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Has Oshkosh gotten to big?

Jetguy

Well Known Member
OSHARRIVAL, FOR OSH AIRPORT, FISK IS CURRENTLY SATURATED AND BE PREPARED TO BE TURNED AWAY. THE TOWER HAS ISSUED A TIER 1 AND 2 GROUND STOP.

Issued 7pm Thursday evening!
 
Yes. Next Question...

No. FAA unable to handle. As per events occurring Thursday evening, seen here in camp looking at the traffic pattern and listening on LiveATC. This was *not* a difficult evening... And a buddy of mine trying to reposition from a remote airport to Oshkosh tonight got sent back to the remote airport for no good reason. Gets to sleep somewhere in the fbo tonight. Not in his tent already at Oshkosh.
 
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I got turned away a few years back, wound up going into APE and renting a car. Cancelled my trip this year, didn't want to fly 4 hours and no HBC. Never had a problem at SnF.
 
So...

So what do you think will happen to snf if everybody goes there instead?

Just returning from a great 5 days at OSH...
 
Tier 1 and tier 2 ground stop?

What the heck does that mean?

I did a search of the Notam and got zero hits.....

EAA, please don’t use terms where we have no idea what they mean!
 
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We heard that an incoming C5A had a brake lock up and catch fire on 36 this evening, and everything was shut down while they were trying to clean it up. The STOL competition was on hold at 2000 lcl....
 
Tier 1 and tier 2 ground stop?

What the heck does that mean?

I did a search of the Notam and got zero hits.....

EAA, please don?t use terms where we have no idea what they mean!

Been flying 37-years. Been taking my RV-6 to OSH AirVenture since 1998. When you find out, what the Tier 1 and Tier 2 ground stops are, I would love to learn what that means.
 
This FAA link will show the Tier system, click on "Tier Info" on the left side and then click on the ZAU sector (Oshkosh in this sector) and the 1st and 2nd tiers will be highlighted.
https://www.fly.faa.gov/ois/

I believe this will only effect IFR traffic as the VFR traffic is not likely in the “system"
 
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This FAA link will show the Tier system, click on "Tier Info" on the left side and then click on the ZAU sector (Oshkosh in this sector) and the 1st and 2nd tiers will be highlighted.
https://www.fly.faa.gov/ois/

I believe this will only effect IFR traffic as the VFR traffic is not likely in the ?system"


Everything above is correct.
 
Sheesh, thanks for bringing up work on the fun forum!

GDP’s and AFP’s attempt to equitablily distribute delays to too many IFR aircraft trying to utilize the same airport or airspace . When the program is loaded to heavily or additional or unforeseen circumstances come up a Ground Stop is initiated because too much airborne inventory already exist for the airport/airspace for the certain time period. As far as Tiers go, it’s just the adjacent center. 2nd Tier would be 2 centers away from the airport. Ground stop is more of an “oops” we guessed wrong and have more airborne inventory than we can handle with the given conditions and need to not add any more to the mix. More tiers the more airborne inventory and the longer it’ll take to get them all landed.

It’s all about trying to predict the future using the FSM on the TSD with the CCFP and your friendly local meteorologist!
 
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On our outbound Thursday morning, we listened as they re-wrote the notam on the fly and tried to get everyone to start the "procedure" NOT at rippon but at the south west corner of Green lake, and a mile in trail. It looked like some people were able to comprehend that, but many were not.

And they were absolutely using adsb Thursday morning and calling out N numbers of people now "cutting in line" at rippon and giving instructions based on it.
 
OP: Has Oshkosh Gotten Too Big

Just returned from OSH yesterday. When you look at the "ocean" of aircraft at OSH, and couple that scene with the "sea" of aircraft parked at FDL and other satellite airports...the OSH cup has definitely run over!

Wouldn't that be great if the VAF community had its own national fly-in convention? I would vote for holding the venue in October at the Triple Tree Aerodrome (SC00). TTT would have the facilities to do so.
 
