OSH approaches
Steve Thorne, aka Flightchops, has a great video about flying into Oshkosh in his gorgeous RV-14. Particularly valuable are the many quotable quotes from Fred Stadler, who has been the EAA point man on the NOTAM for 30 years. To quote the video, practice!
Great video! For several reasons: this is what you will hear on the radio and what you will see as you approach the field. These videos seemed to be done when it was not that busy. I recognized the number of airplanes we had at Vintage!
Suggestions from what I saw:
1) Trim down your NOTAM. You do not need ALL the pages! Figure out the ones you need (approach if you are, well, approaching) and have them on your
knee board in order of what you think you might need, ie what runways do you have the potential to be landing. Since you will have been monitoring the approach frequencies, you will know what runways are in use; get those pages ready. You don't need the departure pages yet! If you printed it at home, you don't need to be mangling 8X11 sheets of paper in your Front Office. Trim them down to a handy size that fits on your kneeboard. If you have the printed version: same thing. Take the thing apart and put them in order of what you are going to need. I have all the runways color-coded (I know: OCD!) and a larger printout of the frequencies so I don't have to search around for them on the page.
2) That is what that low-level turn onto 18R looks like!
If you are not used to turning that close to the ground, go practice but
DO NOT EXCEED YOUR PERSONAL LIMITS! Practice those at altitude first, then closer to the ground. Hopefully, the new extended landing procedure on 18R will help eliminate that low-altitude turn or, at least, make it safer.
3) If you are not used to RIGHT traffic, go somewhere and practice that.
4) Practice (did I mention that?); be prepared for
ANYthing! If it doesn't look good:
GO AROUND, like Fred says! You will be put back in the pattern. Follow the controller's instructions.
5) HAVE FUN! This only happens once a year!
See you there!
Antique Denver; Vintage Chairman: Flight Line Safety