Photos from Airventure 2013

Finally have some time to post some photos from Airventure 2013.

One of my many goals during this trip was to explore how and where folks were installing their heated pitot tubes on their RVs in relation to the wing tie down rings, and, more importantly how were they tying down their aircraft. The location is important because the tie down rope may interfere with the heated pitot tube if it not tied down properly. Varying distances and locations of hardpoint tie downs on concrete ramps at different airports also has an impact on this.I now know exactly where to place my pitot tube,which was about where I had planned to install it all along.

What I found is that most are tieing downwell forward of the leading edge of each wing and at an angle that should not interfere with the heated pitot tube. Some of the aircraft I stumbled onto had some - shall we say - unique approaches to tying down their aircraft,as in this first pic with its unique pitot tube cover:

Those of you familiar with the hit movie Avatar will recognize this next paint scheme on Paul Dye's beautiful RV-3B.

This next aircraft is probably in my top 3 list of the most beautifully painted ANYTHING I have ever seen. There is a very detailed story behind all of the art work on this RV-8. It is detailed in articles in Sport Aviation magazine and elsewhere, so I am not going to detail it here. There are remembrances of fellow pilots, war heroes, and of the pilot's wife all over this gorgeously painted aircraft.

Next is an odd shot of a B-24  - first one I had seen at Oshkosh in 4 years - called Diamond Lil. I caught the sun light facing in the completely wrong direction for an interesting photo effect

And next was a Vietnam era Caribou - a rare sight indeed. When I first started my career at Jeppesen several years ago I worked with a man that was a pilot of these aircraft during the war. This was a key work horse cargo aircraft that can operate on short unimproved fields with amazing performance capabilities.

Next is a Japanese torpedo bomber - code name Kate:

Next is the Terrafugia Transformation flying car that I actually got to see transform from car to an airplane that actually flew and then back into a car again. Very cool indeed and a hilight for me on this trip.

Next was the Kiddie Hawk flight simulator that I volunteered to help man at Kid Venture this year. This was a wonderful experience. The simulator is designed and built by a chapter 301 member and it rotates around all 3 axis just like a real airplane. It has a control stick and rudder pedals that will allow a young person to experience much the same sensation as climbing, descending, banking, and yawing gives to a pilot in real flight. A very ingeniously designed aircraft.

Then on the final Saturday of the event, I decided to try to run my first 5k by signing up for the Runway Run/walk event that helps support the local Oshkosh area United Way. You get to run on a service road from the Ultra Light park, across the threshold of Runway 36, up the other side of the runway, and back again to where you started from. I also conned Mike into signing up to run it with me, but he blew me away during the first 1/4 of the run as I just could not keep up and had to walk a few times to catch my breath. I did not do too bad for an old fart that does not ever run very much.


Balloons were supposed to launch but winds were not favorable so they remained tethered.

And Mike and I "recovering" after the run:

Note the paragliders flying in the background. They were just chomping at the bit to get the balloons off the ultra-lite runway so they could fly.

And then finally I capped it all off by attending the memorial service for the induction of fellow chapter member Brian North, whom we lost to a bad aircraft accident at KFTG earlier in the year. A plaque added to the wall along with other 2013 inducties. Brian never actually made it to Airventure in person before the accident, but his memory lives on at the memorial wall. If I ever have to depart this earth,I think this is an honor I would like to have fulfilled someday.I can't think of a better place for a pilot or aviation enthusiast to be remembered.

And then the deed was done. Here is the final sunset from Camp Scholler,the campground that becomes the largest single camp ground in the world for one full week. It empties out in a hurry starting Saturday evening and all day Sunday. I read an article in Sport Aviation recently where somebody summed up the general feeling when the end is finally here - it does make you feel a bit empty inside after having experienced total sensory overload at an event that forces you to run at a blistering pace just to experience a small portion of everything that you want to do while you are there. But I look at it this way, Wehave to take a break from it all each year, otherwise we would not realize just how special it really is to attend Airventure Oshkosh each year. There is ALWAYS something new to experience, and I most certainly did not even come close to doing everything that I set out to do. So I can hardly wait till next year to do it all over again!

And lastly the somewhat ghostly image of things that used to be..... a shadow of undisturbed grass forms the outline where an aircraft that attended Airventure once stood. Oh the memories it would divulge if it could talk. I guess that is another reason why airplanes still need pilots - only they can tell all the stories that both plane and pilot have experienced during this awesome event.