After 5 days roaming the show and 5 nights hanging out in the campground it's officially EAA Recovery Day, wherein I lay on the couch periodically napping between catching up on internet forums while my wife looks disapprovingly at the dirty pile of sweat and sunscreen stained laundry that vomited out of my bag, then the stack of credit card receipts, followed by the lawn that needs mowing, and generally questions her life choices. I'm beat! But it was worth it...another banger of a show. Highlights, in no particular order:
- Some guy scratch built a Douglas DH-4 World Cruiser complete with a Liberty engine and Edo floats. It was HUGE! Who does that?! He's my hero.
- The Red Arrows are truly world class. And they let the jets do the talking.
- The only thing better than fireworks, drone shows, and night aerobatics is mashing all 3 together into one grand finale. That alone is worth the trip.
- The Deltahawk Seminole was one of the cleanest engine installs I've ever seen.
- Cleveland Tools gave me some hose adapters for free when I said the ones I bought last year didn't fit one of my tools. Everyone working their tent was under 35. There's hope for the future folks.
- I bought a like new set of Cleveland brakes in the Flymart for 60 bucks.
- Despite sky high titanium prices I bought another bucking bar from ATS. They are just too cool. And they save me from having to use even higher priced cherrymax rivets.
- I'm pretty sure the US Gov't paid a ton of money to develop a standardized manual and training program on how to talk to 18 year old males because the Army Golden Knights announcer sounded exactly like the USAF F22 announcer who sounded almost identical the National Guard F35 announcer who must have been the brother of the Navy F18 announcer....They apparently only budgeted for one mix-tape of music clips as well. My kid is still trying to figure out how the F35 hovers.
- Could have spent 2 days alone in Lycoming's training classes. You'd pay big money to go to PA for this training and they provide it for free. Even give IA cred!
- Got into at least 6 classic Midwest "sorry"-offs when I accidentally bumped shoulders with someone. Still the cleanest, safest show in America.
- Little turbines with recuperators are real, and if they can keep the cost from hitting PT6 levels they may change the way we power light GA airplanes.
- Axis was everywhere. Not sure how this one didn't slip out before the show. Garmin must have some real good NDA's.
- Been dragging the kids there for years but at 11 this was the first year my son was really old enough to get excited like we get excited about this stuff. Corny Dad alert...Walking around the show with him on Friday may have been one of the best days of my life. Thank you Boeing for the free kids admission.
Lots more I'm sure I missed. I'm finally motivated to get off the couch and....head out to the airport to go flying. My wife wants the computer, presumably to research divorce attorneys. (The trick is to do this on Saturday so that she gets over it by Monday.)
- Some guy scratch built a Douglas DH-4 World Cruiser complete with a Liberty engine and Edo floats. It was HUGE! Who does that?! He's my hero.
- The Red Arrows are truly world class. And they let the jets do the talking.
- The only thing better than fireworks, drone shows, and night aerobatics is mashing all 3 together into one grand finale. That alone is worth the trip.
- The Deltahawk Seminole was one of the cleanest engine installs I've ever seen.
- Cleveland Tools gave me some hose adapters for free when I said the ones I bought last year didn't fit one of my tools. Everyone working their tent was under 35. There's hope for the future folks.
- I bought a like new set of Cleveland brakes in the Flymart for 60 bucks.
- Despite sky high titanium prices I bought another bucking bar from ATS. They are just too cool. And they save me from having to use even higher priced cherrymax rivets.
- I'm pretty sure the US Gov't paid a ton of money to develop a standardized manual and training program on how to talk to 18 year old males because the Army Golden Knights announcer sounded exactly like the USAF F22 announcer who sounded almost identical the National Guard F35 announcer who must have been the brother of the Navy F18 announcer....They apparently only budgeted for one mix-tape of music clips as well. My kid is still trying to figure out how the F35 hovers.
- Could have spent 2 days alone in Lycoming's training classes. You'd pay big money to go to PA for this training and they provide it for free. Even give IA cred!
- Got into at least 6 classic Midwest "sorry"-offs when I accidentally bumped shoulders with someone. Still the cleanest, safest show in America.
- Little turbines with recuperators are real, and if they can keep the cost from hitting PT6 levels they may change the way we power light GA airplanes.
- Axis was everywhere. Not sure how this one didn't slip out before the show. Garmin must have some real good NDA's.
- Been dragging the kids there for years but at 11 this was the first year my son was really old enough to get excited like we get excited about this stuff. Corny Dad alert...Walking around the show with him on Friday may have been one of the best days of my life. Thank you Boeing for the free kids admission.
Lots more I'm sure I missed. I'm finally motivated to get off the couch and....head out to the airport to go flying. My wife wants the computer, presumably to research divorce attorneys. (The trick is to do this on Saturday so that she gets over it by Monday.)
