Spectating Landings at OSH

455 Bravo Uniform

455 Bravo Uniform

Final Approach
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455 Bravo Uniform
Where’s the best spot to set up a chair?

Also trying to figure out how early to arrive (driving) on Sunday for the bulk of this spectator sport.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Where’s the best spot to set up a chair?

Also trying to figure out how early to arrive (driving) on Sunday for the bulk of this spectator sport.
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Personally I like the northeast corner down past warbirds and north 40 watching the westbound arrivals, but anywhere along a flight line is fine.

We call it “sitting on the beach”.

A handheld radio (with the transmitter locked out, please!) makes it more entertaining. Can also use LiveATCs life streams but there’s a little delay there.
 
I liked being midway on 36. You can see the planes landing on different spots and on the taxiway. Also, the type groups use that runway.
 
Pick a crosswond runway. Lots of poor airmanship on display. Also, you might get to run for your life from a ground looping aircraft, like I did alongside 27 last year.
 
kyleb said:
Pick a crosswond runway. Lots of poor airmanship on display. Also, you might get to run for your life from a ground looping aircraft, like I did alongside 27 last year.
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That must have been an impressive ground loop or you were inside the normal flight line doing your volunteer thing! You’re really not THAT close to 27 behind the ropes.

I have some great but sad photos of a Taylorcraft prop strike from along in there from a few years ago. Dude was told to hit the early dot after being set up originally for the far dot and he forced it on to the runway. He paid for it. Dearly. Sad. There was plenty of room for him to dissipate energy and land normally since nobody was in front of him. He just got fixated on the instruction to change dots and then was along for the ride.

You can definitely tell who’s good at energy management and who’s not when watching over at 27. After a while you can predict who’s going to be a near yard sale just by seeing their speed and altitude along with their type (draggy or not) on final.

I always get a kick out of those who have their energy nailed and are flying at three feet all the way down to the far dot with the paranoid controller saying “keep it flying, keep it flying, keep it flying, okay... good job!” as they chop the throttle and center punch their far dot landing. :)
 
kyleb said:
Pick a crosswond runway. Lots of poor airmanship on display. Also, you might get to run for your life from a ground looping aircraft, like I did alongside 27 last year.
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LOL
 
So am I hearing this correctly?

I can land there on Sunday, tie my plane down, drag my cooler and chair over to the side of the runway and watch people try to do spot Landings while I drink cold beer?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
So am I hearing this correctly?

I can land there on Sunday, tie my plane down, drag my cooler and chair over to the side of the runway and watch people try to do spot Landings while I drink cold beer?
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Yes. You have to stay just at the end of your row in North 40, there’s still a “flightline” of sorts there, but it’s a great show.

There isn’t any better alarm clock in the world than a flight of P-51s departing at airport opening for a morning light photo shoot, a few hundred yards away from your tent. None.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
So am I hearing this correctly?

I can land there on Sunday, tie my plane down, drag my cooler and chair over to the side of the runway and watch people try to do spot Landings while I drink cold beer?
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Bryan, when are you getting there? I’m trying to figure out when to arrive, but don’t know a soul there. Driving and camping at Scholler. Might just pic a random spot by myself but would be cool to share some laughs and oohs & ahhs w some others.
 
denverpilot said:
There isn’t any better alarm clock in the world than a flight of P-51s departing at airport opening for a morning light photo shoot, a few hundred yards away from your tent. None.
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OR the B-1 at 7am this coming Monday!
 
baboss said:
OR the B-1 at 7am this coming Monday!
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WHAT DID YOU SAY?
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Get some of those biiiiig numbered card things to hold up!
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Bryan, when are you getting there? I’m trying to figure out when to arrive, but don’t know a soul there. Driving and camping at Scholler. Might just pic a random spot by myself but would be cool to share some laughs and oohs & ahhs w some others.
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I predict Sunday morning around 10 AM
 
denverpilot said:
That must have been an impressive ground loop or you were inside the normal flight line doing your volunteer thing! You’re really not THAT close to 27 behind the ropes.
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It was the big 'ol DNR Fairchild from ~1930. They park it in the Federal Building. Black fuselage, yellow wings, radial engine.

