What's your KOSH highlight

[DanH]

I finally met Bob Mills!

Ken Krueger too.

Jerry said I had ugly feet. That happens when the HBC grass is too good to not go barefoot.

No less than three different guys told me I was from another planet. Little do they know....

The new Goodyear airship is quiet enough to startle a fella when it appears directly overhead, from behind.

Missed the RV-8 gathering. Later Cousin Kevin told me that being AWOL meant I also missed a big bird cockpit tour (negative highlight).

My buddy Carol gave me a shirt with my name on it. Now I won't be confused the morning after the Social.

Gas for $4.04, and a free hotdog. Not at OSH of course...inbound.

Several controllers on frequency at the same time, up an octave or two, saying "Everybody go around!!!".

Nailed a crosswind arrival behind a couple of 701's doing a slow flight demo on final.

The weather....all week.

Tanya saved me a cookie.

Six cases of Spotted Cow on a truck back to Alabama.

It was a good week. Thank you all.

[NYTOM]

Originally Posted by DaAV8R

As strange as it may sound the highlight of my trip was seeing Jerry's One Man Band was still right there on the corner.

I forgot about Jerry. He had a sign a while back saying it was his last time there. I think maybe last year or even two years ago. As I walked past his empty spot I started thinking about him and wondered where he might be today. Been going to "Osh" for over twenty five years and he has always been a staple of the show.
It's was extremely refreshing on the second day when I passed again and there was old Jerry making his music with all his specialty equipment. Must admit it brought a big smile to my face.

[sprucemoose]

Re: Jerry's One Man Band. Jerry's first year was 1986, which was also my first year. I assumed that he had been there forever, until I asked him about it a few years ago. Turns out he also used to play with my wife's uncle back in the day, small world.

Seeing Jerry is always a highlight.

[sbalmos]

Meeting up with those at the Beer Fairy social was absolutely cool. Running into others I never expected to meet was even cooler (Bruce, I'm looking at you. ).

By far, though, were my two days volunteering at Give Flight. Seeing the high school and college kids have their turn at riveting was fun (especially when the guys get their girlfriends in on the act as a dare). But the real little kids, seeing them light up after squeezing the pneumatic puller handle while I'm helping hold it. They may have been scared a bit of the gun. But seeing their faces when they point at their rivet afterwards and sign it. "That's MY rivet!" I asked a few of them if they played with Legos with their friends. I told them I do too, and pointed back at the table where the other volunteers were building the other wings. I asked them which do they like more now, Legos or building a real plane that will really fly. You can guess the answer.

Oh, and shaming the parents into pulling a rivet also, then they light up too with this look of shock ("It's that easy?" "Sure, if you can forget you're doing it a couple thousand times...").

The second biggest question I always got, other than "Where's the at sign?" on the photo-taking iPad, were a variation on "so this is a demo wing / this is really going to fly on a real airplane?" "Yup", and point back to where the RV-12 wing set was going to Connecticut to be finished.

(And darnit Tom, I didn't realize you were up there also, like so many others I would've loved to meet had I known!)

[von_flyer]

Originally Posted by sprucemoose

Re: Jerry's One Man Band. Jerry's first year was 1986, which was also my first year. I assumed that he had been there forever, until I asked him about it a few years ago. Turns out he also used to play with my wife's uncle back in the day, small world.

Seeing Jerry is always a highlight.

I asked Jerry to sign my logbook last year. Was able to exchange friendly waves this year. Just a staple of OSHKOSH. Always a highlight to see him back.

[Mark Dickens]

Although I wasn't able to make the social, I did get there on Friday around noon. Got a great camping spot in GAC (60 secs from the bathroom, grocery and Major Goolsbys), my $34.00 tent and $5.00 sling chair got it all done. But the best highlight was watching the F22, P51 and P38 fly together. Very cool! I mean, where else are you going to see that? Only at OSH!

Next year, we're getting there earlier in the week!

[Capflyer]

One of the benefits of our North 40 group campsite is it is right on the taxiway between Kermit Weeks hangar and the fire house on the North side of 9/27. Every performer passes within feet of our pirate flagged site and all get a wave by. I'm not sure if the F35 made an appearance during the week and it was one of the things I was looking forward to seeing. Then, Friday night under cover of darkenss at 10:30 a slow moving shadow came rolling down the taxiway from the East. As it got closer the folks in our group pointed out what they thought was an F22 being towed. But as it passed within 20 feet of us it was obviously an F35! We guessed it was being towed to the Weeks hangar since that is where all the performers planes are kept. My buddy and I walked over a few minutes later and they backed it into the hangar there right in front of us. No care in the world we were there. We went and took a shower then back at the site around 11:15 a second just as dark shadow came rolling down the same path. Yup....number 2 was heading to the hangar. Pretty cool since they never park the F22's and now the F35's where you can get close to them. We departed for home Saturday morning so I never got to see them fly but there is always next year.

[n601sc]

[IMG][/IMG]
I?ve attended AirVenture for about 20 of the past 25 years and it has come to be the look-forward-to summer highlight. This year, however, was the first time I brought by daughter, Amelia. Amelia is ten and, let?s say, possessed a ?casual? attitude toward aviation. Although I was aware of KidVenture, not having a kid in tow, I never really paid much attention to what was going on there - until now. Frankly, I was blown away by the variety of activities and the commitment of all the volunteers who worked with the seeming endless parade of kiddos.

For those unaware, one of the hangars at Pioneer Airport is split down the middle. The right side offers an introduction to piloting (a mini ground-school), and the left side offers activities geared toward maintenance (A&P). By 2:00 on Thursday, Amelia finished the ?ground school? activities which culminated in a simulated flight from OSH to FLD. While the simulated fence at FLD didn?t fare too well, she had fun a certainly learned a lot (not to mention the pride of earning a certificate as well as a spiffy back pack and ?wings?). Friday morning I asked Amelia if she wanted to go back to KidVenture and without hesitation said, ?oh yeah, I?m GOING to get that tool box?. The tool box was the ?prize? for completing all 8 of the maintenance activities ? and she did. Dad just had to lug it around for the rest of the day (a small price to pay).

Shame on me for not getting the names of at least some folks who really stood out, dedicated their time, and really made an effort to teach the next generation of aviators. Also thanks goes out to the corporate sponsors like Hartzell, Cleveland and UTC ? to name a few. Both Amelia and I really thought it was, ?Totally Awesome?.

[gib]

https://scontent.fphx1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...04&oe=5651DB50

Wasn't really at Oshkosh, but in Milwaukee.

[FasGlas]

The night airshow and fireworks was second to none.... AKG douchebags....