Jay Honeck
Touchdown! Greaser!
Just made it back home, after our 34th consecutive EAA convention. 14.6 hours of flying, chock to chock, with two overnight stops, two fuel stops, and one very large (like, 2 states) weather diversion on the way home.
All VFR, all flawless. Ain't GA wunnerful??
As always, it's time to start the list of "Hits" and "Misses" for the year, while it's still fresh in our minds.
Hits
1. The Mars rocked. Seeing a giant flying boat, a throwback to the Golden Age of flight, was worth the price of admission right there. What a cool plane!
2. North 40 Restaurant and Store. Once again, for the third year we were lucky to have an excellent restaurant out in the North 40 camping area. For many years, our choices were off-field, or very far away on-field, and we really appreciate the great food and service!
3. EvilEagle and his F-15. It was a privilege to meet him, and to learn some things about his awesome plane. POA is lucky to have him as a member.
4. The Weather. Sure, it was damp midweek, but there were no major storms during the show, and the early heat abated by Day 3. Sleeping at night was PERFECT, with temps in the 60s and 50s by the end.
5. Controllers. As always, they were the best of the best, proving to be unflappable in the face of even the worst "Stupid Pilots Tricks".
6. Attendance. This was our biggest (and best) surprise. In an era when flying continues to dwindle, everyone turned out! It was fabulous.
7. The Snowbirds. I think I lost count at 7, as they switched from one amazing formation to the next, while looping and rolling. So graceful and precise!
Misses
1. Pottie Shortage. For whatever reason, they took a bank of PortAPotties out along the road near the green shower building. This meant just eight (8!) toilets serving hundreds of campers. Needless to say, the morning constitutional line was epic. EAA needs to fix this for 2017.
2. EAA WiFi. This continues to be a complete joke in the North 40. We gave up and set up cellular hotspots throughout the week.
3. Warbirds Cafe. The flipside of our terrific North 40 restaurant was the terrible restaurant in the war birds area. We went there for breakfast one morning and paid $58 for food that our corner gas station would reject. It was appallingly bad.
4. No P-38s. After years of stellar attendance, not a single one of my favorite Warbirds made it to the show. The extremely rare P-39 appearance helped, but WTH?
5. Emergency Preparedness. A perennial problem at OSH, they continue to lack the manpower to handle minor mishaps without closing the entire airport. Thus, a gear-up landing on Rwy 27 shut down all arrivals on Rwy 36L and 36R, throwing dozens (hundreds?) of pilots into the Rush and Green Lake holds, simply because they lack the equipment to cover both runways. This happened several times throughout the week.
6. Emergency Response. The Gene Soucey incident during the Saturday night airshow was eerily reminiscent of the infamous crash where the biplane pilot died while waiting 4 minutes until a fire truck arrived.
In this case, Soucey had a problem with his pyrotechnics (they wouldn't go out!), and he started dropping embers on the North 40 as he circled. He calmly notified the Air Boss that he would need to be met by a fire truck after landing. He circled a couple of times, landed uneventfully on Rwy 27, and then exited by the Weeks Hangar -- where he sat for 3 full minutes, awaiting assistance.
Somehow, some way, the firemen got the wrong info, and were sitting down at the end of Rwy 9. They apparently could not hear Soucey or the Air Boss as they increasingly urgently directed them to get their butts down to the aircraft in distress. They finally started spraying water 3+ minutes after Soucey rolled to a stop. It was crazy to watch, and we heard it all unfold on my buddy's handheld radio.
7. Rusty Pilots. Hoo boy, this one was a problem. With flying so far down, it was obvious that a lot of guys used all of this year's flight money attending the show. What we saw and heard could only happen to guys who haven't flown enough, and they included:
- Two pilots on final for Rwy 9, as Rwy 27 was in heavy use. The controller thankfully spotted them, and frantically shouted them off.
- Pilots talking incessantly. If anything screams "I didn't read the NOTAM", it is this.
- Stuck mikes. At least 3, throughout the week.
- Lots of too fast approaches leading to looooong, floating landings. On the flipside were the guys who ignored the order to "keep it in the air" who landed short, causing the controllers to order go-arounds. We witnessed a twin being sent around THREE TIMES due to this sort of stuff.
As always, the Oshkosh week was about people. Family and friends, all together to celebrate life, camaraderie, and aviation. In this regard the show was a spectacular success, with old friendships affirmed, new friends made, and our little family reunited for the first time in a year. There is simply no place like Oshkosh, and we are already making plans for OSH 17, which will be our 35th in a row!