It came in for a normal looking landing in a very modest crosswind, then snapped into a 450 degree groundloop (no damage). When it was in the first 90 degrees, it was headed right towards me. I did the 5 yard "Jump out of the chair and make like Jesse Owens" sprint while things were in that "There's a chance that thing has my name on it" ohno second.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Of course if I crapped the bed on my own Landing I may just hide out in my tent until it's time to go home though
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Just drag your lawn chair, beer cooler and handheld radio over to the runway end of one of the Bonanzas 2 Oshkosh rows. Nobody will know any better. ;)

There's two ways to make sure you have cold beer on landing at OSH. 1) Allocate part of your payload capacity to ice in the cooler. 2) Buy a P-51, load the beer in the ammunition wing lockers and fly very high on the way to OSH.

SixPapaCharlie said:
So am I hearing this correctly?

I can land there on Sunday, tie my plane down, drag my cooler and chair over to the side of the runway and watch people try to do spot Landings while I drink cold beer?
Click to expand...

Yes. Watching arrivals on 27 from a lawn chair during the Sunday zoo, beer in hand, listening to the controllers on the handheld is one of the top highlights of Oshkosh imo. Some of the experienced controllers are stand up comedians in their off hours I swear. :thumbsup:

Enjoy!
 
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denverpilot said:
...There isn’t any better alarm clock in the world than a flight of P-51s departing at airport opening for a morning light photo shoot, a few hundred yards away from your tent. None.
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And there's nothing more annoying than YAP* T-6s, prop tips supersonic, doing the same thing. :p



* yet another pair
 
Cykoguy said:
It's Oshkosh. If it makes a lot of noise there is not a chance in hell that any self respecting pilot is not going to prove how much noise it can make.
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And there's no controller at OSH that's going to deny permission to do so. :cool:
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Bryan, when are you getting there? I’m trying to figure out when to arrive, but don’t know a soul there. Driving and camping at Scholler. Might just pic a random spot by myself but would be cool to share some laughs and oohs & ahhs w some others.
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The aircraft camping rows in the North 40 are numbered. Bryan, or anyone else there can text you which row they are parked in, or have the beer stashed at on the runway end.

Enjoy!
 
GRG55 said:
The aircraft camping rows in the North 40 are numbered. Bryan, or anyone else there can text you which row they are parked in, or have the beer stashed at on the runway end.

Enjoy!
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Awesome, thanks. Looking most forward to watching all the landings and also warbirds taxiing to parking (love the powerful idling sounds).
 
kyleb said:
It was the big 'ol DNR Fairchild from ~1930. They park it in the Federal Building. Black fuselage, yellow wings, radial engine.

It came in for a normal looking landing in a very modest crosswind, then snapped into a 450 degree groundloop (no damage). When it was in the first 90 degrees, it was headed right towards me. I did the 5 yard "Jump out of the chair and make like Jesse Owens" sprint while things were in that "There's a chance that thing has my name on it" ohno second.
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That particular landing is immortalized on Youtube, just watched it the other day, looked great up until it didn’t!
 
SOB8604 said:
That particular landing is immortalized on Youtube, just watched it the other day, looked great up until it didn’t!
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Yup. I heard a lot of people tell me it almost went into the crowd... not even close! Lands at about 15 minutes into the video.
 
The worst landings were all in tail draggers. They must attract the lesser pilots :D
 
Speaking of spectating at OSH....I have the full-length "Fantastic Friday" MP3 (audio from OSH ATC, 7PM Friday, August 2nd, 1974). It's 16.8 MB of completely amazing MP3. I can't figure out how to get the site to let me load it...probably operator malfunction, of course.

Reading about everybody getting ready to watch arrivals took me back. I was as close as one was allowed to the18/38 / 9/27 intersection with a receive-only hand-held when the tape was made (not by me). It's an amazing thing to listen to.

Moderators...can you help? Thanks!

JIm
 
FlyingTiger said:
The worst landings were all in tail draggers. They must attract the lesser pilots :D
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All the smart ones put theirs on floats. And land on the lake.;) :D
 
Jim Rosenow said:
Speaking of spectating at OSH....I have the full-length "Fantastic Friday" MP3 (audio from OSH ATC, 7PM Friday, August 2nd, 1974). It's 16.8 MB of completely amazing MP3. I can't figure out how to get the site to let me load it...probably operator malfunction, of course.

Reading about everybody getting ready to watch arrivals took me back. I was as close as one was allowed to the18/38 / 9/27 intersection with a receive-only hand-held when the tape was made (not by me). It's an amazing thing to listen to.

Moderators...can you help? Thanks!

JIm
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I have a copy of that as well. It’s insanity.
 
NIce ground loop at 15:00. Looks like his tailwheel isn't locked.
 
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