Are You Enjoying OSH?

Richard

Richard

Final Approach
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Feb 27, 2005
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Ack...city life
Send pictures. Half the threads on here make it sound like Ohkosh is to be avoided. Cripes almighty.
 
I enjoyed it ,went there specifically to talk to some vendors. Find you get better response at the show. Went opening day,didn't seem like as many people as usual.
 
Let the negative people stay away!

I enjoy the forums. This year I attended the drone series and big welding.

First time in my life I have seen a piston engine airplane accelerate straight up from a dead stop in the air. Amazing airshow performances.

Night life is fun too! :D

Smelly portapoties? Why are you smelling near a porta potty? :rolleyes: :rofl:
 
Sun - Wed for me. Had a blast. Contrary to what someone else posted, I thought it was *more* crowded than in some recent years. North 40 seemed to be closer to the highway earlier as did scholler. Who knows though, we'll see what EAA says in a couple weeks.

Was my first time camping in vintage. Whole different vibe there from north 40.
 
Yes we DID enjoy OSH.
The wife is making me take her again next year, cause she had so much fun.

-The new showers were clean and efficient in the N40
-There were plenty of permanent flush restrooms that were clean back near the buildings ( so she could avoid porta potty most of the time)
-Air show was pretty relaxing, just laid down near the flight line and chilled for two hours.
-Every one we met in the N40 was very nice and polite.
-Im not building a kit but now I have a completely different perspective of experimental and looks like a good option when I have more time (or retired)
-Wife is convinced our next plane should be a bonanza (she kept pointing them out) lucky me:) I said how a bout a Beechcraft Bi-Plane?:wink2:

Things we missed doing, but is on the list for next year:
-Ride on the Ford Tri Motor
-Socialize more in the N40 and make more friends
-A few more days so we can attend a few more workshops or presentations
-Take the bus into town and have at least one dinner at a restaurant (just because):dunno:
-Visit the sea plane area

We will be back:yes:
 

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No complaints here! Got to hang out under the wings of brand new Cessnas and Beeches all week, met Sean Tucker (and saw Bob Hoover, Jeff Skiles, and Mike Goulian), and got to see some guy spend $200K on an F35 Ford Mustang last night.
 
This was my 4th trip to OSH. Previous 3 were a blast. This year I did not enjoy it. We were on the N40 near the Hilton. The showers on that side are about the size of a coffin. The mirrors are at 4 foot level. Foot was sore, had to run to the potty twice overnight, was super cold, and had bad dreams while sleeping.

I'm 45, but fear I may have outgrown this event, or at least, cannot camp again. :dunno:
 
Yes we did very much!

Took a friend and his two boys; that was fun and different.

Camped with my homebuilt for the first time. It's camping-light compared to Scholler. Small tents next to RVs (there were a few other types). Walked over to the North 40 to figure out where Jay and the H.O.P.S party would be. Noticed a distinct change in vibe - in the homebuilt area 'everybody' says "hi, howya' doing" whether walking to the porta-potty or comparing rivets. In the North 40 it's certainly friendly but felt like NYC in comparison (H.O.P.S party a distinct exception).

We were forced to spend Thursday up in the general admission areas. That sucked in comparison to everywhere else. I knew a short walk to Vintage or a tram ride down back closer to homebuilt HQ would return us to sweetness but the accident and a resulting maintenance issue kept us chained down a bit. The food was a bit careless, the people were just visitors, the porta-facilities less evolved. The only bright spot are all the perennial EAA folks that just smile and put out no matter what happens.

I went on a whim for this, my third visit. It's not really my thing but totally enjoyed the aviation recharge, so Yes!
 
Well I'm the one who complained about camping on the north side of 27. Like I said my complaint there was the incredibly slow bus service and lack of nearby showers. But besides that... I definitely enjoyed the whole experience. The flights in and out were both incredibly fun and well managed. The airshows were great, I enjoyed the exhibition and had a lot of fun with friends in the evening (they were staying over in Camp Scholler). I will go next year... But will be come early so I can park on the south side of N40. Or alternatively get a bike.

Huge highlight for me was seeing the Osprey in action. Never seen one of those close up.
 
I found that at many vendors' booths the salespeople knew less about the product than you can find on the web.

Example - EPS engines building.

Me: "So I see this engine maintains 100% power to 12,500 feet. How much power is still left at 18,000 or flight level 250?"

Them: "what do you mean 'flight level 250?'"

Me: "25,000 feet"

Them: "oh, uh, yes well the power will drop off as you climb. You will have..... Less"

Or, the Pipistrel booth.

Me: "So I heard you guys had to change the engine on the Panthera. What was the story there?"

Them: "uh, yeah, I really don't know anything about that. I can give you a brochure though."


Or, the Aircraft Spruce booth. (In front of a big display on the counter demo-ing the new KLR 10 AoA indicator).

Me: "So, what goes on the outside of the plane to sense the AoA"

Them: "no idea, let me ask someone....."

Them (60 seconds later): "it's a pitot tube type of thing."

Bad-Elf booth:

Me: "So I see you've introduced the new Bad Elf Pro+."

