Another Year, Another Oshkosh AirVenture!

        Article by Barry Ward
        Pictures by Barry Ward and Brian Gilomen

 

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Christine & I had a fantastic day at Air Venture this year! Too bad it was for only one day, but it was a great day in all cases.

We started our trip at 5:10 AM (supposed to have been 5:00 AM). We headed to my hanger to pick up my camera by way of the nearest gas station to top off the tank. After two blocks I realized I forgot my hanger key.

We started our trip at 5:15 AM. (Damn It) After filling up the tank and grabbing the camera we were on the road by 5:30 AM. Traffic was already heavier than I would have guessed. The lanes were full but everyone was moving along nicely. We navigated I-55 to I-294 and began the trek North. Despite the extensive construction we were able to best the speed limit most of the way.

At 6:30 AM I called Tony Esposito, a lifelong friend of mine who resides in Fon du Lac. It is not the Tony Esposito you are thinking of. Oh, unless it’s the guy who could convince you to give him your last pair of long johns while standing buck naked in the middle of the Artic Circle. On top of it, you would be persuaded to give him 10 bucks to have the long johns properly laundered before he had to wear them. Yes, that Tony Esposito.

I let Tony know we were about 60 minutes out and asked him if he cared to join us for a quick breakfast. He gladly agreed suggesting a couple of places close to the highway, and finally deciding on one. We arrived on time and to our delight Tony arrived minutes later with Nancy, his wife. Seeing Nancy was an unexpected pleasure. Lucky for us, she had finished a teaching assignment the week before.

We were easily the most raucous group in the restaurant. We reminisced, told jokes and insulted each other like we always do when we get together. Somewhere along the line I made some disparaging remark about the wisdom of Wisconsinites. Tony made a few furtive glances over my shoulder at the people sitting in a booth behind us. I quickly finished my remarks with a comment about living in Missouri to insure there would be air in our tires when we went back outside. The ‘quick breakfast’ lasted nearly ninety minutes and was hardly half as long as it should have been.

Minutes away from our ultimate destination, I called Brian Gilomen to see if we could park in the (UL) Ultralight camping area instead of the less desirable general parking lots. Brian had just finished buying his daily bracelet at the Red Barn. He was on his way to the North end of the airport but agreed to come back to the UL field if we promised to hurry.

With Brian running interference we were able to gain access to the camping area while only being slightly accosted. Apparently, I had insulted the guard by driving blithely past him without so much as a Hidy Ho. In my defense I was expecting to see Nancy at the gate. When I drove in, the person who turned out to be in charge stared past me impassively. After I parked, the guard drove up in a huff asking me to explain myself. Brian quickly stepped in and smoothed things over. Thanks buddy.

Seconds after parking the car Christine & I scrambled out, assembled our meager kit and headed to the Red Barn to ‘get legal’. Brian had adopted a plan to take shuttles all the way to the North end and walk back to the UL field. He graciously delayed his departure so we could join him. With minimal delay . . . (I think it was longer than "minimal.  Aren't you leaving out the part about cussing-out the beleaguered volunteer?  Ed.) . . . we renewed our membership and affixed out bracelets. While walking to the road Brian explained there was a shortage of shuttles to the UL area. In fact the Powers That Be had decided to allot a scant two yellow school busses to accommodate all traffic South of the Vintage Hanger. Of course the bus is designed with only one narrow door, which only exacerbated the process of loading and unloading a full compliment of passengers.

We walked up to the remarkably well mannered line, waiting for the next bus. Bob Riddle was standing there about 15 places from the front of the line. We asked him how long he had been waiting. “Only about 10 minutes.” Bob replied calmly. Seeing the line stretch back another 30 people, we decided to walk the first leg. We boarded the shuttle at the next waypoint and were pulling away as Bob’s yellow bus disgorged it sweaty contents into the next line of waiting passengers.

From then on it was clear sailing. The shuttles quickly carted us to the North end of the Wittman Regional. Disembarking by the Warbirds we causally weaved our way South along Knapp Street. Though none of them were airworthy, the static display of military jets was remarkable. Over the years they had picked up their share of dents, corrosion and tire rot. Regardless, they were still an impressive lot of craftsmanship and inspiration. Realizing the speeds, altitudes and miles these aircraft had seen, filled me with respect (and envy) for those fortunate enough to have piloted them.

