Oshkosh Reflections

"Rich S." wrote in message
...
"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:78NIe.6$Im1.4@trndny02...

Last time I was there, UPS had a booth set up outside the Fly-Mart.

Strange thing about that UPS booth. We sent a box of clothes to our B&B in
Oshkosh for $13. Sending the same box back home from the booth cost $30.
It was within a pound or so of the same weight.

Wonder if Poberezny & Co. gets a bit of a kickback? Naw, he wouldn't do
that. . .


They probably charge for the booth space and as has already been discussed
booth space is expensive.

"john smith" wrote

I'll bring a hacksaw next year!

Tube cutters make a better square cut, plus they are magnitudes easier.
--
Jim in NC

For future reference...

The FedExKinko's store is in the strip mall a block up the
street from Target. I sent a suitcase filled with stuff (mostly
shoes and laundry) for $8.45 and that included the box to put
everything in.

On 05 Aug 2005 23:50:28 GMT, Blanche wrote:

For future reference...

The FedExKinko's store is in the strip mall a block up the
street from Target. I sent a suitcase filled with stuff (mostly
shoes and laundry) for $8.45 and that included the box to put
everything in.


Which reminds me.

One year a guy pulled up next to us in the
antique/classic/contemporary parking/camping. He disappeared and
about an hour later returned on the welcome wagon with a whole bunch
of FEDX packages. It looked like he had sent *everything*, including
tent and extra clothes via FEDX so his stuff was some where near there
waiting for him.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Not realizing that the smart people like Jay were buying ten dollar
bikes, - I am so jealous I could scream - I stopped into the UPS booth
to see what kind of service they offer. From the card she gave me:

The UPS Store
1528 S Koeller Rd
Oshkosh, WI 54902
(920)231-1623

*Please specify one of the following on your packages:
"BRING TO TENT" or "LEAVE AT STORE"

I told her that I doubted I could keep the shipping boxes dry and
useable for the trip back. She said they will are able to repackage
your stuff and ship it back.

It's easy to imagine that this might cost a pretty penny. But compared
to buying a bigger plane........

Tom

Roger wrote:
On 05 Aug 2005 23:50:28 GMT, Blanche wrote:


For future reference...

The FedExKinko's store is in the strip mall a block up the
street from Target. I sent a suitcase filled with stuff (mostly
shoes and laundry) for $8.45 and that included the box to put
everything in.



Which reminds me.

One year a guy pulled up next to us in the
antique/classic/contemporary parking/camping. He disappeared and
about an hour later returned on the welcome wagon with a whole bunch
of FEDX packages. It looked like he had sent *everything*, including
tent and extra clothes via FEDX so his stuff was some where near there
waiting for him.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

On 2005-08-05 09:08:21 -0400, "Jay Honeck" said:

At one time that was a truly top-dollar bicycle, and if you could hinge
the frame somehow it would make a great traveling bike. I hated to
give it back!

There is an outfit that sells a kind of clamp arrangement that lets you
cut and split any regular bike. It is supposed to lock up more solidly
than most folding bikes. Google Folding Bikes and you'll find a lot of
information. There are newsgroups or chatgroups that are just as
passionate about 'em as we are.

I bought a Montague back about ten years ago, a full size folding bike,
and it's served me very well. Don't take it to OSH though.

Weirdly, they thought my very pedestrian-friendly Segway was a no-go,
but renting a scooter (which I did at both Osh and SnF in 04, after
breaking both calcaneuses on a parachute jump in 1/04) which is much
less pedestrian-happy was not. Didn't need it this year, although I'll
never really be able to walk quite right.

I did use a cart to get to short notice stuff at one end or other of
the show. Necessary evil when you're working, evil none the less. A
fleet of rental Segways would solve the whole problem -- and make EAA,
Airventure, and the eight other "non-profits" that run the show, a
bucket of money.

FWIW they get $55 for the scooter at one show and $75 at the other -- I
think the high one is Osh. I would not have paid it if I could have
walked. (At SnF 04 I had a non-walking-type cast on one leg still. Yes,
from January. At Osh I was still kind of learning to walk on my "new"
feet). This year I'm trying to shed all the pounds that I put on since
I can't run any more. Ah, ya deal with it. I feel for people who lived
before NSAIDs were invented.

The trams are not very useful. You do meet interesting people on them,
as you do skipping them and walking -- heck, as you do anywhere at the
show. You can't throw a stone without hitting people that have a way
more interesting story than the guys you hit with the last stone.

That said, Oshkosh is well on the way to becoming a GA trade show for
the big manufacturers during the week, and an airshow for the
groundlings on the weekend. I don't know any way to change that. The
top kit manufacturer, Van's, has sold 14,000 kits. The #2 GA
manufacturer (by props sold), Cirrus, has a turnover of maybe a quarter
BILLION this year. Cessna dwarfs Cirrus because of its turbine product
line. The GA manufacturers can't come to the party without it becoming,
mostly, their party. There's no answer for this.

We are fortunate in that the heads of these GA concerns are mostly true
enthusiasts who like sport flying, tailwheel airplanes, and being up in
the air with the stick in your own hand. If they were not, Cessna and
Cirrus and Eclipse and New Piper and Avidyne could very well start
their own show somewhere (somewhere that has good highway and airline
access, unlike Lakeland or Oshkosh), and we-all wouldn't be invited.
-
cheers

-=K=-

Rule #1: Don't hit anything big.

