OSHKOSH!

So, after 5 years away, I finally got back to Oshkosh, WI for the 2006 Airventure air show. Let me tell you, it seemed to be about 50% bigger and better than I had remembered, but perhaps that's just the 100LL talking. It was definitely a hot one this year, with temperatures hovering in the mid-90's until well after sunset. Let's just say that Camp Scholler should be re-named Camp Sweater. Our trip up was a pretty good one, as we cruised on I-80/I-90 all the way until we hit I-94 in Chicago. Apparently, they have decided to take the 12 lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway, and re-pave it, 6 lanes at a time. It doesn't take a traffic scientist very long to determine that the traffic saturation level is exceeded by about 1PM in the afternoon, which was when we hit Chicago, and began the very sceinic, 70-mile journey past the steel mills, over the bridge, and through the downtown at an average speed of 25 mph. This was 1PM. I can't imagine the nightmare that happens during REAL rush hour. I can see why people would want to pay $500,000 for a condo in downtown Chicago after driving that commute for a week.

We arrived at Oshkosh after a seriously bad thunderstorm on Thursday, and upon getting out of the car, I was greeted with non-stop aircraft departing from the Oshkosh airport. It was like heaven. Ooo! A P-51! Beth, beth...did you see C-47? Wow! Okay, my wife seriously gets the major brownie points for accompanying me, a certifiable aircraft freak, to Oshkosh, WI for more than one day, not to mention 3 nights of camping in the bare pasture that is called "Camp Scholler". Beth, you are an awesome woman:). She also took this picture of me, my typically really excited self for 2 straight days in front of the busiest control tower in the world for one week out of the year.

We usually wandered around in the morning, before the heat got too bad, looking at all the warbirds and super-neat airplanes that never land at Coshocton. Beth is rather into the history aspect of the aircraft, and while she still can't identify a C-47 in flight, she was really excited to see all of these aircraft that played such an important part of our military history. We took this picture together in front of Diamond Lil, a Consolidated B-24 that is very similar to the B-24's that her grandfather helped Henry Ford build at Willow Ridge, MI during WWII. Later on, I got to meet the pilot of this special aircraft after he accomplished the 4-bomber formation flying complete with missing man. Here's a short transcript of our conversation:

Dan - "So, how was the flying up there today? Did she handle okay?"

Crusty & Very Sweaty Old Pilot - "It was like flying a &$*# brick! That $%#* airplane was all over the sky and I was pushin' and pullin' and stompin' on those &$%# rudder pedals just to keep my &$%@ brick flying next to the other three bricks up there! I had a guy running the engines and another guy running the fuel and two crew members looking out the windows making sure we didn't hit anybody. It was $&^%$ hard!"

(Please see below photo for a pictoral depiction of said missing man maneuver)



It didn't look that hard from the ground below, but I guess nothing ever really looks that hard....even Gene Soucy thrashing his modified Ag-Cat all over the skies looked easy. I could totally do that in a C-172:).

I managed to get a look inside the cockpit of Diamond Lil, just so I could see these antique flight controls that had been flogged and strangled just moments earlier.



After a quick run to Target to get a cooler, some cheap drinks, and ice, we went over to the seaplane base, where parking cost us an additional $6 (ripoff if you ask me). I guess if you're into seaplanes, it's pretty cool, but I have a feeling that most of the people were over there because the seaplane base has more shade than all of the main Oshkosh display field. People were just sitting around, and it looked like they were waiting for things to happen...nothing much was going on, so we headed back.


Back at the main airshow, we were greeted with some skywriting, some warbirds, and some aerobatics. It was just incredible how many airplanes were up in the sky together. How many RARE airplanes were up in the air together. It was really fun, and a great experience to share with my beautiful wife. We'll be back soon, but I think that we'll have to spring for a hotel room with A/C next time.