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Oshkosh
We made it to Oshkosh with our 04 XL2 Marathon without any problems. There are going to be between 30-40K campers at the place. EAA made it a point to make money off their members this year. They doubled the cost for spouses to be at the show. The excuse was the FAA is charging them half million dollars for air traffic controls.
If anyone of this group is at the show please look us up we are at the campground across the freeway at Osh Vegas campgound with 50 A service and water at the coach.
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16 Replies
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The only one I know that is there this year is Jdub and he’s sleeping beside the Doctor Killer in a tent.
Have fun, would have liked to be there again this year, but too many places to go.
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I’m parked on Stitts Road (east side) in Camp Schoeller half a block north of the dump site. I’ll try to look up the others here, but that could present a challenge. There may be more than one Bonanza with a tent beside it. ‘Anyone have Jerry’s tail number?
Ron
623 six four zero 1626
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Ron,
Go to where the Bonanzas are parked and ask for Jerry. They all know him. His Bo is painted Tennessee Orange. Make sure you tell him that. His tail number is something like OSU, maybe 05U.
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Also ash Jerry if the OSU is for Ohio State University.
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Good one Jack. I forgot about that. That little school he went to stole their orange color from TN and their initials from OH.
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Jerry grumbled and mentioned something about Arkansas colors and considering the source of such remarks. I was really surprised at his “age verified” wristband from the gathering where alcohol was served. Somehow I thought he was beyond being carded, but apparently not. I suggested he dye his mustache gray.
Hisham’s coach looks so good he actually shamed the campground owner into dressing better to come up to the level of his tenants. The fancy duds were really tongue-in-cheek because that little campground is one of the best kept secrets of AirVenture. ‘Hook-ups, no generators, nice neighbors and host sponsored meals, all for little more than my dry camping in a field. Such a deal!
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Ron
We are so happy to have met you. You are right about the Osh Vegas Campground, it is a great bargain for the money and yet we can get the 50 Amp electric service as well as the water and no sloshkosh.
I know EAA is making improvements but the price of $550 a day for 50 Amp service is too high.
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All you other folks out there are missing a great show! Where else can you see and talk to a guy who flies formation with jet fighters by mounting a small wing with four tiny jet engines on his back or a car that unfolds its wings and takes to the air? And, hey, the vendors demonstrate aluminum and stainless polishing methods with magic liquids while the fly-market has a wide variety of polishing cloths.
On a sad note, our leaders in Washington nearly caused the show to be cancelled by suddenly demanding payment of $450,0000 or they’d stop the air traffic controllers who compete with each other to get here from working the show. Faced with the show being held for randsom, the Experimental Aircraft Association paid the bill under protest. That 450K amounts to each private puddle-jumper pilot paying more for a landing here than the commercial guys pay for an instrument approach to landing! There has never been a government charge since the beginning of this prestegious event because it generates so much revenue for American vendors by drawing visitors from all over the world and serves to ensure the dominance of American technology in aviation. Another first is the absence of any U.S. military flying demonstrations or static displays for the important task of motivating the young aviation enthusiasts here to volunteer for military service. It will be interesting to see how the long term economics of failed recruiting quotas play out against sequester savings from withholding a few military airplanes from the world’s largest gathering of aviators. Enough ranting from my soapbox, I’m staying out of politics and going back to the show.
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Ron is on the money. There was a time when this country absolutely dominated the aviation business and slowly but surely we are losing our manufacturing dominance and fewer kids today want to be pilots. This is not a political issue as much as it is a shift in corporate attitudes and ownership of manufacturers from US to offshore companies.
It doesn’t help when our own government piles on.
Rant off also.
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That really makes the blood boil, our government at it’s best!
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Glad to hear that Oshvegas was worthwhile. I had a reservation with Marty for the week but didn’t get to use it.
Started with a spot next to the warbirds that was lost due to the untimely action of our chief logistics officer. Then talked to the nice lady with the slots next to the museum, thought seriously about street parking in front of a house rental some of our guys had reserved. Finally decided that Oshvegas might be the ticket.
Then the C-45 had engine problems, then the T-6 engine didn’t get back from Covington in time. While enroute, I stopped at Marathon Dallas to get their computer kid figure out some of my Creston problems, only to figure out that my house batteries needed replacement (3.5 years old) and they didn’t have in stock.
Sometimes you have to be a firm believer in the 3 omens theory of life. So, next year. I can however, officially draw a comparison between the level of mechanical complexity and costs between owning a 12 year old Prevost and a couple of 70 year old airplanes. As the wise man once said: Best way I know to convert money into noise “and distance”.
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Nothing eats money as fast as an airplane.
Once you get the coach dialed in and you graduate from the school of hard knocks that teaches the coach and systems, coach ownership expenses are relatively modest. But with those planes, even if you don’t fly them you can hear them munching on a basket of money.
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Charlie,
If you’re bringing that stuff next year to Oshvegas, I will have to do my best to be there.
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I’d pay $55 for power and water at OSH cus camping in a tent by your plane is not much less than that. Although the weather was a touch cool this year, the plane cut and tied every bale on the trip in and the 4 hr IFR trip home. Here we are taxiing in after arriving with 110 Bonanzas in formation.
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I fly a B200 King Air……….piloting a Prevost is similar……lots of systems, controls, and procedures, both expensive, but both have great history and reliability, and safe to operate when done properly.
King Air probably easier to navigate in,………..less traffic up there!
Ya’ll have fun in Oshkosh!
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