Wouldn't that be great if the VAF community had its own national fly-in convention?

I drove in... yes it was too big, too crowded. I saw hundreds (if not a thousand) aircraft parked and camping way down in Fond Du Lac (saw them from the interstate) on Monday and Wednesday. I wish all those pilots and their friends could get in to Airventure.
But it was an awesome event... I really liked it.
 
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On our outbound Thursday morning, we listened as they re-wrote the notam on the fly and tried to get everyone to start the "procedure" NOT at rippon but at the south west corner of Green lake, and a mile in trail. It looked like some people were able to comprehend that, but many were not.

And they were absolutely using adsb Thursday morning and calling out N numbers of people now "cutting in line" at rippon and giving instructions based on it.


Actually, they had already done that re-write by early Tuesday AM...

When I went back over to FLD that day to ferry my WX-diverted aircraft back over to OSH, tower told us as we departed if we were headed to OSH to join the arrival there...as did the nice lady controlling traffic on the Fisk. No mention of 1 mile trail separation however. Only time I heard that in use was when they were down to 1 runway.

FWIW.
 
Tues 1440z 9:40 am same arrival "bootleg".

I had seen Green lake holds on ADSB zoomed out, an hour before Ripon, which is perfect, they clear up or I wait at any of the myriad fields 30 mins south.

ATC did pull 2 not following the atc bootleg that were ADSB-out/ by n# out of their direct Ripons ahead of me.

Not the non-ADSB-out twin that flew a perfect rejoin to my 6 at 1/2 mile AT Ripon. He was frozen at 2 o'clock in my window right til I got that, "this better work right now", then slid right in behind me.

15 mins to Ripon I hear apch say all go tothe SW corner of Green lake, so I do. It is at 1/2 mile spacing at this point, so 36 and 27 are landing. I think, odd, but ok...

At Ripon they go sngl rwy 27, 1 mile trail. I have a 2+ mile gap ahead of me and a line forming behind.

3 ahead of me get spit out, atc notes their tail#s and promised them first returns.

I get a twin doing a 360 in my face, as directed by ATC, which closes the gap ahead of me and keeps that twin from getting booted. (not in the procedural notam). No sweat, apch made sure I knew.

I find the same at, "work". Tower takes/changes a rwy, apch deals with it. Someone or more winds up losing a few minutes of their day.

Get to the pit, twin ahead of me gets sent 2 miles feet wet for an IFR arrival in front of him. I hold 1 mile interval. Twin ahead gets sent around short final, I got "land at or past green dot" the longest landing spot and the 2 next behind me get to land also.

27 to parking right exit was 30 mins to row 333. Not bad. Did watch one V-tail freak out, get ordered/begged by tower to go around, then perched without gear down. 4 calls later from a few of us then atc he drops gear on short final, 1505z-ish.

I am a come early, enjoy the Weds night show, leave by noon Thursday type. Friday to close is not for me.

This year by last Sat am I was hoping it would be as nice Tues mid am as it was.

I can't wait to get senior enough at work to hold actual, planned in advance vacation during KOSH. I'll gladly do 2 weeks as a volunteer.
 
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I thought about attending Airventure for just a moment while enjoying this view a week earlier. I've been coming to Smiley Creek for over thirty years and very light traffic to contend with.
 
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I thoroughly, completely enjoyed Osh, but in both '18 and this year I was caught up in lengthy weather delays getting in. So frustrating to have perfect VFR conditions but no parking available due to slosh factor!

I think I'll take a break in '20 and do some fly-ins closer to my SoCal home base. Will miss the camaraderie, bratwurst, Pavillion pow-wows in HBC, etc., but getting to a fly-in with only one fuel stop (or none!) certainly has appeal.

I've quoted my first girlfriend many times, but it still rings true: "Adventures suck while you're having them!" Looking back, they make great stories. :D
 
The airport shut down because of the C-5 fire.

