes well with this thread:

Ed Haywood

Thread 'Travel Tool Bag contents'

Recent loss of my hangar led me to reconfigure my tools for mobile packout. That in turn has led me to set up a bag of tools left at the aircraft, to be used for XC trips. Contents so far:

Pliers, needlenose, dikes, screwdrivers
Combination wrench set
Adjustable wrench
1/4" ratchet and socket set
3/8" ratchet and selected sockets*
Safety wire
Duct tape
Zip ties
Steel bristle brush
WD-40 and tube of synthetic grease
Wire stripper/crimper, few feet of wire, butt splices and ring terminals
Jack adapter

To balance bulk and weight against utility, I limited larger sockets to those I...
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tsts4 said:
Dunno, but 2 layers of crappy duck brand duct tape is good up to 200mph.
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I think the original mil-spec tape is where the 100mph name came from. I have a double-wide OD green roll that I picked up at some point in my military career. Adhesive is so strong that it takes pliers to get it started peeling off the roll. Unfortunately it is 30+ years old and starting to deteriorate.

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Harbor Freight metal foil tape is also good for get-home repairs.
 
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Oy...I keep hearing the stories.

Next year in Oshkosh..
 
tsts4 said:
Dunno, but 2 layers of crappy duck brand duct tape is good up to 200mph.
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kyleb said:
And a cardboard stiffener made from a New Glarus box...
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oh sorry, I thought it was 4 layers..horizontal + vertical x 2 sides
and I missed the cardboard. Surely that adds a factor of safety!

Anyway, that stinks about the damage but glad you were able to find a get-home solution!
 
Brad W said:
So do 4 layers of "100-mile-per-hour tape" make it good for up to 400 MPH?
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We always called it "100 knot tape". We used it in various places on our Hueys that cruised at around 120 knots. I've seen it on commercial airliners. So it must be good for more than that.

The other day, I was helping with a "heavy wing syndrome" on an EAB, after an adjustment to the trailing edge of one aileron, we had to remove the temporary rudder trim wedge that was applied with "100 knot tape". Those plastic razor blade from Amazon work even better than the old homemade plexiglass chisels we used back in the day.
 
Left today / Sunday morning. The son and son in law are more in awe than my 5 year old grandson.
 
jbDC9 said:
Yeah, I saw that with the warbirds on Thursday morning and it sort of bothered me, and I’m a warbird guy. They should know that Thursday morning is “shift change” and traffic is nuts both in and outbound… yet they go out to have their fun and clog **** up. Are they selfish or just oblivious? Dunno, but they could do better scheduling their formation flights.
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I don't think it's that cut and dry. Those are often photo missions that are a pretty big deal, and as a photographer, lighting and conditions are a major thing.
 
RyanShort1 said:
I don't think it's that cut and dry. Those are often photo missions that are a pretty big deal, and as a photographer, lighting and conditions are a major thing.
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True, I get that, but during the Thursday morning shift change... ouch. I'm actually glad we parked at Fond du Lac this year; getting in Sunday and out on Thursday was a breeze! No combat flying over Ripon, no waiting in line to depart... nice.
 
Yeah. I was in the Thursday conga line to get in.

I don't mind waiting for the C5 of for the B52. What I couldn't manage are the "cut ins" in the hold. I can fly 90 kts and hold it @ 1800, but when some guy who dusted off his skyhawk cuts in front, I cannot wallow at 85 to make space for him.

FAA did NOT want another on at 2300 at 130 kts- and htat's where some years ago I got descend upon by a Baron who was flying GPS direct, descending to FISK.

Finally got in at about 12:15- @ KFLD. Not enough time to get in and get out so I went home. It really sucked. I'm not coming back again.
 
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Come back on a non Thursday. I think of Thursday as a good day to leave.
 
NO. I've no desire to die. And sadly some EAAers are just not considerate airmen. There are just enough of them to ruin the pot for everyone. Multiple calls on the freq by pilots saying "hey buddy you're cuttin in front of me, and the patient woman in the pickup telling everyone to not have air rage, check your fuel, etc.

So when I got cutoff after a two hour and 40 minute effort, I simply said (@Greenlake), "Seneca is for Fondulac" and told to exit that line and go to 120.4, "FLD tower".

