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Sunday, August 13, 2017

Oshkosh Airventure 2017



After a very hot and uncomfortable Oshkosh 2016, I was looking forward to this year more than ever. I was teased for starting to count down the days at 300. I spent weeks getting the plane ready for the show, doing the annual inspection, cleaning and polishing and touching up the paint. I even installed two new Gopro mounts.

This year, the crew was to be Nancy, my friend Garret and his girlfriend, Kathryn. After an uncomfortable time last year, my son, Sean, decided to take a year off from the show. He's just not that into flying in any case.

For our part, we were all very excited for the show. The weather promised to be great for the show with comfortable temperatures and low humidity. The weather on the way to and from the show....not so much. After spending a lot of time with online weather and with a briefer, it looked like there were two choices to get around a huge area of weather marching right along our flight path. We could either go south to Kentucky and Iowa, then north or we could go north to Canada and work our way westward.  With the speed and range of the Velocity, either was doable. We decided to launch early on Saturday on the northern route.

I ended up getting thousands of still pictures of the trip. I also got hours of video from four different cameras. That has been a lot of work to process and edit. This blog entry will be mostly stills, with videos to follow. 
Clean, fueled and ready to launch on the night before departure

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Here's a shot of the plane from the winglet cam as I hop in to take off for the trip.


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Here are some shots of the departure.


Lined up and ready to go.

Shot from the winglet came as we take off at Chester County. Love the plane shadow.






Airborne!

First sight - a hot air balloon taking off
Visibility falls as we cross the ridge


Fairly clear at home, but supposed to worsen en route
Winglet cam view of the gloom.

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Here are some shots of the crew as we head north into the hazy conditions.




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This is the view from the cabin facing Gopro.



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As predicted, the visibility gets worse and worse as we head north. We decide to set down in Niagara to check weather and let the closest front pass over us.



View of the screens
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The screens show that weather is closing in from all sides as we approach Niagara. Definitely time to set down.


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Here's a video of the approach and landing at Niagara International.




On the ground at Niagara International. Next step, find some food. We have been up since 6:30 and flying since 7:00.




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Luckily, there is a great breakfast place right across the street from the FBO. Portions were massive and the food was great. Just what I needed.

That should hold me until lunch

Garret looks happy with his modest serving


Happy campers
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The  briefer said things would clear in about 3 hours, so we caught an Uber ride to the falls and did the tourist thing.
On the way to the Falls
Nancy and I at the American falls
Nancy looks out at the Canadian side

Garret and Kathryn

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The falls were beautiful.



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After touring the falls, we head back to the airport and check weather again. We get good news and bad news. Conditions locally have come up to about 3,000 and 5 miles. However, large storms are headed toward us on both the north and south sides of Lake Erie. We decide that the only way to make it is to head down to Cleveland over the length of the lake. Not very appealing, but we decide to give it a try as we are told that conditions after that will be improving and actually great at Oshkosh.

Taxi to the runway  in light rain

Murky on climb out, but better over the lake as predicted.

Our heading down the lake just off the southern shore
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The forecast was correct. Once out over the lake, conditions weren't too bad. We kept the shoreline in sight and proceeded southwest at 190 knots.

View of the edge of the weather on the southern shore of Lake Erie

Continuing down the lake

Dodging between the fronts

Conditions begin to clear as we near Cincinnati

Glimpses of blue sky as thing brighten up

Upper layer starts to break up

Much better

Sunshine at last. ADSB on the Nav says lower layer breaks up ahead.
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As we progress, the cloud layer below us starts to break up and we descend.

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We drop below the broken layer of clouds at 1,900 feet and land at DeKalb, Illinois for fuel and a weather check. Here is a video of the landing at Dekalb.



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As we land, we are followed in by a group of other Oshkosh planes. Conditions are fine ahead and we know we will make it to Oshkosh. It is now 5:00 and we text Brett and Elizabeth at the show to tell them we should be in by shortly after 6:00. 

Late afternoon light on a line of OSH bound planes

Our last fuel stop before Oshkosh
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Here are some still shots from the Gopro video of our takeoff from Dekalb. Beautiful!

Taking off into the afternoon light and puffy clouds

Climbing turn on course over Dekalb

Above the low cloud layer on our last leg to the show.
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Here is our crazy route avoiding weather on the way to the show.