I was watching the EAA live feed last night and listening to both tower frequencies. The C-5 fire happened quite a while after it landed. Before they indicated they had a fire, they spent a fair amount of time on a taxiway (P2) perpendicular to and just off of 18R/36L with engines running above idle. Tower was keeping traffic out from behind them, but they were still landing traffic on the south end of 18R (base to pink dot, land at yellow). The C-5 pulled ahead and then indicated the brake fire a few minutes later. This was not long before the scheduled airport closure at 2000 and traffic was already low. I didn't hear anything on tower about closing the airport because of the fire, the closure was right at 2000 and was the planned nightly closure. I watched a couple of F18s come in on 36L at about 1950 and I don't think the fire had been indicated yet. What I found interesting was that they were landing traffic on both 18R and 36L with only a few minutes in between. Tower was very much on top of everything going on.

I would have liked to have been there in person, but I've had to settle for camping on the live video feeds.
 
If it makes you feel better....

...it was not much fun being in the slosh. :D

We got there Friday afternoon and then got the three thunderstorms right in the face. Something like 5 inches of rain over the two days (and the ground was already wet and rutted).

EVERYTHING got SOAKING wet. A number of people were hunting for tent parts Saturday morning. I think we got really lucky not to have more tent/people/aircraft damage, especially Friday night; the storm seemed to weaken a bit right before it hit us.

We left Tuesday afternoon and the grass where we were was just barely taxi-able, thanks to the heroic efforts of a grader that morning. I don't think there was any way we could have gotten out Monday afternoon or maybe even Tuesday morning in my -9A. A Cessna with big tires got out Monday evening and it looked like he was "drifting" in the mud.

With all that said, the whole thing was glorious, and the weather Monday and Tuesday was perfect. I love being at Oshkosh.

I thoroughly, completely enjoyed Osh, but in both '18 and this year I was caught up in lengthy weather delays getting in. So frustrating to have perfect VFR conditions but no parking available due to slosh factor! :D
 
On our outbound Thursday morning, we listened as they re-wrote the notam on the fly and tried to get everyone to start the "procedure" NOT at rippon but at the south west corner of Green lake, and a mile in trail. It looked like some people were able to comprehend that, but many were not.

This was the same as of Sunday afternoon after they opened. Coming up from Portage this was the basic route anyway, but there were still a significant number of pilots that failed to comprehend the instruction, but to be fair, I'm not sure if they're monitoring FISK approach until RIPON, which seems way too late. I also suspect these are the same pilots that follow the road from RIPON and not the freakin' railroad tracks!!!
 
Perhaps if it is an issue, AirVenture could be split into multiple events. I have not yet attended the event, so I'm not speaking from any experience with AirVenture itself, but...

There is a prominent shooting event that grew so big that it is hosted twice a year. At a small range in Kentucky, the Knob Creek Machinegun Shoot and show draws tens of thousands of shooters and spectators over the course of a weekend (Anecdotally, the word was back in the 2007 - 2010 time frame or so that attendance reached 90,000 visitors during one of the semiannual meets). While it is a much smaller undertaking than AirVenture, the venue used to get overfilled and the facilities, including show space and match slots were taxed to the limit.

Hosting the event twice a year allows more people to attend, especially those who can't make a single particular date, and it hedges against bad weather on one date. Doing the same with Airventure would probably not double the preparation effort, but would increase it somewhat. The benefits might be more attendance overall, better visitor experience, more opportunity for people with restrictive schedules to attend, and possibly more vendor coverage.
 
Instead of Green Lake to Ripon to Fisk, they should just change the whole procedure to ALWAYS circle green lake and have ATC below at the shoreline clearing planes to start the procedure to either Ripon or Fisk directly.

While I was circling, ATC kept saying "Remain holding over Green Lake" but planes just kept flying direct to Ripon and/or leaving Green lake and starting the procedure anyway. I finally just did the same thing, because if you did, and weren't bunched up, they'd clear you on to land. This was Sun evening.

Also, my interpretation of "follow the shoreline" means "Fly above the shoreline." Planes were often a mile or two outside the shoreline which made things dicey too.

Overall though, having ADS-B traffic on my panel made the whole experience 1000% better than trying to find traffic by sight alone. Would love to see ATC use that data exclusively to "clear" people out of holding by N number (even keeping track of how many times people have circled). Those flying anonymously should use a different procedure and lower priority to get in.
 
I hate being in the pattern with even one more plane, I can't imaging flying into AV. Listening and trying to watch on live feeds, looks like there were other pilots who probably shouldn't have been in the pattern either!

I was disappointed that EAA did not set up a FIXED camera for the arrivals and departures. It is fun watching all the chaos and then the camera would pan to the metal tower and to parts of the show too far away to care what they were showing. I can't believe it would be that difficult or expensive.
 
Went to sw corner Green Lake Thur.

I heard approach controller sending everybody to sw corner of Green Lake Thur. am about 10:30 so I went out there and never saw another plane until Ripon. Made 27 app, turned left after landing and soon was holding on to whatever I could because the ground was rough.

On departure I started engine at 6:45 and was wheels up off 18 at 6:59 and that was after taxiing from HBP. Very nice. Got home just before sunset.

Found out from acquaintances that some pilots prefer parking at FDL because more flexibility as to when they fly. Only drawback is the bus fee is $20. From what I am told. But they drop off right at the front gate.

Was a GREAT show had a great time and managed to get my ads-b solution questions answered.
 
Oshkosh seemed bigger

Oshkosh seemed bigger this year but we liked it. Wednesday approach at noon, planes circling Green Lake, ATIS reported GA parking and camping closed, Vintage parking closed, homebuilts come on in. The wifey wasn't sure about camping but quickly warmed to it. A great time.

first day pitching the tent. she wasn't sure about this camping stuff.

IMG_20190725_080537_zpsqoxbs1c5.jpg


***

last day, she enjoyed it. the big tent helped. 35 lb, no trouble. flush toilets were a major item for her and she land marked them.

IMG_20190727_091700_zps5cjhyuti.jpg
 
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Too big....?

Well, yes and no...Probably stating the obvious, but OSH is no longer one event, but several. You have the home builders/general aviation crowd, the corporate crowd, the military/warbird guys, and everything else (Ford, John Deere, Flymarket, and other non-aviation vendors)......

As much as I would love smaller events that cater only to my interests (ha!), I don't think that one part of the body can exist without the others. Having been 31 out of 35 years, my routine is set anyway. It is only through the sheer number of people that OSH can attract the "total package" of ALL things aviation.....

Sooner or later, OSH will reach saturation, the market will do its job, and it will level off. But for now, I am pleased to be able to go one place and get the total experience...things I've done, and things yet to be experienced.

I am humbled to be part of a community that contains so many bright, innovative, and genuinely great people....and it's nice to see them all in one place...in Wisconsin... in July....at Oshkosh.... the greatest show on the planet..!!
 
Well, yes and no...Probably stating the obvious, but OSH is no longer one event, but several. You have the home builders/general aviation crowd, the corporate crowd, the military/warbird guys, and everything else (Ford, John Deere, Flymarket, and other non-aviation vendors)......

As much as I would love smaller events that cater only to my interests (ha!), I don't think that one part of the body can exist without the others. Having been 31 out of 35 years, my routine is set anyway. It is only through the sheer number of people that OSH can attract the "total package" of ALL things aviation.....

Sooner or later, OSH will reach saturation, the market will do its job, and it will level off. But for now, I am pleased to be able to go one place and get the total experience...things I've done, and things yet to be experienced.

I am humbled to be part of a community that contains so many bright, innovative, and genuinely great people....and it's nice to see them all in one place...in Wisconsin... in July....at Oshkosh.... the greatest show on the planet..!!

Well stated. Was going to comment on this thread but this post nails my thoughts.
Especially agree with second to last paragraph and statement ?able to go one place and get the total experience?.
 