Southward to the homebuilt area; where it seems every talented craftsman has to build an RV. And man, are they pretty. I gawked for awhile until I realized both Brian and Christine had moved on. I scurried along our predicted route and arrived at the Terrafugia display. Brian was already inside scoping it out.
 

I have to admit I was disappointed. It is kind of like when you realize your dad was palming the quarter he pulled from behind your ear. It’s still a lot of fun, but you are no longer a believer. The Terrafugia is a clunky white monstrosity that is neither a plane nor a car. I am not sure which it looks least like. The dash/instrument panel is so high the windscreen is merely a nod to convention.

With all aircraft design it is a matter of trading compromises. In this case the results were dismal. You might have better results mating a bumble bee with a camel. The wings would be small, and you wouldn’t have to stop for fuel. (Tea induced humor, sorry)

We stopped by the pleasant young gentleman (David) selling the motorcycle pod for the RV-10. MotoPod LLC., very nice.

He has managed to combine a need for transportation at the destination field with a love of flying and riding motorcycles. All made in the USA, perfect. He expects to hurdle all of the FAA barriers for GA aircraft in short order.

Then we came to the ICON. A space age design for an amphibious aircraft. I don’t know about the rest of you but the first word that came to my mind was SEXY. Sadly I was only able to see the prototype, but wow!

Sleek, immaculately finished fuselage with folding wings. Wide body cockpit with an interior modeled after modern automotive designs.
 

The cockpit flows seamlessly back to the pusher motor and an elegant T tail. Did I mention LSA. I am sure there are drawbacks, like useful loads and sticker price, but this thing is inspiring. Some of our group was able to observe the ICON in action at the Seaplane base. I am anxious to hear more about it.

We worked our way to the new location (West of hanger D) for the Fly Market. New location, same old stuff. If you need wire brushes, drill bits, T-shirts or cookware you’ve come to the right place. Cookware, now that makes sense. Believe it or not there were two different cookware vendors there. I am happy to say I only saw one person sitting in one of the vendor’s booths. I am sure he didn’t feel silly at all. He sat there attentively waiting for his free lunch, which was only going to cost him $600.00.

As we were finishing up in the Fly Market Jim Wolak called and asked where we were. He joined us minutes later and we strolled to lunch at the big concession area North of hanger A. All of the lines were backed up pretty far. I choose to stand in the first line, which turned out to be a mistake. This line was longer the most and apparently any of the twelve lines could serve you any of the six menu items. After awhile I felt like I was at the Illinois DMV waiting to renew my license.

Eventually I was rewarded with a pre-made, luke-warm, bratwurst served on a tiny bun that barely covered the bottom half of the sausage. I added a spoon full of sauerkraut and realized I could no longer pretend to wrap the bun around the brat. Christine had left the line earlier to secure some seating, and it was a good thing she did. The place was packed. I ate my bratwurst and fries thankfully and washed it down with a bottle of frozen water I had packed for the trip. Brian found the counter girl had inadvertently placed an extra hotdog under his fries. He quietly split it with Jim and pondered the reason for his newfound fortune. Since Christine and I did not find any hidden treats we were forced to finish lunch with some ice cream.

After lunch we headed to Aeroshell Square. Christine wanted to stop in the EAA Welcome Center to get a “Women Soar” T-shirt they were giving away to female pilots. She wanted to make sure she got one that fit. Last year she could only get a large size. She found a medium and was very happy. Christine also was directed to a large 3’ * 5’ poster of the picture that was taken of some of the women pilots at AirVenture 2008. Touted as “What could easily be the largest gathering of women pilots in history“. An estimated 500 women pilots participated in the inaugural "WomenVenture 2008". A large group of them were photographed wearing their new pink tee shirts. Christine found herself on the poster and signed her name as a hundred or so other women had done. Then she proudly dragged me over and showed me her smiling face about 10 rows back. It was apparent her participation in the 2008 photo was as important to her as it was to the EAA. This year the EAA beat the old record and the gathering consisted of 550 female pilots.

In the meanwhile, Brian took advantage of the internet terminals provided to pilots. He checked conditions and started to consider just how early he would have to leave to beat the bad weather predicted for tomorrow. Jim decided to mull over the weather by smoking one of his famous cigars. He wandered off to his electric cart as the rest of us proceeded to Aeroshell Square.

As we moved toward the center of the square Brian realized the White Knight II (WKII ) was already gone...

(WKII the day before)
 

. . .and the Airbus was being towed toward 18-36.

He let out a disappointed groan which was immediately followed by a gleeful “There it is!” WKII was whipping Southward down the runway and rotated just soon enough to be at balcony height as it passed the VIP viewing area. Then it climbed skyward and performed a number of orbits around Wittman Regional. I stood there with my eyes popping out of my head and a big smile on my face. Amazing! I did not even think of taking a picture until I noticed Brian busily clicking away.

It sure is impressive what a group of like minded, privately funded, businessmen can do. Only a few years from conception to completion of an amazing, technologically sophisticated piece of aviation engineering. WKII looks like two giant aircraft glued together at the wing tips. I know we have all seen twin fuselage aircraft, but those aircraft are usually connected at the wingtips and empennage. This is normally accomplished by extending the horizontal stabilizer across the gap between tail sections. There is no such connection on the WKII. Imagine the twisting forces that must be applied to that single connection point. On top of it the WKII is designed to carry a payload up to 17,000kg (37,478 lbs) strapped directly to the interconnecting wing. I sure am glad I was there to see this historic design in flight.

Before we could catch our breath the WKII landed to the North and, only then, I noticed the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) on the Airbus A380 had been fired up. Amidst the din of the turbine and the stench of the kerosene exhaust, the ground crew started easing the behemoth towards the runway. Slowly the A380 was pulled onto the runway and turned to the North. Brian made a clever remark about a “midfield departure” and we laughed realizing how much runway this monster was going to need. Then the A380 started moving backward toward the Southern threshold of 18-36.

Towing the A380 backward for over a mile took awhile. We filled the time jawing with the pilot of the 172 whose wing we had taken refuge under, for the shade it provided. The officer was a representative of the Air Force Cadet program. Much to our surprise this was the first year they were attending Oshkosh. It seems the Air Force finally realized it might just work to their advantage to have a recruiting presence at the largest air show in the world. Hmm, go figure. We spent several minutes conversing about how the Air Force still uses the 172 as a trainer and is very happy with it. They are now just starting to use a Diamond DA40, which the officer pointed out around the corner. “It still has the ‘New Car’ smell”, he remarked with a friendly grin. This pilot was a regular guy we could all share a beer with.

The Airbus A380 lifted into the air with considerably less noise and fury than one would have thought necessary for such a Herculean task.

Rising slowly to the North and then turning East. The A380 began its’ prerequisite display like a giant peacock masterfully courting a mate. Slowly, perhaps too slowly, the A380 drifted South, then West and North again.

Center field the A380 performed a series of impressively tight turns and headed back to the South. As the A380 headed North again the pilot lifted the nose and demonstrated his ‘slow flight’ technique.
 

When a large aircraft is in flight it, is often remarked how slow it appears to be flying. This misperception results from our inability to immediately gauge the size and distance of the aircraft. We think the aircraft must be smaller that it is and closer too. With the A380 in slow flight it looked more like a dirigible than and airplane. Then the pilot actually performed several shallow turn in this configuration. He turned East, then North and back to the West. As the Airbus began the turn West it was obvious the aircraft started to sink rapidly. The pilot was flying right on the edge of the A380s’ performance envelope. I noticed the nose drop a little as he powered up to arrest the sink rate. The A380 completed a 360 turn and headed off to Milwaukee leaving behind thousands of awestruck admirers.

The three of us made our way back to the sanctuary of the big tent. The huge canvas of red and white strips was welcome shelter from the afternoon sun. Oh, did I mention the LIIT (Long Island Iced Tea)? Yummy J (LIIT might be an appropriate acronym). Mick and Jude Pahnke were kind enough to volunteer their bartending alchemy for this year’s brew of LIIT. One small cup of this potent potion is all you need to plaster a smile on your face. I plastered on a smile, as did several others in order to wash away the fatigue of our long trek and work up an appetite for dinner. Thank you Mick & Jude.

