My Final Oshkosh

I feel your pain,did Osh this year ,used appleton. Unfortunately they have been discovered,got ripped off at every turn,the price gouging was horrendous. This year flying into Green Bay and taking the bus to Osh. Experimental or light sport may be the way to go ,to save bucks.
 
I've been using Green Bay for 15 yrs or so, leave wifey at the casino it's about 45 minute drive and you away from the mess and congestion
 
tmcquinn said:
I haven't posted much on POA. Hi all. I don't know if this will be worth reading or just stream of consciousness spewing in lieu of therapy...

My first Oshkosh was 2002. Two attempts to camp at OSH were unsuccessful and we stayed at Fond du Lac, which isn't for me. I have been every year since and camped in the N40, though not without a few diversions while we waited for spots to open up. Today I'm starting to get the gear together. Knowing it's the last time saddens me more than it should. But this year is the end. I bought the Archer in 1997. I've been through the new engine, paint, leather, endless fixes, the whole nine yards. But it has to go. The Navworx ADS-B fiasco came just after I spent more than I was comfortable with on the hardware. It looks like it will have a happy ending but there's no telling what will pop up next. I think that having a sticky seat belt retractor turn into a $1400 bill was the last straw. I see these rotting hulks that belong to guys who won't admit defeat and I don't intend for mine to become one of them. Everything, and I mean everything, works and I'm selling it while it still can be enjoyed by someone. I'm not going to tie it down outside and watch it slowly fade to dust. This isn't a sales pitch. I have a buyer.

I hate camping and I mean I hate it. But there is something about camping in the N40 that is just magic. I will miss it. Yeah, I could drive and camp with the civilians but I just can't imagine that being an enjoyable experience. I'm going to miss the sunsets, the sunrises, the planes, the camaraderie, the adventure, and most everything except the inevitable storms. There have been plenty of things in this life that I didn't have the good sense to enjoy while they were still around but Oshkosh wasn't one of them. Each and every time I attended was great, minus the inevitable glitches and frustrations. And I have one more ahead of me to enjoy!
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Definitely don't swear off AV because you sold your plane! It's a great time even for a plebiscite like me who can't afford one!
 
I've been a half dozen times....and the last time I flew in with a friend in his plane. If I couldn't fly for whatever reason....I'd still want to go and I'd find a way to be there somehow.

Selling the plane or losing a medical is a poor excuse for not enjoying a wonderful event....after all the week long show is not a participation event. It's an aviator's extravaganza.

Heck I'd go even if I needed to get one of those motorized chairs and buzz around all over Whittman field annoying the masses.
 
The thing about flying to Oshkosh is if you come in on Monday you're already too late. It fills up badly over the weekend. The one year I couldn't fly in the weekend before I waited until Wednesday to come in, no problem. Just gotta pick your time.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Since this thread was from OSH '17, I wonder if the OP has reconsidered?
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Busted by Jay Honeck...

I am going, though I no longer have a plane. But I will have a car to get around!

I really thought I could walk away from aviation after 20 years of aircraft ownership. The last couple of insults to my wallet really frosted me. But I find myself looking up on a nice day and thinking I should go flying, then it hits me. But I am definitely burnt out on trying to keep an old plane in shape by paying a pro to do it all. I plan to attend a lot more forums this year and learn more about EAB. There's plenty of info online but it's like drinking from a firehose. I may need meds because there are days I start imaging flying behind a Rotax.

I may be the last guy to think of this but has everyone tried googling for images using their N number? I found several photos people took and posted of us at OSH, including one of my son landing last year.
 
frfly172 said:
I feel your pain,did Osh this year ,used appleton. Unfortunately they have been discovered,got ripped off at every turn,the price gouging was horrendous. This year flying into Green Bay and taking the bus to Osh. Experimental or light sport may be the way to go ,to save bucks.
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E-LSA is my current fantasy. I haven't see one in the flesh yet but the RV-12 has my attention. The gods laugh at the plans I make and I ended up spending most of my flight time as an owner with too many empty seats.
 
tmcquinn said:
E-LSA is my current fantasy. I haven't see one in the flesh yet but the RV-12 has my attention. The gods laugh at the plans I make and I ended up spending most of my flight time as an owner with too many empty seats.
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Take a look at the RV-12, it's a fun plane to fly. There's a couple of the factory build S-LSA RV-12s at Chesapeake Sport Pilot (W29 - Bay Bridge, MD). Great visibility, uses little fuel (ahem, Rotax) and up-to-date avionics. If you're ever over this way, check out CSP. Vans will be at the show too, maybe you can wrangle a demo ride or at least sit in one and make airplane noises.
 
And the wings come off easily so you can keep it at home. Of course, the price for that is having the fuel tank just behind your seat if you ever have a really bad day.

I've had to camp at the overflow airports too many times. But I think that every time, or at least nearly every time, the EABs were still getting in.
 
tmcquinn said:
Busted by Jay Honeck...

I am going, though I no longer have a plane. But I will have a car to get around!

I really thought I could walk away from aviation after 20 years of aircraft ownership. The last couple of insults to my wallet really frosted me. But I find myself looking up on a nice day and thinking I should go flying, then it hits me. But I am definitely burnt out on trying to keep an old plane in shape by paying a pro to do it all. I plan to attend a lot more forums this year and learn more about EAB. There's plenty of info online but it's like drinking from a firehose. I may need meds because there are days I start imaging flying behind a Rotax.

