OSH vs SnF

[Jose[_1_]]

Reading all these posts I'm not sure why people go to Oshkosh in the
first place, especially with Sun'n'Fun as an alternative. It simply
makes more sense to me that after a hard Northeastern winter, a peek at
spring by going to Florida in May (or so) sounds like just the ticket.
I went last year and it rained once (though it was cooler than I had
expected). Why would people want to pick the hottest month in the year
and to go a known heat wave with thunderstorms instead?

It's a serious question for those who have been to both. I've only been
to SnF, and only once, camping by the plane. I had a great time and
flying in was easy. I did it twice, since I had to leave to take some
friends home. Taxiing was forever though, and I thought they did a
great job getting us out at the end of the event.

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[Guy Elden Jr]

Maybe because SnF is at the extreme southeastern corner of the country,
while Osh is pretty much right in the middle.

I dunno - after reading all these posts about the "adventures" at Osh,
I seriously doubt I'll ever go.

--
Guy


Jose wrote:
> Reading all these posts I'm not sure why people go to Oshkosh in the
> first place, especially with Sun'n'Fun as an alternative. It simply
> makes more sense to me that after a hard Northeastern winter, a peek at
> spring by going to Florida in May (or so) sounds like just the ticket.
> I went last year and it rained once (though it was cooler than I had
> expected). Why would people want to pick the hottest month in the year
> and to go a known heat wave with thunderstorms instead?
>
> It's a serious question for those who have been to both. I've only been
> to SnF, and only once, camping by the plane. I had a great time and
> flying in was easy. I did it twice, since I had to leave to take some
> friends home. Taxiing was forever though, and I thought they did a
> great job getting us out at the end of the event.
>
> Jose
> --
> The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
> for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[Dan Luke]

"Jose" wrote:

> Reading all these posts I'm not sure why people go to Oshkosh in the first
> place, especially with Sun'n'Fun as an alternative. It simply makes more
> sense to me that after a hard Northeastern winter, a peek at spring by
> going to Florida in May (or so) sounds like just the ticket.

If you live in the Deep South, you are sick to death of summer by the end of
July. The idea of a few days away from the unrelenting steam bath is
another incentive to go to Osh. It's a real bummer when it turns hot and
humid like it did this year or 2001 when it was over 100 for 3 days. Some
years it's lovely, mild weather at Airventure. It NEVER is in Mobile this
time of year. The only "break" you're liable to get here is a hurricane.

> I went last year and it rained once (though it was cooler than I had
> expected). Why would people want to pick the hottest month in the year
> and to go a known heat wave with thunderstorms instead?

Most years are not that bad.

> It's a serious question for those who have been to both.

April is a goofy month for weather. Seems like there are more years when
IMC traps a lot of people trying to get to or from SnF. I've seen the
Mobile airports loaded with stranded SnF airplanes more than once.

OSH is a bit more centrally located, too.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[Jay Honeck]

> It's a serious question for those who have been to both. I've only been
> to SnF, and only once, camping by the plane. I had a great time and
> flying in was easy. I did it twice, since I had to leave to take some
> friends home. Taxiing was forever though, and I thought they did a
> great job getting us out at the end of the event.

SnF is wonderful, but I've never come closer to dying than I did flying
into Lakeland. To think that flying into SnF is any different than
flying into OSH is just wishful thinking.

Also, the weather getting to/from SnF is very, very dicey. We've gone
twice, and it's either been 6 hours down, and 3 days back, or vice
versa. Both times we were stuck by winter storms and icing, and there
always seems to be a persistent line of thunderstorms stationed right
along the Florida panhandle.

The storms in the Midwest in July, on the other hand, are usually
quick-hitters, and often quite easy to fly around. It's a world of
difference.

Finally, SnF is not OSH. There is, quite simply nothing like OSH
anywhere else.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Doug[_1_]]

Sun n Fun coicides with income tax deadline. Not a good time for
traveling. Some filings HAVE to wait for the necessary paperwork. And
like Jay said, the weather GETTING there is dicey.

[Dan Luke]

"Guy Elden Jr" wrote:

> I dunno - after reading all these posts about the "adventures" at Osh,
> I seriously doubt I'll ever go.