"you can't have everything . . . where would you put it??"

Too big . . hmmmm . . . hard to tell. Lots of horror stories, but I had a perfect arrival (Friday AM) and smooth as silk departure (Wed AM). It was my first time flying in after more than a decade of camping in Scholler.

The physical endurance is my challenge, and I'll have to adapt, but that has not changed with time.

I remember there were other venues across the US sponsored or endorsed by the EAA. That may have reduced the intense growth of the AV of late.

I can only meet so many people, and talk to so many vendors. Much of the event is touching base, in person for me, and not much time left for new discoveries.

Event wise, if it can not be managed, it is too big. A matter of personal perspective to be sure, but it was not that way for me . . . this year.

Like Stephen Wright said "you can't have everything . . . where would you put it??"

EDIT - one last thing. The Airventure iPhone app was terrible, hardly any help. I rated it 1/10. The tram operators rate a 10, very helpful, even when your watch band breaks!! Miller Watch Company. :D
 
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No more "Rock your wings"

It was unexpected to hear "N12345 turn right over Fisk Ave for rwy 36..." instead of "Blue Cessna, rock your wings." ADS-B Out doing the work.
 
I've never flown into Oshkosh but....

is it possible that it's not too big but that the location is too small for the size of event and the traffic load?
 
I've never flown into Oshkosh but....

is it possible that it's not too big but that the location is too small for the size of event and the traffic load?

Possibly. One thing that is on the drawing boards is a grass field on the SE (?) corner of 18/36. It would be for the low/slow types and would substantially reduce the "got behind a 65 knot Cub during the arrival" factor.

As far as parking goes, they have a plan for "no aircraft turned away due to parking availability" which actually has a target date. Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate, though.
 
Possibly. One thing that is on the drawing boards is a grass field on the SE (?) corner of 18/36. It would be for the low/slow types and would substantially reduce the "got behind a 65 knot Cub during the arrival" factor.

As far as parking goes, they have a plan for "no aircraft turned away due to parking availability" which actually has a target date. Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate, though.

Well I was also thinking about the approaches and holds and runways etc. If it were in wider open spaces with may approach lanes would that help also?
 
Large

I think it is a large event. But it is very well run. Kudos to all the volunteers helping out, outstanding volunteers all of them.

I went to a few of the RV social events and those were nice; had to leave the beer bash early to rescue my phone that got off its leash. Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet all of you.

I was surprised on Sunday, after they opened the field for Homebuilt arrivals, that there was a slow period the hour or so before the nightly closure. Guess everyone had given up at that point.

I really enjoyed seeing all the vendors like Garmin, Lycoming, Matco, Vans, Flyleds and others. This is the only event all these RV vendors seem to go to consistently. If it was a smaller show, i Think not as many vendors would participate. In addition, the hands on workshops and forums were outstanding. Where else can you learn to weld, buck rivets, fiberglass etc for free.

Thanks to all.
 
Yes, it is probably too big. I'm really glad to have been able to experience it. It would be nice to have a more RV focused event, but seeing the variety of warbirds, vintage, etc. all in one place is kind of unique. For me, the allure of attending is really the people, not the planes. We took in the Wed. night airshow, which was fine. After a while, all of the aerobatic routines start to feel the same. A couple of jet afterburner passes is all I really need. I definitely don't feel like parking myself in the sun and sitting around during the afternoon airshows to see everything that flies in the show. The exhibit halls are nice if you are still building/modifying, but for me I'm not going to be buying much. The trek across the country to arrive is full of anticipation about weather and that can lead to some level of stress to try and arrive at any given time. If there was an RV focused show, I would probably be more inclined to go there than Oshkosh (especially if it was on the left coast). I can get my warbird fix at Chino. Van's should really do an event in Aurora, like the Van's homecoming. That was a nice low key event when I attended in 2017 for the solar eclipse.
 