All VFR, all flawless. Ain't GA wunnerful??
As always, it's time to start the list of "Hits" and "Misses" for the year, while it's still fresh in our minds.
Hits
1. The Mars rocked. Seeing a giant flying boat, a throwback to the Golden Age of flight, was worth the price of admission right there. What a cool plane!
2. North 40 Restaurant and Store. Once again, for the third year we were lucky to have an excellent restaurant out in the North 40 camping area. For many years, our choices were off-field, or very far away on-field, and we really appreciate the great food and service!
3. EvilEagle and his F-15. It was a privilege to meet him, and to learn some things about his awesome plane. POA is lucky to have him as a member.
4. The Weather. Sure, it was damp midweek, but there were no major storms during the show, and the early heat abated by Day 3. Sleeping at night was PERFECT, with temps in the 60s and 50s by the end.
5. Controllers. As always, they were the best of the best, proving to be unflappable in the face of even the worst "Stupid Pilots Tricks".
6. Attendance. This was our biggest (and best) surprise. In an era when flying continues to dwindle, everyone turned out! It was fabulous.
7. The Snowbirds. I think I lost count at 7, as they switched from one amazing formation to the next, while looping and rolling. So graceful and precise!
Misses
1. Pottie Shortage. For whatever reason, they took a bank of PortAPotties out along the road near the green shower building. This meant just eight (8!) toilets serving hundreds of campers. Needless to say, the morning constitutional line was epic. EAA needs to fix this for 2017.
2. EAA WiFi. This continues to be a complete joke in the North 40. We gave up and set up cellular hotspots throughout the week.
3. Warbirds Cafe. The flipside of our terrific North 40 restaurant was the terrible restaurant in the war birds area. We went there for breakfast one morning and paid $58 for food that our corner gas station would reject. It was appallingly bad.
4. No P-38s. After years of stellar attendance, not a single one of my favorite Warbirds made it to the show. The extremely rare P-39 appearance helped, but WTH?
5. Emergency Preparedness. A perennial problem at OSH, they continue to lack the manpower to handle minor mishaps without closing the entire airport. Thus, a gear-up landing on Rwy 27 shut down all arrivals on Rwy 36L and 36R, throwing dozens (hundreds?) of pilots into the Rush and Green Lake holds, simply because they lack the equipment to cover both runways. This happened several times throughout the week.
6. Emergency Response. The Gene Soucey incident during the Saturday night airshow was eerily reminiscent of the infamous crash where the biplane pilot died while waiting 4 minutes until a fire truck arrived.
In this case, Soucey had a problem with his pyrotechnics (they wouldn't go out!), and he started dropping embers on the North 40 as he circled. He calmly notified the Air Boss that he would need to be met by a fire truck after landing. He circled a couple of times, landed uneventfully on Rwy 27, and then exited by the Weeks Hangar -- where he sat for 3 full minutes, awaiting assistance.
Somehow, some way, the firemen got the wrong info, and were sitting down at the end of Rwy 9. They apparently could not hear Soucey or the Air Boss as they increasingly urgently directed them to get their butts down to the aircraft in distress. They finally started spraying water 3+ minutes after Soucey rolled to a stop. It was crazy to watch, and we heard it all unfold on my buddy's handheld radio.
7. Rusty Pilots. Hoo boy, this one was a problem. With flying so far down, it was obvious that a lot of guys used all of this year's flight money attending the show. What we saw and heard could only happen to guys who haven't flown enough, and they included:
- Two pilots on final for Rwy 9, as Rwy 27 was in heavy use. The controller thankfully spotted them, and frantically shouted them off.
- Pilots talking incessantly. If anything screams "I didn't read the NOTAM", it is this.
- Stuck mikes. At least 3, throughout the week.
- Lots of too fast approaches leading to looooong, floating landings. On the flipside were the guys who ignored the order to "keep it in the air" who landed short, causing the controllers to order go-arounds. We witnessed a twin being sent around THREE TIMES due to this sort of stuff.
As always, the Oshkosh week was about people. Family and friends, all together to celebrate life, camaraderie, and aviation. In this regard the show was a spectacular success, with old friendships affirmed, new friends made, and our little family reunited for the first time in a year. There is simply no place like Oshkosh, and we are already making plans for OSH 17, which will be our 35th in a row!
Last edited:
