Oshkosh questions

Hotels? That was a question for a few months ago, as others have said..
they are pretty much booked at this point.

Fly in camping has gotten ALMOST full (95% but never actually closed,
IIRC). The fly in parking for folks who dont camp on field does cap out
sometimes.

One person gave a recommendation of 5 days.. 1 in transit each way and 3
on field may not apply to you, depending on where you are. What I mean
is coming in they close the field during the airshow in the afternoon,
then they have "the exodus" to allow mass departures after the airshow.
Then they run inbounds until sundown. Once they close at sundown, its
CLOSED to inbounds. If you live a long ways away you might want to make
it a 2 day trip getting there, or leave VERY early in the morning.

I flew from Houston in an Arrow, and we left midmorning and we already
knew that we wouldn't get into OSH in time so we had planned a stay in
St Louis, then pushed the rest of the way in the next morning. We showed
up on a thursday, and folks had already started to leave, and we got to
park in the 3rd row of the North 40.

3 of us came in the plane. We mailed the heavy stuff (up to 75# per box
- 3 boxes - Stove, lantern, folding chairs, tents, etc) and took the
clothes, sleeping bags, pillows and tarps with us.. so even if our stuff
didn't make it, we could make due with what was in the plane. Save the
boxes.. mail it back. Get/bring some cheap "throwaway" luggage wheeler
to carry the stuff the mile or so you will need to.

If you dont own the plane, I would reserve it NOW. I would talk to the
FBO and get something in writing that if the plane is down for
maintenance you get first dibs on a replacement (fat chance, but it cant
hurt).

Read the following:
http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/182691-1.html
It's not directed at you, well.. I hope not.. but its required reading
in my mind. When it comes to the flying, be on your game: Altitude,
airspeed and being able to "spot land" where you should. Be practiced at
keeping your speed up until you HAVE to slow down.

Enough for now..
Dave



Jimmy B. wrote:
I'm thinking of making my first trip to Oshkosh this year.

How far in advance do I have to plan this? For example, how quickly do
the local hotels fill up? (Haven't made up my mind if I will camp or do
the hotel thing.)

Do I need a reservation to park the airplane? If so, how quickly do
they fill up?

Not being someone who needs to see everything, how many days should I
plan on to get the true experience?

I'm sure I'll have more questions to follow, so please bear with me and
thank you for your useful inputs.

Add the following to the reading list too.. read it first if you can.
http://www.avweb.com/news/osh2002/181590-1.html

Dave

Dave S wrote:



Read the following:
http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/182691-1.html
It's not directed at you, well.. I hope not.. but its required reading
in my mind. When it comes to the flying, be on your game: Altitude,
airspeed and being able to "spot land" where you should. Be practiced at
keeping your speed up until you HAVE to slow down.

Enough for now..
Dave



Jimmy B. wrote:

I'm thinking of making my first trip to Oshkosh this year.

How far in advance do I have to plan this? For example, how quickly
do the local hotels fill up? (Haven't made up my mind if I will camp
or do the hotel thing.)

Do I need a reservation to park the airplane? If so, how quickly do
they fill up?

Not being someone who needs to see everything, how many days should I
plan on to get the true experience?

I'm sure I'll have more questions to follow, so please bear with me
and thank you for your useful inputs.

Random thoughts and, hopefully, not stuff already answered...

- Visit www.ariventure.org...a lot. Tons of great info. there.

- Download the NOTAM (available from the airventure website). Read it,
highlight it, sleep with it under your pillow, have it in the plane when
you make the arrival. If the size of the NOTAM scares you, drive or fly
commercially. I'm serious!

- Hit avweb and search for Rick Durden's past articles about Oshkosh.
Great stuff. One very sobering article but well worth the read (and
you'll understand why I say if the NOTAM scares you, drive.

- Arriving a day before the show starts has worked for us the past two
years. Another option is to wait until about day three or four as lots
of spots open up in the north-40 after the first couple of days.

- Figure out where folks that frequent the newsgroups come from and pick
their brains routes, places to stop for gas and/or hotel (*if* the
NOTAM doesn't scare you and you fly in :-) )

- IMHO, no matter how many days you plan for the first time you go, you
won't see everything, you'll be dead tired after each day but you'll
have the biggest grin on your face and you'll want to come back the next
year and the year after that and the year after that and...

