2017 will be the 18th time I have flown my RV-6 into Oshkosh AirVenture in the last 20-years. I have flown the RV that I built over 3,000 hours. As an EAA Tech Counselor and Flight Advisor, I would like to share with others how I practice for an RV arrival at AirVenture.
Like most RV pilots, I typically fly cruise speed, traffic pattern speed, and slow flight. Slow flight may be 50-KIAS but it typically does not last for much over 5-minutes. Following the AirVenture NOTAM, we will be flying 90-KIAS for about 12-minutes.
The Oshkosh AirVenture arrival NOTAM says:
?All non-ADS-B equipped aircraft set transponder to Standby at or before Ripon.
Obtain Arrival ATIS (125.9) no later than 15 miles from Ripon and note arrival runways in use.
Have NOTAM arrival pages mentioned on ATIS available.
Then monitor Fisk Approach (120.7).
Arrive at Ripon at 90 knots and 1,800?.?
Since RVs can operate comfortably at 90-KIAS, we are expected to fly the approach at that speed. Every year, I tell someone that wants to fly their RV at 135 Knots and 2,300?, that if they cannot fly their RV in line 1/2-mile apart at 90-KIAS, they should not fly to Oshkosh AirVenture.
Having flown to Oshkosh AirVenture and used all the different Runway options, I would like to share a practice routine that any new AirVenture pilot or one that has done it multiple times can practice on their own before reaching RIPON.
I took off from my home airport and climbed several thousand feet above the ground and setup for cruise speed. Next I reduced to my economy cruise speed and practiced turns about a point. Economy cruise where I burn the least fuel and can loiter for hours if necessary. IF by some chance you are inbound to RIPON and ATC issues a hold, one can orbit or create a hold till the field opens. IF the hold is going to be an hour or more, I would head for and land at a near by airport.
I am now 15 to 20 miles from my home airport, I setup for a decent and arrival at a point a little over 1,000? AGL at 90-KIAS. (I was at 2,300 MSL and that puts me between 1,000 and 1,200 AGL depending on where I am on my practice flight route.) If one has a Constant Speed prop, I advise to record the power setting necessary to maintain airspeed and altitude. On my RV-6, 2,100 RPM and 16.5? works well for starting point for 90-KIAS. I will advance and retard throttle as necessary to maintain airspeed and altitude. I now fly along a major highway similar to what the railroad tracks we follow will be like. I do a few 90-degree left and right turns along the route. This is done as one may need to turn left 90-degrees out of line so as to go back and start over or one could be directed to make a right turn to enter BASE for RWY 36. The goal on the route is to maintain a constant altitude, heading, and airspeed. In actual flight to AirVenture, you will also be following another aircraft, maintain spacing, and looking for other aircraft. As you get near the airport, you should have flown close to 10 Nm straight and about a total distance of 18 Nm at 90 KIAS. When you get to the airport, you want to do a precision short soft field approach touching down at a specific location you chose that was not the numbers.
We have now completed a simulated practice arrival but without the controllers, traffic, and pressure of AirVenture.
My goal with the practice arrival procedure was to control airspeed, heading, and altitude without using a large amount of brainpower. I want the 90-KIAS, heading, and altitude to be a reflex action so that I can follow other aircraft maintaining spacing, look for other aircraft, and do frequency changes if necessary.
It may be necessary to practice parts or all of this multiple times till it is mastered.
Like most RV pilots, I typically fly cruise speed, traffic pattern speed, and slow flight. Slow flight may be 50-KIAS but it typically does not last for much over 5-minutes. Following the AirVenture NOTAM, we will be flying 90-KIAS for about 12-minutes.
The Oshkosh AirVenture arrival NOTAM says:
?All non-ADS-B equipped aircraft set transponder to Standby at or before Ripon.
Obtain Arrival ATIS (125.9) no later than 15 miles from Ripon and note arrival runways in use.
Have NOTAM arrival pages mentioned on ATIS available.
Then monitor Fisk Approach (120.7).
Arrive at Ripon at 90 knots and 1,800?.?
Since RVs can operate comfortably at 90-KIAS, we are expected to fly the approach at that speed. Every year, I tell someone that wants to fly their RV at 135 Knots and 2,300?, that if they cannot fly their RV in line 1/2-mile apart at 90-KIAS, they should not fly to Oshkosh AirVenture.
Having flown to Oshkosh AirVenture and used all the different Runway options, I would like to share a practice routine that any new AirVenture pilot or one that has done it multiple times can practice on their own before reaching RIPON.
I took off from my home airport and climbed several thousand feet above the ground and setup for cruise speed. Next I reduced to my economy cruise speed and practiced turns about a point. Economy cruise where I burn the least fuel and can loiter for hours if necessary. IF by some chance you are inbound to RIPON and ATC issues a hold, one can orbit or create a hold till the field opens. IF the hold is going to be an hour or more, I would head for and land at a near by airport.
I am now 15 to 20 miles from my home airport, I setup for a decent and arrival at a point a little over 1,000? AGL at 90-KIAS. (I was at 2,300 MSL and that puts me between 1,000 and 1,200 AGL depending on where I am on my practice flight route.) If one has a Constant Speed prop, I advise to record the power setting necessary to maintain airspeed and altitude. On my RV-6, 2,100 RPM and 16.5? works well for starting point for 90-KIAS. I will advance and retard throttle as necessary to maintain airspeed and altitude. I now fly along a major highway similar to what the railroad tracks we follow will be like. I do a few 90-degree left and right turns along the route. This is done as one may need to turn left 90-degrees out of line so as to go back and start over or one could be directed to make a right turn to enter BASE for RWY 36. The goal on the route is to maintain a constant altitude, heading, and airspeed. In actual flight to AirVenture, you will also be following another aircraft, maintain spacing, and looking for other aircraft. As you get near the airport, you should have flown close to 10 Nm straight and about a total distance of 18 Nm at 90 KIAS. When you get to the airport, you want to do a precision short soft field approach touching down at a specific location you chose that was not the numbers.
We have now completed a simulated practice arrival but without the controllers, traffic, and pressure of AirVenture.
My goal with the practice arrival procedure was to control airspeed, heading, and altitude without using a large amount of brainpower. I want the 90-KIAS, heading, and altitude to be a reflex action so that I can follow other aircraft maintaining spacing, look for other aircraft, and do frequency changes if necessary.
It may be necessary to practice parts or all of this multiple times till it is mastered.