I may be the last guy to think of this but has everyone tried googling for images using their N number? I found several photos people took and posted of us at OSH, including one of my son landing last year.
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Glad to hear you're getting back in the game! Hope you can make it to the HOPS Party on Wednesday.

When the kids were grown, we jumped to the experimental world 5 years ago, and never looked back! Our RV-8A has been the BEST aircraft -- fast, efficient, reliable, able to carry all we need for a week.

Best of all, it's affordable. We went all glass for a tiny fraction of what it would have cost in our Cherokee 235 Pathfinder. We went all-electronic ignition -- something that made the plane run like a car, and is frustratingly illegal in certified planes.

Spend some time at the RV tent. If you're looking to buy a prebuilt RV, let me know -- I can connect you to a guy who does nothing but help guys like us find and buy quality-made RVs.

Sent from my SM-T700 using Tapatalk
 
tmcquinn said:
E-LSA is my current fantasy. I haven't see one in the flesh yet but the RV-12 has my attention. The gods laugh at the plans I make and I ended up spending most of my flight time as an owner with too many empty seats.
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Y’know, the RV12 is a pretty nifty plane. Buy one as a E-LSA or build one as an E-AB, take a $500 iRMT class, and you can do your own 50 or 100 hour inspections. Maintenance costs aren’t bad, and so long as you don’t need to take more than 1 passenger or fly anywhere quickly, it accomplishes the mission on MOGAS and a 5 gph burn. Plenty to like about such aircraft!
 
Jay Honeck said:
Glad to hear you're getting back in the game! Hope you can make it to the HOPS Party on Wednesday.

When the kids were grown, we jumped to the experimental world 5 years ago, and never looked back! Our RV-8A has been the BEST aircraft -- fast, efficient, reliable, able to carry all we need for a week.

Best of all, it's affordable. We went all glass for a tiny fraction of what it would have cost in our Cherokee 235 Pathfinder. We went all-electronic ignition -- something that made the plane run like a car, and is frustratingly illegal in certified planes.

Spend some time at the RV tent. If you're looking to buy a prebuilt RV, let me know -- I can connect you to a guy who does nothing but help guys like us find and buy quality-made RVs.

Sent from my SM-T700 using Tapatalk
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I sold the Archer last fall. So I'm not sure if Oshkosh by Subaru will make me feel like I'm back in the game. But I'm going this year. My youngest son, who flew left seat to OSH last year, is coming and I doubt if that will happen much once he's out of college.

I still work on my cars, at least the ones that aren't under warranty. I'm convinced that fuel injection and electronic ignition are the reasons I don't have to do it very often. It would sure be nice to have a plane with a modern engine.

I'm really fascinated by the RV12 iS. But I need to see some of them up close to know if that would really work for me. I also am a long way from being convinced that geared engines and a fuel tank in the cockpit are something I can ever be comfortable with. I may yet turn out to be a customer for one of the bigger RVs. But I don't have the cash for either right now, so I'm just looking and thinking...
 
rtk11 said:
Y’know, the RV12 is a pretty nifty plane. Buy one as a E-LSA or build one as an E-AB, take a $500 iRMT class, and you can do your own 50 or 100 hour inspections. Maintenance costs aren’t bad, and so long as you don’t need to take more than 1 passenger or fly anywhere quickly, it accomplishes the mission on MOGAS and a 5 gph burn. Plenty to like about such aircraft!
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I still have a lot to learn but I don't think I would ever be deviating from the basic design enough to be tempted into the E-AB version. E-LSA has my attention, at least right now.

I owned my Archer just over 20 years and nearly always had 2-3 empty seats. And as far as IFR goes, I worked really hard to get the rating and only used it in VMC right after 9/11. I really think I had a lot more plane than was reasonable for me.
 
rtk11 said:
On another forum, we were talking about the cost of buying a 6" piece of radiator hose for a Rotax. From the distributor, the price would be well over 5 times the price of going to NAPA, O'Reillys, or Pep Boys to get the same piece of radiator tubing. But without an LOA, you're stuck. Unless you go E-AB (or E-LSA in this case), then NAPA is the ticket!
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Almost a Necro thread! Around Sunnyvale, CA, OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware) has been the goto place for E-AB parts. They had A/C quality hardware, but sadly, they are no more. They were owned by Lowes, and my family consensus is they were draining too much business from Lowes.

Still, I'm glad to know that when I need parts, I can go to NAPA, and there's an O'Reilly's nearby, too.
 
Late to the party, but I have to chime in. I bought my AMD Zodiac SLSA in May, 2016, and changed the certification to experimental that November so I could perform my own maintenance and do modifications like installing ADS-B without an LOA. I then took the light sport repairman-inspection class and got my FAA LSR-I repairman certificate so I can do my own annual condition inspections. It has a reliable (albeit heavy) Continental O-200, and I flight plan 115 KIAS burning 5.5 gph. I love the airplane, and my cost of ownership has plummeted compared to my 172. IMHO, ELSA is the way to go to get the most bang for the buck.
 
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