People like to bitch--I'm certainly a prime example--but you'll notice that
all these complainers keep going back.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[John Theune]

Jose wrote:
> Reading all these posts I'm not sure why people go to Oshkosh in the
> first place, especially with Sun'n'Fun as an alternative. It simply
> makes more sense to me that after a hard Northeastern winter, a peek at
> spring by going to Florida in May (or so) sounds like just the ticket. I
> went last year and it rained once (though it was cooler than I had
> expected). Why would people want to pick the hottest month in the year
> and to go a known heat wave with thunderstorms instead?
>
> It's a serious question for those who have been to both. I've only been
> to SnF, and only once, camping by the plane. I had a great time and
> flying in was easy. I did it twice, since I had to leave to take some
> friends home. Taxiing was forever though, and I thought they did a
> great job getting us out at the end of the event.
>
> Jose
I've been to Osh 7 times and SNF twice. I liked SNF but did not feel it
was as well run as Osh. It did not seem as big and did not have as many
new things to offer. Since I live in the mid-Atlantic area the distance
issue is not a deciding factor for me nor is the threat of weather since
I have a IFR ticket. ( discounting Tstorms and such ) All in all I
intend to continue doing both shows but if I had to choose it would be Osh.

John

[Jay Honeck]

> Since I live in the mid-Atlantic area the distance
> issue is not a deciding factor for me nor is the threat of weather since
> I have a IFR ticket. ( discounting Tstorms and such )

We have never been stopped by weather going into SnF that an IFR ticket
would have helped. At least not in anything less than a King Air.

Can you say "ice" and "tops to 47,000 feet"???

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Longworth[_1_]]

Jose wrote:
> Reading all these posts I'm not sure why people go to Oshkosh in the
> first place, especially with Sun'n'Fun as an alternative.

Jose,
We made our first Oshkosh trip this year and would have gone to SnF
if it weren't for the iffy weather forecasts the last few years. We
have our IFR tickets but did not want to mess around with ice or
thunderstorms coming to Florida from the Northeast. We plan to get XM
weather when Lowrance introduces their GPS version with weather next
Spring.

Hai Longworth

[Michael[_1_]]

Dan Luke wrote:
> "Guy Elden Jr" wrote:
>
> > I dunno - after reading all these posts about the "adventures" at Osh,
> > I seriously doubt I'll ever go.
>
> People like to bitch--I'm certainly a prime example--but you'll notice that
> all these complainers keep going back.

Not all of us. I've been to both. I've also flown night single engine
over the mountains, flown overwater a hundred miles from land, taken
off into low IMC and shot night circling NDB approaches to mins and a
landing on short runways, picked my way around thunderstorms, flown
experimental aircraft that had their design 'improved' by the builder,
landed twins on short rough strips and light singles at major
internationals during the evening push, picked up ice - and I have
NEVER been as scared as I was on some of the Oshkosh and Sun 'n Fun
arrival and departure procedures. I'm not going back.

Michael

[Dan Luke]

"Michael" wrote:

> I have NEVER been as scared as I was on some of the Oshkosh and Sun 'n Fun
> arrival and departure procedures. I'm not going back.

This year was my first year to make it all the way to OSH and actually land
there. The sky was full of airplanes from Ripon onward, but nothing happened
that scared me. I realize that luck plays a role in this, but the same can
be said for operations at Weiser, where I *have* had the crap scared out of
me by a Baron that veered off the runway and was headed straight for me at
the gas pump.

Yes, OSH and SnF are dangerous, but given the historical ratio of
fatals/operation, not dangerous enough to scare me off. Living is dangerous.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

[john smith]

In article m>,
"Jay Honeck" > wrote:

> Both times we were stuck by winter storms and icing, and there
> always seems to be a persistent line of thunderstorms stationed right
> along the Florida panhandle.

Interesting that you noticed that.
Gordon Baxter wrote about the same thing over twenty years ago.

[john smith]

In article om>,
"Jay Honeck" > wrote:

> We have never been stopped by weather going into SnF that an IFR ticket
> would have helped. At least not in anything less than a King Air.

This is true.
I have watched low pressure systems pump moisture into the Eastern US
around SnF week. It comes up out of the Gulf and either tracks northeast
up the west side of the Alleghanies or eastward across AL and GA then up
the east side of the Alleghanies. It can last as long as two weeks (four
years ago.) I have taken advantage of being on the front side of a high
pressure system going south to FL and ridden the trailing low pressure
system back north later the same week. If the timing works, it provides
spectacular ground speeds.