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At last, we reach Ripon and start the approach. It is extremely busy and we have a hard time staying at 90 knots, but we are given clearance to Runway 36L, which is a nice easy landing. Here's a shot of the turn to final for landing with the show on the left. 





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Brett and Elizabeth got our text and are waiting at the arrival end of 36 to video our arrival. I am thrilled, as we have videos of departure from the ground, but have never had an arrival filmed from that perspective. I will edit all 5 views together for a great composite video of the arrival. In the meantime, here is Brett's video. Thanks!


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My trophy shot - Short final for 36L at Oshkosh, plane shadow and all. Love it.



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Made it! We are tied down at Oshkosh for the 9th flight in and my 27th visit to the show. I LOVE this week and am ready to go. We are hot and tired after being in transit for 12 hours dodging weather in marginal conditions.

Brett and Elizabeth somehow talk their way through the gate and drive right up to the plane in their huge rental van. Hilarious. We then drive all over the show in the van, just because we could. 
Still from the winglet Gopro of our arrival


Made it! Happy campers.

Brett and other Velocity folks arrive within minutes. Great to see you guys!


Kathryn takes flight
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Elizabeth drives us all around the airport in our minivan and no one stopped us. The arch, the tower, everywhere. I've never done this.  I was cracking up. You won't get to do this once the show opens.





Thumbs up from Brett as we drive past the tower.

...and the AOPA building.

The EAA arch at show center. Why not, says Elizabeth.
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We are hungry again (see a pattern emerging? ) so we drive directly to Friar Tuck's for dinner. It is one of our Oshkosh favorites. Think I'll go light with my usual whole prime rib on a bun with a giant slab of cheese. Of course, we'll need some fried mushrooms and cheese sticks to lay down a good base for that.  Good times.

The girls perk up considerably several cold drinks later

Ahhhh, our first dinner at Oshkosh 2017.
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Following our SOAP (Standard Oshkosh Arrival Procedure), we head to the grocery for snacks and various liquids to stock our dorm rooms. Everybody is in such a good mood that even this part is fun.

Welcome signs everywhere

Nancy presents the Target EAA collection.
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Back to the dorms to unpack and it is still very warm in there - our only hot night this year. Here's one way to cool off.



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The next morning, it's breakfast in the dorm cafeteria, then a quick bus ride to the show. The bus picks us up right in front of the cafeteria and drops us at the entrance. Even though we have a rental car, we usually do this because it is so convenient and, at only $1.50 per person, cheaper than parking.

Elizabeth makes her mad face as Brett gets all 5th grade with a donut and sausage.

On the bus to the dorms. Very excited and all wearing our Oshkosh gear.

Me taking a picture of Brett taking a picture. Don't ask- its a thing.
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Finally, it is time to head to our first full day on the field. After breakfast and the bus ride, we make our traditional formation entrance with winglets. 

Garret, Brett and I in formation show entry at main gate.

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The Velocity Aircraft booth is just inside the gate. We stop by and say hello to Scott and Bonnie Swing. Velocity has been owned and operated by the Swing family for decades. It is one of the things that influenced my decision to buy not one, but two kits from them. There truly is a Velocity family of builders.


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On the walk to the plane we run into more builders, Tom and Loretta Irion (former grand champs at Oshkosh) and John Youngblood, also an award winner. Everyone flashes the "V sign" for Velocity.


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Next, we pass an actual Eagle One! This has become a thing in which Velocity pilots do a heroic pose looking off to the side (Eagle One Left, Eagle One Right) while taking a picture after arriving somewhere in a Velocity. I took a young scout on a Young Eagle flight and his mom just sent me pictures - the scouts are now doing it too.



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Next up, the Homebuilders HQ, where I pick up my 9th mug for flying my homebuilt into the show. I have a whole shelf of these now.

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We walk out to uncover and clean the plane and run into Kurt Winker. He has brought his teenage son, Reeve, on his first trip to Oshkosh.We had a great time with both of them.

Kurt and Reeve
Kurt introduces Reeve to our tradition.This kid fits right in.

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A big part of the fun is having friends wander by to visit you at the plane. It started as soon as we got there. Love it.