Them: yep

Me: "I see it has a barometric altimeter. So, do you need to enter an altimeter setting"

Them: "well, I really don't know how that works"

Me: "how much is it?"

Them: "we don't know yet. We've only announced it, we're not selling it yet"
 
dans2992 said:
I found that at many vendors' booths the salespeople knew less about the product than you can find on the web.
Click to expand...

This is the worst thing about OSH. The best advice I can give is about a month before OSH, make a list of what you're interested in, research the heck out of it on the web, then search through all the available contact info, call the company, find a Technical Rep that knows what he's talking about, then ask him if he'll be at OSH. Then when you go to OSH, ask for him, by name, meet him, get your answers, and thank him. (understand he can't be there 24/7 for the entire show, but he should be there sometime) If the company didn't send the top Tech guy, ask for the top dog at the show and expound your displeasure.

It's not out yet, I'm not sure when we'll be releasing it.
Well, right now we're concentrating on this other product that you're not interested in.
It works with everybody's equipment except...
We don't know the price.
I'm not sure about that, let me get back to you.
Well, our system works, it must be some other issue.
No, we're not working on that feature yet.
Wait, ok... um....
Sorry, we're already out of stock (on pitot tube covers?! wtf? how many did you bring? 2?!)

Oh, and.... Goooodaye zir, woood yhuu like doo sdep ovah heerd un alloow me doo addatch deeze vondrvul devize doo youur bock vor ahh vundervul mazzage?

All things you should never hear at OSH.
 
dans2992 said:
I found that at many vendors' booths the salespeople knew less about the product than you can find on the web
Click to expand...

While not discounting your experience, I wanted to share an *excellent* experience I had.

I stopped by the Pratt & Whitney booth because I've never been able to quite figure out how the hell a jet engine actually works. They had a cut-out of one and I figured someone might be able to give me the basics. Dude came over and I asked him if it was just fairy dust or if he could somehow explain it to me in a way I could finally understand. He spent 15 minutes with me and seemed to be able to go into arbitrary depth on any questions I had.

At the end I was very, very impressed and asked him how he knew so much about it. Turned out he was one of the designers!

A+ to P&W for sending knowledgable people out in the field!
 
I've only been to SnF. I've been meaning to make it up to OSH.

My grandpa hates it... but, he hates most people in general. He just likes to fly the B-17.
 
Loved it (again). Got there at noon on Sunday. Got trapped in the departure mess on Thursday.

My only complaint was how poorly EAA/FAA managed the departures when there were at least 500 airplanes waiting in line(s) to depart around noon on Thursday. That's the point where you have to shut down the Tri-Motor rides (which came and went every 5 minutes on THE open runway) and ask any joy-riders (you know who you are) to hold off for an hour or two.
 
Datadriver said:
This was my 4th trip to OSH. Previous 3 were a blast. This year I did not enjoy it. We were on the N40 near the Hilton. The showers on that side are about the size of a coffin. The mirrors are at 4 foot level. Foot was sore, had to run to the potty twice overnight, was super cold, and had bad dreams while sleeping.

I'm 45, but fear I may have outgrown this event, or at least, cannot camp again. :dunno:
Click to expand...


Once it's dark out, why run to the porta potty???
 
kyleb said:
Loved it (again). Got there at noon on Sunday. Got trapped in the departure mess on Thursday.

My only complaint was how poorly EAA/FAA managed the departures when there were at least 500 airplanes waiting in line(s) to depart around noon on Thursday. That's the point where you have to shut down the Tri-Motor rides (which came and went every 5 minutes on THE open runway) and ask any joy-riders (you know who you are) to hold off for an hour or two.
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Comparing notes:

We too arrived on Sunday while a rain shower was right on top of the airport. Found out a presumably lightly loaded Bo' can easily fly the 90 knot procedure at <85 knots and a heavily loaded RV10 can't. The kid in my back seat blowing chunks wasn't helped by the 360 required (or the subsequent wing wagging). The Cessna that got between us during the 360 ran up on the Bo' too and aborted. As the rain thickened I lost sight of the Bo' and his buddy in front of him. I was number 3 on final but couldn't see a plane. Stuck it on the dot despite the wind shear and got out of there. Have to admit it was curiously refreshing!

We also got caught up in the Thursday conga line. Had to pull out after an hour of taxiing with a fouled plug. Ironically we pulled out right in front of the Breezy gathering. Joined a half dozen others at the fix it station changing And cleaning plugs. Can't say enough about the volunteers there lending tools and quality advice to frustrated pilots.

We got everything back together just in time for departures to close. Sat on our hands and watched the airshow until 6:15 when they escorted to the front of the departure line. A lady in a plug fouled Mooney graciously let us go first because we had a longer flight planned. A thunderstorm broke out over the airport for our exciting departure but I heard the Mooney decline her turn due to the wx she watched us launch into.... I hope she got away not long after, bless her heart.

We got back to Delaware after midnight wishing we had the 3 or 4 gallons burned off in the conga line that morning. But it was still all a blast!
 
I was surprised how many people departed during the thunderstorm on Tuesday evening.
 
