Oshkosh 2003 Redux

Jay Honeck wrote:

Mary and I just returned from six glorious days camped next to Atlas on the
field in Oshkosh! We're tired, sunburned, our feet hurt -- and damn, if
we didn't want to stay another week or three...

Yup.

I hadn't been back for years, and it was good to bring my kids. A lot
of highlights, but I guess it was good to cap it all off at Sunday's
session with Burt Rutan. Iconoclastic as ever, he offered a persuasive
argument contrasting the space program's historic trajectory with that
of aviation in its early days. The R&D timeline's empty space to the
right of the shuttle and Soyuz in his power point presentation was the
coup de grace, IMO.

We'd never camped at OSH, so it was fun to get a spot on 56th, a
stone's throw from vintage and conveniently near the Farm. What
fortune -- in contrast with the misfortune of waking up in a tent
floating westward past 35th on Wed. night. Heck, that meant we had to
dash a quarter mile back just to get to our ark for the night (5
people in a ford minivan). [no, not even my exaggeration tops your
story; are you sure your tent wasn't just trying to qualify for use as
a parafoil at the Farm?]

- Almost saw a disaster, though, when a Mustang taxied out in front of
landing traffic on RWY 27. Amazingly, the Mustang driver simply firewalled
it and actually OUT-accelerated the Cessna (that was trying land OVER him),
and took off in front of him. Boy, it was close, though...

There was one more. I believe it was Julie Clark whose Saturday flight
scared the crap out of me. Coming down just in front of us a couple
hundred yards left of center, she disappeared below the runway
(heading north), apparently clipping the grass on its east side. I
couldn't see even a piece of her for a moment. Everything got real
quiet for a bit, and no one wanted to say much for a while.

I'm darned glad that Velocity was the only real incident -- but I
didn't know it was a Velocity till you posted that. Figures. I'm an
inactive pilot with a hankerin' -- someday when I can afford it -- to
build that plane.

Till then, maybe I'll strap one of those fans on my back, like I saw
up at the Farm. I can probably afford that once I have my daughter
past college, following her brothers. Let's see, she's 5 now...

- Scott

Buy her an old used set of encyclopedias (1950's - 1980's) at a garage sale.
Sure, most of the African countries have new names, here in the 21st
century.

The point is, Daddy wants to fly ...now!! Let her get her own darn
scholarship. :-)

--
Montblack

("Scott Marquardt" wrote)
Till then, maybe I'll strap one of those fans on my back, like I saw
up at the Farm. I can probably afford that once I have my daughter
past college, following her brothers. Let's see, she's 5 now...

There was one more. I believe it was Julie Clark whose Saturday flight
scared the crap out of me. Coming down just in front of us a couple
hundred yards left of center, she disappeared below the runway
(heading north), apparently clipping the grass on its east side. I
couldn't see even a piece of her for a moment. Everything got real
quiet for a bit, and no one wanted to say much for a while.

Hey, we saw that too! My son and I were walking along the flight line,
kinda half-watching the show (I've seen Clark fly, like, a jillion times),
when I saw her pull up WAY late.

I, too, thought she was going to belly in, but she made it -- somehow. I
figured it must've been an optical illusion, cuz it looked like she couldn't
have been more than a foot or two off the grass.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

Mary and I just returned from six glorious days camped next to Atlas
on the field in Oshkosh! We're tired, sunburned, our feet hurt --
and damn, if we didn't want to stay another week or three...

Just got back too. Third time there, but first time working a booth as a
paid employee (of the US Navy, Hanger B). I'd volunteered once, and been
a tourist the other.

Thoughts:

Segway - I was bummed they were charging you to ride it, because I wanted
to. I had a great idea for a new sport. Segway jousting. Each party has
ten foot poles with a pillow on the end. If the Segway gyros are too
quick to ever let you fall, make it Segway Chicken Fight Jousting.

Rocket Powered Waco - I love that thing. The best airshow I saw was the
Masters of Disaster, when the three biplanes just flew around in a big
furball. It was the only show I saw that made me want to jump in an
airplane and join them.

Storms - Never mind the tornadoes, I thought a hurricane was coming that
one night (Tuesday night?) at zero-dark-thirty. I tied myself to a tree
and sacrificed a squirrel to the weather gods, averting disaster.

Planes - The pulse detonation engine and the fuel cell powered planes
were cool ideas. Some really nice Skybolts completed this year. A Hatz
again finished in the money (reserve grand champion plans built). Cool.

Food - costs too damn much.

Museum - Very nice!

I had a great time and was exhausted by the end. Can't wait for next
year!

**************

Mike

nafod40 wrote:

Segway - I was bummed they were charging you to ride it, because I wanted
to. I had a great idea for a new sport. Segway jousting. Each party has
ten foot poles with a pillow on the end. If the Segway gyros are too
quick to ever let you fall, make it Segway Chicken Fight Jousting.

Mike -- you should write the company and suggest this. Sales would
skyrocket. People are always willing to pay more for their fun. Look
at that weekend-warrior paintball stuff.

Best,
Sydney

Respectfully disagree. The Vertex/Yaesu got one of our "BEST OF SHOW" awards
this year for doing things the Icom can only dream of.

Jim



"Jay Honeck"
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

-
-- The ICOM A-5 handheld com radio is the best portable com available. (It's
-actually smaller and lighter than just the BATTERY of my old A-21!) I bought
-one, even though it meant busting my budget...


Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

nafod40 wrote:
Just got back too. Third time there, but first time working a booth as a
paid employee (of the US Navy, Hanger B). I'd volunteered once, and been
a tourist the other.

If you were part of the NavAir booth, my hats off to you guys!
You had some really good give-aways!
My kids an I really appreciated the carabiners and my daughter cannot
wait to use the glow stick.
Thanks!

On 4 Aug 2003 23:22:08 -0700, (Scott Marquardt)
wrote:

Yup.

I hadn't been back for years, and it was good to bring my kids.

Well, whaddayaknow.

You getting back in the left seat, Scott?

Rob

Respectfully disagree. The Vertex/Yaesu got one of our "BEST OF SHOW"
awards
this year for doing things the Icom can only dream of.

Dang -- I KNEW we shoulda made it to your forum!

What's it do that's so cool? (Heck, my ICOM even records transmissions for
later listening!)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

It is a geek thing. It has both AM for the aircraft band, FM for amateur
2-meters, the whole FM broadcast band AND a spectrum analyzer to see what
channels either side of the one you are on are being used.

I gotta agree, that digital recorder is a pretty nice feature also.

Jim



"Jay Honeck"
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

- Respectfully disagree. The Vertex/Yaesu got one of our "BEST OF SHOW"
-awards
- this year for doing things the Icom can only dream of.
-
-Dang -- I KNEW we shoulda made it to your forum!
-
-What's it do that's so cool? (Heck, my ICOM even records transmissions for
-later listening!)


Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com