On Sun, 7 Aug 2005 20:01:33 -0400, Kevin O'Brien
kevin@org-header-is-my-domain-name wrote:

snip
FWIW they get $55 for the scooter at one show and $75 at the other -- I
think the high one is Osh. I would not have paid it if I could have
walked. (At SnF 04 I had a non-walking-type cast on one leg still. Yes,
from January. At Osh I was still kind of learning to walk on my "new"
feet). This year I'm trying to shed all the pounds that I put on since
I can't run any more. Ah, ya deal with it. I feel for people who lived
before NSAIDs were invented.

Some years back when I was in a lot better shape I was out ice skating
when one of the younger women (she had a daughter learning to skate)
fell. She landed with her one arm out in front and hit palm forward.
It shattered her wrist. It wasn't a clean break, but rather required
hours of surgery to reassemble. Two months later she still had pins
sticking all the way through.


The trams are not very useful. You do meet interesting people on them,
as you do skipping them and walking -- heck, as you do anywhere at the
show. You can't throw a stone without hitting people that have a way
more interesting story than the guys you hit with the last stone.

Where do you find enough room to draw back and throw?


That said, Oshkosh is well on the way to becoming a GA trade show for
the big manufacturers during the week, and an airshow for the
groundlings on the weekend. I don't know any way to change that. The

I've missed the past couple of years, but last time I was there they
had something for just about every one.

top kit manufacturer, Van's, has sold 14,000 kits. The #2 GA
manufacturer (by props sold), Cirrus, has a turnover of maybe a quarter

With one based here, I have discovered although it's a pretty plane
and well equipped, I really don't like the side stick of the way it
feels. That is strictly a subjective *opinion* as it is evident there
are a lot of pilots who do not feel the same.

BILLION this year. Cessna dwarfs Cirrus because of its turbine product
line. The GA manufacturers can't come to the party without it becoming,
mostly, their party. There's no answer for this.

I'm not so sure there needs to be. They are in their area and the
home builts in another while the War Birds in yet another. Of course
that means the place continues to get bigger and bigger.

Having been on the Welcome Wagons as a driver or crew a number of
times I don't think it is possible to walk the entire grounds in one
day and that wouldn't be taking time to look at anything. You can
easily spend a day (if you can stand the crowd) just in the commercial
buildings looking at the new stuff. I figure it'd take the average
(in good shape - I realize average and good shape in the same sentence
is an oxymoron) person about 4 days to look at most everything.

I think they draw more from business and the general public while most
of us on here tend to gravitate toward the home built areas. You can
always tell who is really interested as they are the ones crawling in
the dirt, grass, mud, or even water, under the home builts to check on
details.

I remember quite a number of builders looking longingly at Jack
Yoder's bright *pink* Cotton Candy ( highly modified GP4) and trying
it on for size. For those not familiar, many, or most of the home
builts don't have adjustable seats in a manner in which most of us are
familiar. So there were a lot of tall, disappointed prospective
builders that had "tried on" Cotton Candy.


We are fortunate in that the heads of these GA concerns are mostly true
enthusiasts who like sport flying, tailwheel airplanes, and being up in
the air with the stick in your own hand. If they were not, Cessna and
Cirrus and Eclipse and New Piper and Avidyne could very well start
their own show somewhere (somewhere that has good highway and airline
access, unlike Lakeland or Oshkosh), and we-all wouldn't be invited.

Places where the location would not prevent the Blue Angels or
Thunderbirds from performing.

Speaking of War Birds. I really enjoy watching them fly and perform,
but I've seen so many air shows I only watch the performers in which I
might have a special interest. I got to the point where I didn't even
bother looking up from the computers when the air show was running.
OTOH getting the opportunity to fly different models of planes
available was worth the whole weeks admission including renting a room
just off the field.
-
cheers

-=K=-

Rule #1: Don't hit anything big.

Rule #2. If you violate rule #1, make sure the first one counts.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

"Roger" wrote\

Some years back when I was in a lot better shape I was out ice skating
when one of the younger women (she had a daughter learning to skate)
fell. She landed with her one arm out in front and hit palm forward.
It shattered her wrist. It wasn't a clean break, but rather required
hours of surgery to reassemble. Two months later she still had pins
sticking all the way through.

Been there, done that, still got the pin holes. It sucked.

I did it while building a deck, and took a 10 foot header. It is instinct,
to put out your hands, to protect your head. It might have contributed to
all of my back problems. Who knows.
--
Jim in NC

("Morgans" wrote)
I did it while building a deck, and took a 10 foot header. It is
instinct,
to put out your hands, to protect your head. It might have contributed to
all of my back problems. Who knows.


Pilot sustained substantial damage when while maneuvering, departed
controlled flight. He subsequently impacted the terrain in a wooded area. No
flight plan was on file.


Montblack

"Montblack" wrote

Pilot sustained substantial damage when while maneuvering, departed
controlled flight. He subsequently impacted the terrain in a wooded area.
No
flight plan was on file.


Montblack

ROTFLMAO!

Yep, that was about it. There was definitely an unusual attitude involved,
too!
--
Jim in NC