Daryl and Nora Kufalk stop by

Matt and Lisa Avila
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After that, a whole gang heads over to Runway 27 to watch and critique the landings. This has become a traditional Sunday activity for the Velocity folks. It is chaotic and entertaining to watch this many pilots try to land in such an intense setting. 

Elizabeth in landing position

Kurt shows Reeve the ropes

Nancy checking out the landings

Dad and Lad

Melissa Lorenz joins us

Melissa and Elizabeth model Oshkosh hats

Brett looks supremely comfortable

Scott Swing - "There I was..."

Garrett scans for traffic (to make fun of)

Reiff and Melissa Lorenz

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Monday at the show was just about perfect. We had cool, dry weather with a light breeze and a few puffy clouds just for decoration. Here are some shots from around the field.


Nancy details the plane.
Even the bottom. Impressive.

Our parking spot.

3 Velocities with a bazillion RV's in the background


The annual picture at the arch with the whole crew.

The Honda Jet

Rutan's Proteus does a fly by

B17 with escort

B17 flies over

Our own air show from the plane


Exactly how I felt all day!
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After the show, we cleaned up back at the dorm and then a big group of Velocity buddies met for dinner at Mahoney's, only a short walk from the dorm. This is one of our favorite places. We had a great meal and a great time catching up.

Brett finds his favorite food group

Reiff and his cheese curds- a must in Wisconsin.

With my buddies, the Ferrells

Jerry and Linda Brainard

Garret presents....Kathryn!

The V sign from Reeve, Kurt and Elizabeth. She looks oddly nervous.
The Velocity dinner gang flash the V sign



Melissa and I are very hungry
Wisconsin = Cheese

When in Wisconsin- Walleye. Delish.

Same for Elizabeth.

Jerry and Linda with plates licked clean.

The gang hits the road for our next stop - Kelly's Bar.

Our long suffering waitress, Jessie
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After the show, dinner at Mahoney's and refreshments at Kelly's, we retire to the common room at our dorm. Every night we bring snacks, drinks and music and have a great time swapping stories for a couple of hours before bedtime.

Rene' shares a story while Brett enjoys his favorite story time snack- "cheesy poofs".

Garret relaxing... into ... unconsciousness. It was a long day.

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Tuesday morning was awesome, even cooler than Monday. We even had to wear jackets in the morning. This pretty much pegged my cheer meter.


In the gates by 7:30 and it is in the 50's

Nancy bundled up as we have breakfast al fresco at the show.

Cool weather, early start at Oshkosh. I am very happy.

Brett and Elizabeth join us


The main drag after breakfast. Folks just starting to roll in.

Actual Blue Origin spaceship. It's been there and back.

Tim Dave's ship.

Rene's turbine Legend




Berkut in aggressor paint scheme. It was uber cool.
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This is a dream come true for me. After broiling last year, I dreamed of cool weather at Oshkosh- "Imagine if it was so cool we had to wear jackets...".  After we grabbed breakfast we wandered to the plane to take off the cover and clean off the dew. This is our usual morning routine.



A quick photo op at the arch on the way to the plane.
Mark's dream Oshkosh weather

All ready to show for the day

What a gorgeous day!


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The jackets soon came off and we had a terrific day wandering the flight line, bumping into friends, taking pictures, showing people the plane - just generally soaking up Oshkosh. I was in my glory and couldn't stop smiling. What a great day. 

Rene's Turbine Legend. Incredible machine. I want a ride someday.

Rene's cool nose art.

Kurt checking out the other racers

The Honda Jet. Check out the over the wing engine mounts.

Iconic Oshkosh Tower

Rutan's Proteus high altitude research craft. Very Rutan.

Watching the show from the plane

Winglet with WWII fly by
Pretty cool sight - The old and the new.






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Bomber fly over
Nancy and I with Patrick, the Ferrells and Trystyn

Exactly confirms my mood


More cool skywriting

Yes!

Another day over, we put the cover on the plane and head out.
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After the show, we went back to the dorm to clean up and then headed over to Fox River Brewery. It is right on the east bank of the river and not only great food but spectacular sunset views every night. We managed to snag a great table outside again and had a great time with a big bunch of Velocity folks. Here are just a few of the pictures.

Out front with the Ferrells, Garret and Kathryn

Brett teasing me for taking too many pictures. (Note the great lighting- what can I do?)

Our annual sunset view at dinner

Velocity crowd flashes the V sign

Brett and Elizabeth

Garret and Kathryn

The Ferrells

Me and Nancy

Again - Wisconsin = CHEESE

Tom and Loretta Irion stop by to say hello

Ferrells
Me and my girl
The last purple rays of sunset
....earn a thumbs up from Kathryn
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After a wonderful dinner, great sunset and good conversation, we head back to our dorms. We regroup in our common room for drinks, snacks and more conversation. Life is good.


Brett and Elizabeth

I told you Mark was thirsty!

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Wednesday morning starts at the Sacred Heart shack just outside the gates for their famous cinnamon rolls. I have to do this at least once each show. 



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It's funny to watch the daily process in which Elizabeth coats Brett with a very generous coating of sunscreen. He obviously hates it, which makes it all the funnier. 
Elizabeth's bag of torture

The back....

Nice face by Brett as the sunscreen is troweled onto his face.




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Andy and Theresa Millin flew in for the day on Wednesday. It was great to catch up with them. 

Andy ties the plane down.

Andy Millin aka Eagle One

Nancy and Theresa

Girls give the V sign for Velocity

Andy and Theresa with their plane

Most importantly, Theresa brought me chocolate chip cookies!

Theresa lures us to her purple lair with cookies.

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Hiroo Umeno and his family were flying in from Washington state in his Velocity. They had a nose gear failure in Montana, but persevered. They flew in commercial and camped with their two girls. The girls are way into flying and their Dad's Velocity. They were beyond cool as they gave the V sign and did a flight of two down Velocity Row.

Hiroo's family. He looks really happy at his first Oshkosh visit

Hiroo's girls flash the V sign at Andy's winglet


The girls do a Velocity flight of two. Note the winglets. Awesome.

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After that, we head out to check out the Fly Mart and do a little exploring.  It used to be a fun treasure hunt when we were building the planes, trying to find obscure hardware and tools at great prices. Now the game is to see what cool free "Oshkosh swag" we can pick up, that is, free promotional gear from exhibitors.

We set a new record this year with numerous hats, a cooler, a solar phone charger, and more. I also pick up some new Velocity and Oshkosh logo shirts each year. These have built up over the years, and I now have Oshkosh specific clothing for the whole show.

Winglets up Kathryn!

Heading into the show with Brett



I think I came home with about 6 new shirts

Brett adds more stuff to Elizabeth's pack. She carries supplies for a week.

True.
Tower, Velocity flight of two on short final for Fly Mart

Elizabeth's new IAC gear after a ride in the Oracle showplane
A chromed out rototiller. How can I say no?


Headed back with another free hat and a backpack of goodies.

Curds and cured meat. What could go wrong on a field full of Porta pots?

Hanging out by my plane with friends. Love this.

Shorts, shorts, blanket?

Free swag - Cooler bag and solar charger/power bank

Kathryn and Nancy grab some ice cream to cool off after shopping

Kathryn and Garret
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One of the features this year was bombers. They put on an incredible show each afternoon, which was great to watch from the plane. It is nice to hang out near your own plane parked on the field. It acts as a locker for your stuff, provides shade and it's fun to show it to interested pilots who stop by all day in a steady stream.

View of the air show from the plane
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The bombers going over our plane.

B25


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Here's a quick video of the amazing procession of bombers going right over us every day.


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After the show, we put the cover on the plane and take the bus back to the dorm. It was another perfect day, but it seems like it is all going too fast. I look forward to this all year and here it is already Tuesday night. We plan on leaving Thursday morning, so tomorrow will be our last full day at the show. I resolve to have another good evening tonight and to make the most of Wednesday.

N929X all tucked in for the night
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Bus selfie on the way home. Lots of happy pilots, and my new, free Bose hat.



Nancy back at our dorm, North Scott hall. In 27 years of coming to the show, we have tried camping, renting rooms in a local house, hotels and the dorms. Camping had the advantage of letting us have the maximum time at the show, but I felt hot, tired and dirty all week. Hotels just didn't have the Oshkosh energy and vibe we love. The dorms have decent beds, privacy, real bathrooms and showers for only $75. They have a cafeteria for breakfast and a bus that takes us to the show for $1.50 round trip.