Interestingly ADSB allowed me to see that most of us were forming in the line extended out from the Grnlk-Ripon Fisk line and to join it in an orderly manner from the rear. But too many EAAers were having none of that and would just fly into the middle of the line.

EAA will eventually have to fix the approach. "Everybody through one pinhole" is not going to work if there is no pilot discipline.
 
My brother and I left AirVenture Thursday morning super early to fly commercially out of Appleton. We both had a great time and I got my pic taken with Juan Browne from blancolirio and Xyla Foxlin. The Wednesday night fireworks finale was one of the best if not the best fireworks show I ever seen!

Some pics from the show.
 

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bbchien said:
NO. I've no desire to die. And sadly some EAAers are just not considerate airmen. There are just enough of them to ruin the pot for everyone. Multiple calls on the freq by pilots saying "hey buddy you're cuttin in front of me, and the patient woman in the pickup telling everyone to not have air rage, check your fuel, etc.

So when I got cutoff after a two hour and 40 minute effort, I simply said (@Greenlake), "Seneca is for Fondulac" and told to exit that line and go to 120.4, "FLD tower".

Interestingly ADSB allowed me to see that most of us were forming in the line extended out from the Grnlk-Ripon Fisk line and to join it in an orderly manner from the rear. But too many EAAers were having none of that and would just fly into the middle of the line.

EAA will eventually have to fix the approach. "Everybody through one pinhole" is not going to work if there is no pilot discipline.
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This is why I stopped flying the VFR arrival years ago. If they ever change the NOTAM to prohibit IFR arrvials when the weather is VMC, I'll be done flying in. l'll probably still attend either by flying up commercial or driving in.
 
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jbDC9 said:
True, I get that, but during the Thursday morning shift change... ouch. I'm actually glad we parked at Fond du Lac this year; getting in Sunday and out on Thursday was a breeze! No combat flying over Ripon, no waiting in line to depart... nice.
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Did you take the shuttle up? How was it getting back and forth?
 
Lowflynjack said:
Nice pics... I was out there with you and I think I just now realized you're that Ron! I was hot and tired and wanted to get back to the shade!
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That's amazing. I saw you out there. Jennifer (who runs the VIR) said the EAA sent a photog down, but I'd been shooting it for her for years so she just had me double up.
 
Wonder if it would make sense to run two approaches? Slow on 09-27 and Fast on 18-26. Publish a stall speed cutoff.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Wonder if it would make sense to run two approaches? Slow on 09-27 and Fast on 18-26. Publish a stall speed cutoff.
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I don't think so - the vast majority of traffic volume doesn't need the fast approach so funneling all the 90-knot capable crowd to one runway would create a new problem. An alternate solution would be to add the fast traffic (and by that I mean any aircraft, not the pilot, that is not capable of safely flying at 90 KTS) to the Turbine/Warbird/IFR arrival. Not ideal either but I think way more executable.
 
Maybe a time slot for the can't-maintain-90-kts crowd? Oh wait... there is a recommended arrival time slot for slow-movers... I still got stuck behind a high-wing who couldn't (wouldn't??) maintain 90 kts. Ended up working out ok because we had a nice gap between us when I joined the line (there was about a four mile gap somehow on Monday late morning). I did end up closing on the slowpoke just after Ripon. But he helped me out by flying about 1/2 mile west of the tracks for some reason, so even if I overtook him, he was off the arrival anyway. ATC even mentioned over freq that anyone not directly over the tracks was going to get kicked out... ended up sending the slow high-wing up the tracks for 27 and I got the E/W road so it ended up being no big deal. But yeah, maybe the slower airplanes stick to the recommended early time slot to try the arrival?
 
Deelee said:
I still got stuck behind a high-wing who couldn't (wouldn't??) maintain 90 kts. \
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I wonder how many have indicators calibrated in MPH and are doing 90.

I have lived reasonably close to OSH for 20 years, and always wanted to experience it. I know I would have no trouble flying the arrival and landing, but don't want to fight the other yahoos that can't. I also don't want to deal with the traffic and parking to drive in. My tolerance of large crowds has shrank enough I'm not sure I'll ever make the trek. Should have done it when I was younger.

I have landed at OSH a few times...in January.
 
I know there has been some terrible weather today in Wisconsin. Did OSH get hit or take any damage?
 
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