This was #8 in a row for me. Yes I still enjoyed it but some of the magic of years past is definitely gone. I'll probably not be back next year for #9, not because of any reasons of disappointment in what Oshkosh has morphed into, but because I need to save up my money for a trip to Alaska plans for 2016. That's going to be my next big bucket list thing to accomplish in my life's aviation adventure.
 
118.5, or 126.6? What was 118.5?
 
dans2992 said:
118.5, or 126.6? What was 118.5?
Click to expand...

Sorry. I was listening to 9/27 arrivals on 118.5. There was a pilot with an unusual accent who didn't know where he was, and was talking with OSH tower trying to find a place to park. He was on his own as there were no Flightline ops people on the field because of the lightening. Tower tried to do their best to keep him from having a runway incursion.

But right when the gust front hit, I saw a pilot depart 27 and headed north right into the oncoming storm system. I thought for sure we were going to read about him in the Wednesday newspapers.
 
I had a great time after our arrival yesterday...looking forward to today
 
nddons said:
Sorry. I was listening to 9/27 arrivals on 118.5. There was a pilot with an unusual accent who didn't know where he was, and was talking with OSH tower trying to find a place to park. He was on his own as there were no Flightline ops people on the field because of the lightening. Tower tried to do their best to keep him from having a runway incursion.

But right when the gust front hit, I saw a pilot depart 27 and headed north right into the oncoming storm system. I thought for sure we were going to read about him in the Wednesday newspapers.
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Agreed. Several times this week we have watched an amazing number of (what I can only term) pilots of questionable judgment departing directly into the red blob of death the radar (and our Mark One eyeballs) was clearly depicting. Finally ATC would make the decision for them, and shut off departures.

I know they had probably been waiting a long while, and were eager to go, but at some point the prudent thing to do is pull off and wait some more. The blobs moved through quickly, and it ain't worth dying for.
 
I never heard ATC cut them off.
 
This was my first time flying in. Flew in Thursday morning. That was way easier and less stressful than I thought it was. I left this morning. Was going to stay until tomorrow, but changed my mind. The North 40 was a great place to be. One complaint I have is who's bright idea was it to place the Red line tram stop at Hangars A and C between 2 rows of garbage bins? It was pretty rank waiting for the tram to arrive. The daily airshow is getting stale, too, IMO.
 
We loved our first trip.

The only complaint I have is they put us way way down in the South Forty VAC which made it impossible to camp (for us.) It was just too hard.

We ended up getting a room at the college.
 
Why was it impossible to camp? We were in vintage with the other Comanches and it was very convenient...
 
Alright, maybe impossible was the wrong word. Geez.

It was inconvenient for us.

nuff said. :happydance:
 
Ok, just trying to understand what was inconvenient about that location? I thought it was pretty good. The North 40 is so far from everything.
 
dans2992 said:
Ok, just trying to understand what was inconvenient about that location? I thought it was pretty good. The North 40 is so far from everything.
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Were you down past the trams where you had to take the bus?

Where they parked us out by 36, it was a hike to a john and water.

Being our first trip, and very limited what we could bring because of weight issues, we were not equipped enough or experienced if that helps explain our situation a little. We could have hacked it, but we lucked up on some rooms, so we tried that and liked it better. :dunno:
 
dans2992 said:
Ok, just trying to understand what was inconvenient about that location? I thought it was pretty good. The North 40 is so far from everything.
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That's funny. We think Homebuilt and Vintage are too far from everything!

We measure our OSH campsite by proximity to restaurants and supplies. In the N40, with our bikes, we are literally a few minutes from outstanding off-airport food and bars, as well as the entrance to the show. In Homebuilt (where we COULD camp, with the RV), we would be stuck eating EAA food all week.

We've never camped in the South 40. I can't imagine it would be as much fun, that far from all of our gang's usual hangouts.
 
We had a great time and it worked out well since we had a tent and we had the dorm.

The weather was cool and beautiful. Rainy as usual from what I hear, but not anything like Gulf coast rain.

I learned a lot and know what to take and what not to take next year. Can't wait. It's a blast. Made a lot of friends, talked about airplanes all week. It doesn't get much better. :)
 
Yes, if you want to eat non-EAA food, the N 40 is the place to be.

Where do you park your bikes when you go to the show? Also, how do you even get your bikes into the plane?
 
dans2992 said:
Where do you park your bikes when you go to the show? Also, how do you even get your bikes into the plane?
Click to expand...

YOu don't get your bikes into the plane. For the first couple of years (back in the 70s) we rented them from the bike shop in town. THen somebody (Jay?) turned us on to the Goodwill store by the N-40 that SELLS bikes for **REAL** cheap on the first day, then before you go home you take them back, get a donation for your taxes, then buy them again the next year.

THen after a couple of dozen years you make friends with a local really neat guy that has a farm and a HUGE trailer. You cut a deal to take your now boughten bike and store it in the trailer (along with your camping chairs, generator, kitchen appliances, kitchen sink ...) for a year only to be resurrected the following year and the process goes on and on and ...

Jim
 
Particularly enjoying the SOS Brothers Beer Tent at the end of each day ! Just set your course on the yellow balloon with the smiley face.
 
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