 More importantly, we always have a group of friends that book rooms together, so there is a fun after party every day. They are filled with other happy pilots and we meet new people every year. The only down side is that on hot years, the un-air conditioned rooms are very hot. We solve that by buying cheap box fans for each of us.

We got showered, cleaned up and headed into town to try out a new wine bar called Gardina's that Nancy discovered.

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We take the rental car downtown and find that it is very quiet, but the restaurants are packed. You can stand in the middle of the street and not see a car moving. Here are a few shots from dinner.

Over the years, many of our favorite regular restaurants have disappeared, like The Granary, Robbins, and Laura's Tortilla Flats. We were hoping this one would be good.

Gardina's did not disappoint. We had terrific tapas and very good wine in a nice atmosphere, with fast, friendly service. We will make this a regular stop.
Look ma, no cars.
...and none the other way.
Checking out the sights downtown
Free beer, topless bartender & false advertising - clever.

In a window display. This was strange.






Garret and Kathryn


 It was a nice way to end the day.

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Of course, the day didn't end with dinner. After we got back to the dorms, it was time for our nightly dorm party in the common room, joined by Brett and Elizabeth, who had gone to the Cozy Girls dinner, and by Doc Rene', who always has the best stories. We stayed up late and had a really fun time.

Kathryn gets a foot and neck rub

Very.


Kathryn loses it.

Flex off with Rene'

Brett and Nancy. It's a tough crowd in the dorm.
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Wednesday was our last day at the show. We had the Velocity dinner at the Beer Moon tent set for the evening. I wanted to check some new avionics for the plane, walk the flight line, hang at the plane...I wished we had another day or two. Next year. For now, I try to pack in as much Oshkosh as I can.

Things look dark and stormy as we head to the show. I can't complain as the weather has been absolutely perfect and it's supposed to clear up again after the storm.
Heading into the show.

Things look ominous over the Velocity booth

Here's why- a big storm coming in.

Nancy and Elizabeth feign terror as the storm gets closer
The B One "Bone" looks ominous on the square

I need a picture of that

Kurt, Patrick, Rene and Steve greet us at the plane


My Velocity driver friends

Nancy and Elizabeth try a VR ride along with the Aeroshell aerobatic team.



Only at Oshkosh - a Jeep full of Hot Dogs with Velocities and Porta Pots

Nancy and I reflected in newly restored B29 "Doc"

Nancy next to a B25 prop

Hanging at the plane
We had a great day, but before I knew it, it was time to button up the plane and walk over to the Beer Moon for the Velocity dinner. I am a little bummed that the show is essentially over for me, but I'm looking forward to the dinner and catching up with so many old friends.

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Here are some pictures of the Velocity dinner at the Beer Moon. It's called the beer moon, at least by many, because the vendor has a huge, illuminated balloon  that says beer. At night, it looks like a full moon, but with a BEER logo. We had a great turnout with around 75 Velocity folks attending. The food was good and the company was better. Again, it seemed to go by really quickly. Here are just a few pictures from the dinner.

It's raining as we walk to the dinner. Here are our sad leaving the show faces.

Melissa Lorenz at the check in table


Certified with Patrick Sieders

Garret and the girls

Lisa Avila, Linda Brainard and Tim/Dave Nelson

Jerry, Kent and Steve

The Irions and friends


Trystyn, The Umeno Family and Bobby Ibrahim

Nancy and Nora Kufalk

Bill Mulrooney, Kurt Winker and Ned Bingham

Deilyn and the girls
The Velocity Dinner tent - all 75 of us.

John Youngblood with Tom and Loretta Irion

Patrick and Elizabeth get their Eagle One on.
After the rain stopped, we moved outside and continued the party. The whole time we are out there in the nice twilight, an incredible array of bombers are doing low flyovers, including B25's, the B One, B 17's, B 29's and more. It was wonderful.

Rene' finds the beer moon

Patrick, Chris and Tim Dave

Rene and Bill

That girl second to left is kinda plain

Lurabeth, Elizabeth, Linda, Melissa and Nancy
 All too soon, it was time to head home and pack up for our morning departure.





Nancy and I leave the show

Followed by Chris and Rene

Bye guys!
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Before packing up, we have one more dorm get together.

Elizabeth digs in to get the air show knots out before the big flight home

Hey, who's the doctor here, anyway?

