First Time to Oshkosh

[andyrv]

Flying to Oshkosh the first time is near the top of the list of places I've flown in the RV. Camping in Homebuilt Camping is also a great time.

Andy mentioned chasing the fuel truck. Get fuel the first time they come by and pay for it soon after. The first time I flew in I waited until departure day to get fuel. Then the FBO that filled me up would only take payment at a booth at the opposite end of the field (long walk/run with friends waiting to depart). Don't need that stress when you are trying to leave.

Be ready for any changes called out during approach/landing. I was making a great approach for the first dot on the runway as instructed. On short, short final they changed me to another dot midway down the field. Just be ready. The controllers have been great to work with every time I've been.

Your non-pilot passenger can still be a great help watching traffic and finding Ripon, railroad tracks, etc.

[rolivi]

All encouraging...

And Walt, I'll probably be checking in with you soon about tagging along with your group. As you may know, I'm off of Hicks.

[David Paule]

What I've done for fuel is stop short of Oshkosh, fuel up, and then I don't need fuel there.

Dave

[scard]

You can do it. But practice and build a few more hours in some of the corners of the envelope as Paul suggested. We'll be headed up for a Sat. afternoon arrival. 8am Sun. over Ripon is often nearly deserted.

[Frank Smidler]

When you are on the Ripon arrival you are required not to exceed 90kts but please realize that you may have to go slower if the traffic ahead is slower. Before the first time I flew into OSH I practiced with a second person in the plane (for weight) at 90, 80 & 70 kts. RV's can easily handle this but you will find that without flaps the nose is way up in the air. It is best to have 15 to 20 degrees of flaps to get the nose down. Watch your weight and balance, if you arrive with low fuel and heavy baggage you could be near your aft CG, not good at low speeds while being distracted. It would be better to fuel up just prior to arrival so you don't have to worry about fuel or CG.

My plane gets such good fuel milage that last year I was able to fly to OSH and back home twice without fueling (OK I'm only 80+ miles away)

[esco]

Originally Posted by Frank Smidler

When you are on the Ripon arrival you are required not to exceed 90kts but please realize that you may have to go slower if the traffic ahead is slower...

Frank and others provide good advice:
Fly yourself!
- thinking it through in advance is one mark of a responsible pilot.
- If I could do it, safely... you can too.

know the NOTAM
- I'm a low time pilot, so I read up weeks before departure, and every night enroute. While waiting for WX to clear in KS, we drilled each other on NOTAM options and details.

practice and be comfortable with sloooow flight.
- The Cub in front of me was at 75 MPH. I followed for a bit, then decided I did not want to fly slower still on approach, so I pitched out per the NOTAM, to fall back into line again.

Fly eyes out
-GPS/other waypoints are a great help for navigation, but as you approach Ripon, there may be lots of other a/c joining the conga line; both you and your passenger should be looking outside the cockpit.

Have Fun!

[roadrunner20]

Do most RVs fly the Fisk Arrival at the 90kts?
I know the NOTAM states, if unable, fly the 135kts.
Seems to me there would be less congestion.
As stated earlier, I've never flown into Oshkosh, so was wondering what others have elected to do.

[Alex Edwards]

I flew into Oshkosh in a 172 with only about 100 hours total time. With planning the arrival is a non-event. We stayed about 150 miles away and had an early start on the Saturday to arrive before it got too busy. I had read the notam many times and watched the videos of the arrivals made by the EAA. My landing was a bit firm but otherwise no dramas. As others have said practice flying slowly and plan well.

On leaving we packed up early and were one of the first to leave in the morning, again no long wait or any real drama. Awesome flight down the east side of Chicago to breakfast in Indiana.

It was awesome and I am very glad that I flew in. It was a lot of fun. (...and I went for a demo flight and am now building an RV)

[Kyle Boatright]

Originally Posted by roadrunner20

Do most RVs fly the Fisk Arrival at the 90kts?
I know the NOTAM states, if unable, fly the 135kts.
Seems to me there would be less congestion.
As stated earlier, I've never flown into Oshkosh, so was wondering what others have elected to do.

Yes. Most fly the 90 knot approach.

[Mark Burns]

Originally Posted by roadrunner20

Do most RVs fly the Fisk Arrival at the 90kts?
I know the NOTAM states, if unable, fly the 135kts.
Seems to me there would be less congestion.
As stated earlier, I've never flown into Oshkosh, so was wondering what others have elected to do.

Most RV's do fly the 90kt arrival. Yes it's much less congested in the higher, faster arrival. Problem is, both the low and high are headed to the same runway! So both flows will have to mix at some point. The less planes up high makes it easier for everyone in my opinion. Pilots and controllers.

Key words are "if unable".

Mark