Even with this past year being the Vans 40th and getting to finally fly an RV that I actually own, instead of a borrowed friend's RV... and my first time camping on the field... there was definitely something "off" about Oshkosh 2012.
Very few people from my local aviation community attended, only two other planes, and they flew the trip on their own independent schedules when there used to be always several planeloads of folks from here who always made such a big deal about flying up as a group and staying together in a big weeklong social event... I was pretty much alone this year.
I've been attending each year since 2007 and on a grade scale of A thru F, I'd give my score of each year of my experience as follows:
2007 - "A+ with extra points" because it was my first Oshkosh ever, and it was mind blowing.
2008 - Still a solid "A". The newness hadn't yet worn off for me, and got to see things that were impossible to take all in on the first time there.
2009 - Probably a "B" due to the group I was with having some mechanical problems with their plane, and missing out a half day to help fix their plane, and also leaving early. Only got to spend a total of two days attending Airventure itself.
2010 - At least an "A-", would've been a solid A since it was the first year I got to fly a brand new RV by myself from Texas to Osh, and land it smoothly there on 27 without even the slightest bounce
. The rains of "Sloshkosh" put a damper on some of the enjoyment, and the group I was hanging out with also decided to leave a day early again.
2011 - Back to a solid "A". Most of the group I usually travelled with stayed home that year, but I got to fly the RV-8 again, and got to participate in formation flying up there and back home, and even a 5-ship group of RVs into and out of KOSH two days in a row (we were called the "Clown Flight"). The flying part of that trip was the most fun I'd ever had flying in a group.
2012 - Gotta give this one a "C-". I was the sole RV from my field there, solo flight alone all the way there and back home too, no other planes in a loose gaggle or even to talk to over the radio with each other, none of my usual group of our local aviation community folks flying alongside with me. The heat was almost as bad as staying in Texas. The EAA cut down the "Eby Tree" in the VIP parking behind the Forums where our group always ate lunch and socialized in the afternoons during the air shows for the past 5 years
The whole atmosphere of the event was just down for me. It felt like it was the closeout of a dying era and I was the last one left... turn off the lights and lock the door on your way out kind-of-feeling. On a brighter note.... on the trip back home, somewhere just southwest of Portage after I topped off my fuel tanks and took off for the long flight back home, It suddenly clicked that I had finally "become one with the RV-6" and it finally felt like "home" for me... up to that point, I'd had issues with smoothly flying the thing. I was perfectly at home with the RV-8, it felt like a natural extension of my own body... and of course, my old Cherokee felt that way too, but something about the RV-6 had always intimidated me somewhat, and I often felt like I was "behind the plane" too much.
2013 - I'd certainly like to go, but it's still way too early for me to tell. If we can get our large local aviation group going again after their two-year-in-a-row hiatus, I'll definitely go again, but I just don't want to do it completely solo again. Without the big social event happening like it used to in the past for me, it's just not the same.
