Steve Berkley and Ed Somers are members of the A&E Flying Club at Hawthorne Airport, California
Ed Somers and Steve Berkley are attending their first ever AirVenture. They are both members of the A&E Flying Club at Hawthorne Airport in California near Los Angeles. They arrived in the North Forty campground on Friday after 15 hours of flying.
Their first flight to Oshkosh was a little longer than planned since they had to avoid some thunderstorms near Salt Lake. "But ATC did a good job," said Steve. "They give good headings that threaded us between them no problem."
Steve Berkley and Ed Somers are members of the A&E Flying Club at Hawthorne Airport, California
The red, white, and blue Cessna they flew is a 1980 Hawk XP which belongs to their club. Ed explains that an XP is a Skylane airframe with a 195 HP Continental engine. "It's basically a 130 knot Skyhawk," he says.
The club owns the XP, two Skyhawks, a Cardinal, and they are considering adding a fifth plane. At A&E the members do alot of the airplane upkeep themselves. "We meet once a month and spend the day cleaning and caring for the fleet," says Ed. "A few of the members are A&P Mechanics," says Ed, "so they watch what everyone is doing and make sure it's all OK."
Both men say they are better and more comfortable pilots since they've become so involved with the maintenance of the planes.
Although this is his first time to Oshkosh, Ed has been flying since the mid 70s. He is the president of A&E which has 50 members, the maximum allowed by club rules. His predecessor as president retired from the position when he won a seat on the Hawthorne City Council, adding a crucial pro-aviation vote in Hawthorne's recently resolved airport closure controversy.
Steve Berkley and Ed Somers are members of the A&E Flying Club at Hawthorne Airport, California.
At this year's AirVenture, Ed is looking forward to the Forums. "The problem is," he says, "there are so many that I'd like to attend, that are on at the same time as another equally good one."
He's particularly interested in welding and engine maintenance sessions. He says he can apply that new knowledge to the club's fleet back home. Steve is interested in learning about turbine conversion kits.
Ron MacEwan has been attending AirVenture since 1971. He remembers back to when he first started attending that the North Forty used to be working farmland which was harvested just before the fly-in. "We'd park our airplanes and camp out here among all the hay stubble." He remembers when the campground shuttle was a tractor pulling a hay wagon.
Ron flies in from Smiths Falls Airport. That's about 50 miles southwest of Ottawa, Ontario. He came to AirVenture in his 1974 Cessna 182, which he's owned since since 1981. Normally it's a six hour flight, but this year he had an in-flight emergency.
Ron MacEwan: 'I remember when the campground shuttle was a tractor pulling a hay wagon.'
On the trip here, soon after flying into IFC, his alternator failed. It was the result of an apparent belt problem. He calmly shut down all but one radio and the transponder, and declared an emergency. ATC directed him to Toronto International, where he landed uneventfully. As luck would have it he was able to get a new belt installed quickly. He arrived in Oshkosh only two hours behind schedule.
Ron comes back to AirVenture each year because it's so well organized, and for the great people he meets here. "I go home an tell friends that there are 300,000 people here, yet there's not a gum wrapper or can on the ground. The have a hard time believing that."
Bert Damstra arrived at AirVenture this year on Friday... twice! First he flew across Lake Michigan from his home in Grand Rapids, with his 16 year old son Aaron. After arriving he met up with friends who had driven over in their motor-home. He flew them back home so they could return with their own plane, and Bert flew back, arriving for the second time.
Bert's been to AirVenture for 14 consecutive years. Originally he would stay for only a couple of days. But a few years back his son got him to start volunteering. Now he arrives early each year, goes to the volunteer booth and asks for a job. He's worked the flight-line, swept parking lots, staffed a ticket booth, and acted as a Greeter.
Bert Damstra arrived at AirVenture this year on Friday... twice!
"Last year I got to drive a steamroller for a few days. That was fun."
He flies a white & burgundy 1966 Navion Rangemaster. He originally started flying 30 years ago, but gave it up for awhile. "Then I started up again about 14 years ago."
He bought his current Navion in 1996. Before that he'd owned a 1947 Navion which was painted in warbird colors. He brought it here to Oshkosh one year, put a For Sale sign on it, and quickly had two offers.
Son Aaron has many friends here at AirVenture who he stays in touch with throughout the year by email. Aaron is a student pilot and hopes to get his license by the time he's 17.
Jack and Bill are seated in the shade under the wing of their Cessna 182.
Jack Tackaberry has a vivid memory of his first time to the fly-in. "In 1980, my first time to Oshkosh, we were in the Theatre in the Woods and there was a tremendous thunderstorm. Back in those days the roof was only over the stage, so everyone in the audience crowded under the nearby ice cream tent. We all had to stand up to fit in, and it was a great way to meet people. While we were standing there a plane took off and a big flash of lightning lit it up like daylight. I think that was about the time that EAA stopped allowing after dark takeoffs."
Jack Tackaberry & Bill Cheolas made the flight this year from their homes in Avoca Michigan, which is near Port Huron.