Whatever happened to LOE? That used to be an RV centric flyin in New Mexico.

Ed Holyoke

Yeah, sad slow death. When Larry V. decided he was done, he asked if Tanya and I would pick it up almost a decade ago. We graciously declined. Russ D. picked up the slack for a few years. I seem to remember there were 12 of us around 2012 in Weatherford, OK. Then moved to Russ's neck of the woods in Abilene...

Now, I would tell you, it has pretty much re-morphed into a great "new" event in Arkansas called "Petit Jean" in very capable hands. THAT is the modern era recreation of what LOE was.
 
Too big? Yes! EAA is trying to be all things to all aviation enthusiasts. That's a recipe for failure in a venue that really has restricted access. Basically, there is one way in by air or ground.

Big money started throwing it's weight around long ago. It reminds me how some people get along in a big city like New York or Chicago. They know someone who can get them something or get special access that's unavailable to the public at large. It makes life a little easier to cope with. Same at OSH with all of the golf carts around.

At Airventure, the warbirds have their island arrival and a nice close in camping area for their ground RVs. The spam cans have their mass arrivals so they can reliably get in (if the weather cooperates) and occupy prime sites in the North 40. The Vintage group has their prime camping area along runway 36. The ultralights have their own arrival. The locals have their free entrance day.

And the homebuilders, the foundation of the EAA? Up until this year, not much. In fact, they still occupy the same general area that they occupied 20 some years ago. Back then, Beech had a squarish tent with a couple of plane and Cessna was represented likewise. The whine of a turbine engine was far, far away.

HBC is pretty convenient and somewhat improved if you could only reliably get into the airport on the arrival to use it and don't mind the constant helicopter traffic overhead. But, don't try to connect and camp with your friends who drove in like the warbirds can.

I think it's time for the EAA to get the word Experimental out of their name. Maybe they could be another FAA or Ford Aviation Association.

I like the idea of a low key RV centric (or, at least, homebuilder centric) event that I could fly my RV7A to and not dread getting a photo of my plane plastered all over the internet by some paparazzi shooting pix of planes operating at OSH.

By the way, ATW had hundreds of planes scattered around their airport as well.
 
It is big and we are continuously trying to make it better ...

We have been working hard to improve the "experience" for all who come to Oshkosh/AirVenture.

The large crowds imply that it is working for many. Yet we know there continues to be much to do to maintain locality or intimacy for each set of attendees.

With a set of many "Flys-in at the Convention" as I like to put it, you get communities of interest that get to bond and have fellowship each year. With the wide variety and the high number of participants, you get all the major vendors coming to be at this one spot.

A key thing going forward is to make the areas for EACH group of attendees as nice as we can afford to make them. Over the last few years, we have been investing in improving the infrastructure in general and the Homebuilt area in particular. The success there is migrating to other areas. And I am hoping for (will be pushing for) more improvements in the future.

This year we wanted to make sure that there was better communications to the pilots in the event of a repeat of last year. We made improvements but in the end, Mother Nature has the last say.

We need to communicate better with the campers who are driving in and within a 24 hour period have no place to park and we need to make sure that the field status is communicated to pilots by all means possible. We are working on these.

I spent time going from one end to another on Sunday and I am happy to say that most people understood that the weather was out of our control and that the volunteers were going the extra 100 miles to make it a great experience for all.

If a much smaller and really nice event is your preference, I highly recommend Triple Tree in South Carolina, this September. But to see it all, I think that AirVenture is hard to beat. Rough weather, crowds and all.

And yes, as mentioned in an earlier post, we want to make it such that anyone who chooses to fly to KOSH can get to land/park/stay at AirVenture!

Been a bit busy with a new job (and not posting much) but signed up for another three years on the Board ...
 
We would all like the crowds to be smaller but you cant have everything! Personally, I had never arrived on Friday before the airshow started before and I was worried nobody (Homebuilt Campers) would be there! Many would think the crowd is a good thing. I think of all the people young and old, that would have never been introduced to aviation had it not been for Airventure!
 