Our new Australian friend joins us. He was a riot.



The next morning, we get up early, pack up and check out of the dorm. The weather en route and back home is supposed to be marginal, and worsening throughout the day. Of course, it is absolutely perfect here in Oshkosh. We decide to try to be wheels up early, get as far as we can and re-evaluate.

Here are some pictures of our departure. 

Bags packed up in front of the dorm
Walking through the show to the plane

Pulling the plane up to taxiway Papa One
Looking back at the show as we wait for clearance
Sad to be leaving.
If you have to wait, it is a cool place to hang out. Fighter planes taxi right past.

Garret and I wait for a Mustang to pass

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After about 20 minutes, we are cleared onto the taxiway for departure. Here are some shots of the taxi and departure.




We are cleared to pull out onto the taxiway.




Thumbs up! Time to go.



Cleared to the taxiway
Turning onto the taxiway

Cockpit view as we taxi in front of the show.
Oshkosh tower in the background
Passing the tower
The Aeroshell team

Looking back as we hold on the taxiway

Holding at the departure end






Turning for the runway - almost there
Only two more ahead of us

Up next after the big seaplane!

Lined up for departure


Shot of liftoff from the winglet cam
Turning right as we depart
Looking back at the show

Headed toward Lake Winnebago at 1,300 feet


Winglet view as we approach Lake Winnebago

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Here is a quick video of our takeoff from Oshkosh taken by Nancy in the back seat.

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Here are some shots of our first leg home. We have decided to fly to Port Clinton, Ohio for lunch at the Tin Goose Diner . We will also fuel up and check weather.


Small island just off shore in Lake Winnebago

Headed over the big lake - 100 miles over Lake Michigan
Made it to the far shore. Always a relief.

Cleared right over Cleveland International


Crew Selfie

Cruising between layers at 7,500

Winglet view

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Here's a video of our approach and landing at Port Clinton.



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On the ground in Port Clinton. It's good to get out and stretch our legs. You park right between a great diner and a very good aviation museum. It's a good stop.


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We check the forecast - and it's not good. Marginal visibility the rest of the way, with near minimums at home. We decide to give it a try and see how far we can get.





Climbout from Port Clinton

Skirting Lake Erie
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This is a video of our takeoff from Port Clinton for home.



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Here come the clouds

We stay on top at 7,500 for most of the way as a broken layer builds below
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We managed to make great time, cruising along at 180 knots in smooth air over the weather until we get to Pennsylvania. There is a solid deck over the Appalachians at around 3,800 feet. The rest of the flight we will have to be low and in the murk. 
The Appalachians and a low, solid deck of clouds


Descending to clear the cloud deck - and the mountains

Visibility gets really low over the Susquehanna

Murky conditions at 2,800 feet

Low and slow over Lancaster - 15 minutes from home

About as murky as I ever care to fly in. We can still see 10 miles in all directions.

10 miles from home

In sight of our airport


We start our approach as the clouds force us down to 2,00 feet.
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Here's a video of our approach and landing back home at Chester County Airport.



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Back on the ground, we taxi to the hangar.



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Unloaded back at the hangar



                          We carried all this stuff, along with 4 people from Oshkosh.

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Here is our route home with the weather depicted. I really need to get my instrument rating.

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The others head home and I stay to clean off the plane and tuck it in the hangar.
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My 9th Airventure mug goes on my shelf.


This was a great show. My wife teases that I didn't stop smiling and laughing the whole time, which may be true. I have a very busy, stressful life. My annual trip to Oshkosh is a break from that. It is a week to spend doing what I love with lots of good friends. It is quality time with my wife. It is definitely my favorite week of every year.

If you follow this blog, you may notice that while there are more pictures, there are fewer pictures of aircraft. That's because the best part of this annual adventure is the people. A happier, more positive group of people would be hard to find. This is a pilot's paradise and an annual homecoming for many.

I'm already looking forward to next year. In the meantime, I am putting together what I hope will be the best video yet of our annual trip. I hope to put it up soon.

To all my Oshkosh friends- thank you all for another great year. I absolutely loved seeing my old friends and making some great new ones.  See you all next year.

Mark

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2 comments:

datadriver said...

Mark, time to get that IFR rating. Plow through those overcast layers.

bf said...

Nice update. Only 333 days to go!