It was then Larry Gehrig stopped by and informed us he had successfully sold Brad Wolf’s GT400. I am sure Brad has mixed feelings about that. I still remember lusting after it from the first moment I saw it. Cool, Sleek, Black Freedom for under $10,000. It is a very nice aircraft and I am sure Brad will miss flying it. We offered to plaster a smile on Larry but he was still manning the Quicksilver booth and had to maintain a professional decorum.

After a full day of exploring and making needed purchases, Vance Lorenzana talked a large group of us into having dinner at the Seaplane Base. We gathered under the large tent and then piled into Vance’s “Party Van”. I say we piled in, and that is the truth. Vance had removed all but three seats from the van. Mick called shotgun seconds before anyone else. He obviously had seen the lack of seating. Seated we had Vance, Mick and Bob Beckstrom. Piled in we had Tim Lorenzana, Tim’s Friend Jeff Anderson, Ted Tvrdik, Jude, Jim, Brian, Christine and myself. Only slightly crowded by high school standards.

Vance artfully wove the van toward the Seaplane Base. He already knew the way because he was there earlier to purchase tickets. Vance pulled into the parking area and stopped under the shade of the wooded area, South of the Seaplane Base. We poured out of the van with only a few more bruises than when we started. A short walk thru the woods, past the poison ivy warnings and we were there.

The woods emptied out onto a sheltered inlet of Lake Winnebago several miles South of Wittman Regional. The secluded shoreline was strewn with picnic tables. We quickly assessed the situation and filed into line for our fish fry dinner.
 

We were served buffet style by a group of cheerful volunteers who deftly serviced the surging line of diners.

The dinner was perhaps a bit pricey, but the fish was good and the portions were generous. There were a number of beautiful float planes at the Seaplane Base that we mused over as we sat eating our meals.

It seems putting floats under a Cub is a very popular idea. There was a small fleet of them lined up along the inlet. Bob mentioned he was going to Sun-n-Fun next year to get his rating for just that reason. There was a beautiful DeHavilland sitting there among other interesting aircraft. I sat there quietly (quietly for me) realizing what a great day I was having.

We finished our dinners, went back for a small cup of ice cream. Just right, not too much and not too much. By then the temps had dropped a little and a few mosquitoes made their presence known. Vance announced it was time to leave and I screamed “Shotgun!” and sprinted ahead of the group to insure compliance with my official declaration. As I approached the van I offered Mick the front seat in deference to his advanced years and general condition. He declined my insincere offer and smartly stepped into the back of the van. By the time everyone was safely inside I realized some fool had piled all of the folding chairs into the passenger’s front seat. The situation was soon rectified although Mick was chuckling the entire time.

The trip back was uneventful. As soon as we parked everyone was grabbing a folding chair and dragging it to the official FVFC flight line. We strung ourselves out behind Ted’s Phantom and sat down to enjoy one of the many pleasures Oshkosh has to offer.
 

The nightly parade of light planes, trikes, powered parachutes and backpack powered parachutes entertained us. With the sun waning behind us we sat facing East along the UL field. It seems almost everyone was there to witness the show.
 

I sat there among friends, a pleasant breeze and beverage of choice, a few cigars, conversation and entertainment. A perfect end to a perfect day.

This Friday the weather in Oshkosh was very pleasant with modest temps, survivable humidity and NO RAIN!!!! Even the mosquitoes cooperated, for the most part. The crowds were sparser than I remember, even with the White Knight II and the Airbus as attractions. The venders’ participation in the Ultralight area was close to non-existent. A shame to be sure, but not unexpected. A lot has happened to the market in the last two years. Between the economy and the inception of LSA, it might be more to the point to say “not much has happened in the Ultralight market for the last two years.” There have been rumors the EAA is thinking about moving the UL field in the future. I don’t take much stock in rumors, but with the Ultralight business evaporating it seems some changes are inevitable.

Another beautiful day of flying and I never left the ground. I can’t wait for AirVenture 2010.

Barry Ward

(To think I started this article as a quick email about the A380’s hard landing at Oshkosh!)