One suggestion. For those who think Oshkosh is too big, don't come next year. That will help. Seriously. I'm not being sarcastic. This is a self-limiting situation.

Personally, I'm sick of the jets in afterburner. I got tired of flip flop acro about 20 years ago. I'm getting tired of the warbirds. Golf carts are out of control. But... I love to go to Oshkosh and spend a week walking around giant crowds, visiting with someone I've never met over lunch, vendor booths, racking up steps on my pedometer, watching people, listening to a bell 47s flying over while trying to get my earplugs in so I can take a nap, camping and hanging out with my friends, the challenge of traveling to and arriving, and just enjoying being in another world for a week. Even with all that stuff that annoys me, it is all part of the big show. The highlight trip of my year, exactly as it is right now.
 
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One suggestion. For those who think Oshkosh is too big, don't come next year. That will help. Seriously. I'm not being sarcastic. This is a self-limiting situation.

Personally, I'm sick of the jets in afterburner. I got tired of flip flop acro about 20 years ago. I'm getting tired of the warbirds. Golf carts are out of control. But... I love to go to Oshkosh and spend a week walking around giant crowds, visiting with someone I've never met over lunch, vendor booths, racking up steps on my pedometer, watching people, listening to a bell 47s flying over while trying to get my earplugs in so I can take a nap, camping and hanging out with my friends, the challenge of traveling to and arriving, and just enjoying being in another world for a week. It's the highlight trip of my year exactly as it is right now.

The reason jets are in afterburner is that it puts bodies in uniforms. if it did not, they would not be there. Good luck trying to stop that. It does get old really fast though and is very annoying when trying to listen to someone.

As for all the Corsairs, T6 Texans & Harvards if they were not there, the fat dudes in golf carts could not go flying.
 
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The reason jets are in afterburner is that it puts bodies in uniforms. if it did not, they would not be there. Good luck trying to stop that. It does get old really fast though and is very annoying when trying to listen to someone.

I know. And it brings in the paying airshow crowds. Which fund more grounds expansion and improvements. And as per my remarks above - I know it's just part of the big show which I look forward to attending each year. I just need to remember to carry earplugs when walking the grounds.
 
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This year I flew my old friend's grandson back for his second OSH visit. Enrolled in EAA Air Academy this week, courtesy of his EAA Chapter. 17 years old. Gents, we're kinda jaded. It helps to "see" OSH through the eyes of a kid.

The jets are a good example. For old hands they're just a regular interruption to conversation. The kid, on the other hand, was texting me every time another one arrived. Look, an F-22! The F-35 is here!

Met some kids his own age associated with one of the C-47's, and spent the day on the warbird line in a lawn chair.

Got a picture with the Continental Tire girls. Fighter pilot in training. Worth serious cool when school starts in a few weeks. Look how I spent my summer...

Really wants to be a fighter pilot, like his grandfather. However, he needs some motivation to knuckle down and make grades this coming school year, so he has a shot at ROTC. I have his grandfather's ejection seat spurs, and I've promised them to him when he graduates from whatever the Air Force calls basic pilot training these days. OSH may be too big for my old knees, but if the scope and spectacle helps get the kid to that day, well, isn't it what we all want?
 
It's not that it's too big...it's that it's unfocused. Is it about experimental aviation? GA? Rotary-wing? Turbine powered? Ultralight? Corporate jets? Cars? Military recruiting? Spaceflight? Commercial transport?

I guess the answer is yes. And I've only been a few times, but it doesn't seem like there's much emphasis on the E in EAA, mostly just a giant airshow with day after day of aerobatics, military jets and such. United and other corporate and transport airliners at the main pavilion, eh? Ford? They make airplanes now? LOL!

It's fun, there's a lot of stuff to see, will go again, of course.

BTW, the arrival text message app? Our group universally thought it was being very, very poorly utilized and provided almost no information.
 
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