AOPA Pilot Blog: Reporting Points

Let’s hear it for the volunteers at EAA AirVenture. These folks are tireless and they are everywhere. Friday’s group was tasked with basically changing around the layout of AeroShell Square, and if you’ve ever been to AirVenture you know that’s not accomplished with a couple of tugs and towbars. Here’s what they accomplished on Friday afternoon all within a two-hour time frame:

• Moved WhiteKnight2 out so that it could fly in the pattern (to the extreme delight of onlookers);
• Got out the Airbus A380 so that it could depart.
• Brought in a C-5, a C-17, and a C-130.
• Brought back in WhiteKnight2.
• And kept the huge crowds safely out of the way, but still close enough to enjoy the spectacle.

I blog today in praise of the ice cream and hamburger joint in Oshkosh known as Ardy and Ed’s. It is to the body’s circulatory system what concrete is to the builder, yet it is an essential risk. A root beer float shoveled between the lips near Lake Winnebago is the same as cabernet savignon sipped in Napa Valley. I take pills to fight what Ardy and Ed serve, and yet I return again and again. Drivers passing by get high cholesterol just from breathing the air, even when speeding. Fry my burger in a river of grease, Ardy. Pour me a bucket of root beer, Ed. Roto-Rooter will clear my veins.

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE (Photo by Alton K. Marsh)

Why do you go to events such as AirVenture in Oshkosh? Is it to stand in a long line just to walk through an Airbus, like these people are doing?

Nothing against Jet Blue, but I go to airshows to catch up on industry news, talk with other pilots, and see cool airplanes. Boeing and Airbus airliners can be cool in their own right, especially when you’re the person flying the airplane (or flying the simulator). But one of the reasons that I fly general aviation airplanes is to avoid lines like this.

Maybe these folks were just seeking a few minutes in the air conditioning, and a respite from the heat of the ramp….

The Martin Jetpack has been hyped by one and all, including me. Now it’s time to go the other way.

First, as fellow Senior Editor Dave Hirschman notes, it can’t fly as high as Michael Jordan can jump. I wanted more altitude today during the demonstration at EAA AirVenture. Second, it seems a bit wobbly, difficult to control. It came to airshow center with two people assigned to hover by its side during the flight, grabbing training handles on either side to steady it should that be necessary. So if you buy a Martin Jetpack (really it’s a ducted fan), my question is this: Do you have to hire two people to follow you as you scoot just above the ground? Would I pay $100,000 for one? A better investment is to get in shape like Michael Jordan, and learn to jump. Or as Dave Hirschman says, “Buy a trampoline.”

I didn’t appreciate how cute stuff like this was until I became a father.

Surrounded by much newer–and, except for the Cessna 162 Skycatcher, much larger–airplanes in the Cessna Aircraft exhibit at Oshkosh is a meticulously restored Cessna 150. Even the interior plastic looks brand-new, and the glareshield proudly sports the as-delivered pilot’s rear-view mirror (remember those?).

In September 1968, N50405, a Cessna 150H, was one of the first two airplanes delivered to the University of North Dakota. UND was just launching its aviation program, which marks its 40th anniversary this year. UND sold the airplane in 1973, and the UND Aerospace Foundation purchased the airplane in April 2007. The two-place Cessna had spent the intervening 34 years only 150 miles away from UND’s Grand Forks campus. The 150 was refurbished over a 12-month period.

Today UND Aerospace operates a fleet of more than 120 aircraft, including a Cessna Citation Mustang. The restored 150 won’t be used for primary training, however; a UND representative said the airplane might be used to provide spin training for CFI candidates, and the university’s flight team would no doubt love to use the airplane for precision landing competitions.

One rather unique Oshkosh feature is the Fly Market. It’s row after row of unique, largely independent exhibitors. Think part flea market (get it?), part county fair, part warehouse of parts. Because the exhibit rates are cheaper in this area, the goods are usually cheaper as well. But it’s also where you usually find the U.S. Air Force, thanks to the discounted rates. Some of my colorful favorites from this year include gold chain by the inch, numerous hammock exhibitors, and all the unique and crazy windsocks. It’s a fun place to get lost for awhile.

It’s amazing what a little water crossing like, say, Lake Michigan will do to heighten
your sense of awareness to engine performance.

You did check the oil right? Actually, twice. Is that the right fuel pressure reading? Yep, it’s normal. Is it just me or did the engine suddenly change pitch? Nope, it’s just you. AOPA Pilot Senior Editor Dave Hirschman and I made the pilgrimage to Oshkosh in AOPA’s company Piper Archer (not to be confused with the sweepstakes one) on Tuesday.
 
The questions I was asking myself and my own answers to them were bouncing around in my head as we made the crossing. We were heading for Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, and over the radio we heard a P-51 Mustang requesting an overhead pass into the airport.
 
Although I’ve made water crossings before, my mind shifted back to World War II. Both of my grandfathers worked as engineers, building fighter planes. Another relative of mine was lost in a storm in a P-51 during a raid over Iwo Jima. Anyway, one of my grandfathers told me once how they gold plated engine parts in the P-47 in case pilots ran out of oil. It would give them a little extra burn time.
 
What’s astounding to me is how pilots flew tremendous distances over open ocean water to find enemy ships. Then they attacked. It’s also hard to imagine dog fighting without land in sight. As it turned out, though, the Archer did just fine and the only enemies we saw were phantoms.

As happened at Sun `n Fun, aviation officials–heck, top government officials–came to a major air show to ask all of us to consider flying to the Dominican Republic. And, as happened at Sun `n Fun, few reporters came to hear their plea. In fact, I may have been the only reporter there. But still you sit before your TVs eating Baskin Robbins, or whatever it is you do, and fail to go. Put it on your to-do list, or your bucket list, and flog your aircraft towards paradise.

The top three cities for your visit should be Constanza, Santiago, and Punta Cana. The best part? By decree, user fees have been eliminated at those airports. And they have 70,000 hotel rooms waiting.

The Dominican Republic Secretary of State, Jose Tomas Perez, came in person to Oshkosh to ask as nicely as possible for just a single visit. Put the lid back on the ice cream carton and see the Dominican Republic before you kick the bucket.

Wow. The Boeing Dreamlifter is a HUGE airplane!