- If you fly in (ya, after the NOTAM thing), have somebody else in the
plane. As many mark-one eyeballs looking outside as possible helps.

- Ask tons of questions since there are many folks like Jay H. who have
gone to Oshkosh for the past zillion years or so. I'm a mere newbie
with only two years under my belt.

Congrats on the decision to go. Next to deciding to learn to fly, doing
something like this is a great PIC decision :-)
--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student-Arrow shopping student

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Here's links to the mentioned columns... a must read:

http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/182691-1.html

http://www.avweb.com/news/osh2002/181590-1.html

-ET




Jack Allison wrote in
k.net:


Random thoughts and, hopefully, not stuff already answered...

- Visit www.ariventure.org...a lot. Tons of great info. there.

- Download the NOTAM (available from the airventure website). Read it,
highlight it, sleep with it under your pillow, have it in the plane when
you make the arrival. If the size of the NOTAM scares you, drive or fly
commercially. I'm serious!

- Hit avweb and search for Rick Durden's past articles about Oshkosh.
Great stuff. One very sobering article but well worth the read (and
you'll understand why I say if the NOTAM scares you, drive.

- Arriving a day before the show starts has worked for us the past two
years. Another option is to wait until about day three or four as lots
of spots open up in the north-40 after the first couple of days.

- Figure out where folks that frequent the newsgroups come from and pick
their brains routes, places to stop for gas and/or hotel (*if* the
NOTAM doesn't scare you and you fly in :-) )

- IMHO, no matter how many days you plan for the first time you go, you
won't see everything, you'll be dead tired after each day but you'll
have the biggest grin on your face and you'll want to come back the next
year and the year after that and the year after that and...

- If you fly in (ya, after the NOTAM thing), have somebody else in the
plane. As many mark-one eyeballs looking outside as possible helps.

- Ask tons of questions since there are many folks like Jay H. who have
gone to Oshkosh for the past zillion years or so. I'm a mere newbie
with only two years under my belt.

Congrats on the decision to go. Next to deciding to learn to fly, doing
something like this is a great PIC decision :-)

Thanks for posting the links ET...one of those occasions where I was too
lazy to look them up. Yes, definite must read stuff.


--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL-IA Student-Arrow Shopping Student

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

Jack, you are coming from Sacramento, aren't you? Wanna convoy this year?
The blueonblue182 is leaving on Saturday to hit Jay's pool party in Iowa
City on Sunday into Oshkosh on Monday.

Leaving Saturday after the EAA meeting and election for a straight flight
home -- usually East Undershirt Nebraska the first day and home on Sunday.

BTW, that link is www.airventure.com Note the typo?

Jim



"Jack Allison" wrote in message
k.net...

Random thoughts and, hopefully, not stuff already answered...

- Visit www.ariventure.org...a lot. Tons of great info. there.

Isn't it www.airventure.org?

"RST Engineering" wrote in message
...
Jack, you are coming from Sacramento, aren't you? Wanna convoy this year?
The blueonblue182 is leaving on Saturday to hit Jay's pool party in Iowa
City on Sunday into Oshkosh on Monday.

Leaving Saturday after the EAA meeting and election for a straight flight
home -- usually East Undershirt Nebraska the first day and home on Sunday.

BTW, that link is www.airventure.com Note the typo?

Jim



"Jack Allison" wrote in message
k.net...

Random thoughts and, hopefully, not stuff already answered...

- Visit www.ariventure.org...a lot. Tons of great info. there.

Yes, of course. Duhh. My dumb.

Jim

"Jon Woellhaf" wrote in message
...
Isn't it www.airventure.org?

Jim, remember Oshkosh starts on Monday this year.

Jay, how is this gonna affect your pool party?

John

Jim, remember Oshkosh starts on Monday this year.

Jay, how is this gonna affect your pool party?

Our fly-in pool party will be on Saturday (rather than Sunday) this year, to
allow everyone to arrive in OSH one day early, as prescribed by both
tradition and common sense.

The rec.aviation party at our campsite will still be on Wednesday though,
methinks. Or does that interfere with your other parties, Jim? Montblack?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"