Jack says that his 1957 red, black and cream Cessna 182 is his "favorite form of transportation". He's owned it for 32 years and first brought it to Oshkosh in 1990. His first time to the fly-in was in a Piper PA-20.
Jack's friend Bill Cheolas has been coming to the fly-in for "eight to ten years." During WWII Bill was a B-17 pilot who was once assigned to fly a glider, carrying a jeep and a couple of soldiers, and land behind enemy lines in Germany. "After we landed I became a soldier and had to fight my way out. But I was lucky and got out pretty quickly."
Jack and Bill made the flight this year from their homes in Avoca, Michigan, which is near Port Huron.
Diane Brady is a co-chairman of the Greeters program here at AirVenture. She made the flight this year from her home in Denver, arriving on Saturday. She's been coming to the fly-in for 24 years.
For many years she came here from Alaska where she was a commercial pilot, and the owner of a local newspaper.
Coming to AirVenture from Denver is shorter, but no less eventful.
"In Reidsberg, Wisconsin, I slept on the ramp, on a tarp spread out under my wing. The airport cat there is named Huey. I was a little worried what a cop passing-by would think if he found me and Huey curled up there on the pavement. He might think I was a homeless person, or worse. But the night was uninterrupted."
Diane's 1977 Cessna 172 is named "Annie D", after her daughter who is 12 years old. Although Annie, the daughter, couldn't make it to AirVenture this year, she flies with her mom a lot. She'll fill the rear seat with all her stuffed animals, then curl up and go to sleep for the duration of the flight.
"Someone once referred to my plane as a 'flying Toys R Us'"
One of Annie's favorites is a large pink panther, which became such a fixture in the back seat that Diane once filed a flight plan with "number of occupants" as "2 + panther".
Jerry Sprayberry & Bill Mackey have quite a spread of snacks and beverages laid out under the blue awning over their North Forty campsite. Jerry has been coming to the fly-in for ten years, Bill for six.
Jerry's favorite memory from past fly-ins was when the Italian military jet team Freece Tricolori appeared. "They were as impressive an airshow act as I've seen," he says.
One of the flags flying over Jerry Sprayberry & Bill Mackey's campsite is the Lone Star.
The fly-in was a lot smaller when he started coming. "We used to camp in row #2, which back then was near the showers that are now in the middle of the Warbirds area.
Bill has fond memories of Sean Tucker's early appearances and Bob Hoover's legendary airshow act.
Both Jerry and Bill say that their favorite thing about AirVenture, after all these years, is the camaraderie. "All the people we see each year, who call each other up in June and say, 'are you gonna be there?'"
One of the flags flying over their plane is the Texas Lone Star. Bill is from Dallas, and Jerry from Grapevine. They flew to AirVenture this year in Jerry's 1976 Cessna 206. He's been a pilot since 1974, Bill since 1966.
Bill and Jerry just completed a project to build a grass strip on Bill's family farm. After two years of passionate, hard work they just needed to let the grass grow for a month or so before they could make the long awaited, first landing. They were really looking forward to that moment. But one afternoon a glider on a cross-country trip ran out of lift and landed on their virgin strip.
Bill says, "I asked him, 'How was it?' 'It was fine.'"
The boys are philosophical about the interloper. Now they're looking forward to making the first powered landing.
When you and your plane arrive at EAA AirVenture the flag people direct you to park in the next available spot in the North Forty. But every year a few trailblazers decline this offer and taxi off to the far reaches of the field. What's the story with that?
On the far side of the runway, abeam the runway 9 numbers, a group of pilots meet up each year in their favorite parking place.
"Row 56, although they added a 5 in front this year and made it 556."
They fly to EAA AirVenture from Arkansas and Oklahoma, and on the back of their "GAC" sign they write "Row 56". "The flag people are really cooperative once they realize what you want."
Six friends from Oklahoma and Arkansas like to park on the far side of the field each year in row 56.
The three planes in row 56 this year carried six guys who have a variety of EAA AirVenture experiences.
Lonnie Halcomb and George Birdsong came in Lonnie's red and white 1963 Mooney. This is Lonnie's 4th time to the fly-in and it's George's first. George jokingly complains that he would have come sooner but it's a long trip in his powered parachute.
The 1961 Commanche brought John Forister and Lynn Soltharp. This is John's second time to the fly-in and Lynn has been coming since 1981.
And last but not least, Paul Shireman's 1967 Skyhawk carried him and Sam Douley. This is Sam's fifth year and Paul has been coming for 20 years.
All six agree that their preferred parking location is superior due to its closeness to the stores north of the field as well as the excellent view of the activity on runway 9-27.
"It's pretty high here. We can see 3 of the 4 runways. We can see the pattern. It's a good vantage point. Plus the bus stops nearby, and it's an easy walk to the showers, and the stores and restaurants." These are some of the reasons that Howard Price gives for why his group returns each year to their parking spaces along the fence at the west edge of the field.
They discovered the spot's benefits by accident when they arrived one year and the North Forty was nearly full. The flag people squeezed them into these oddball spaces along the fence, and they were hooked.
Howard and Tina Price come to EAA AirVenture in their F-33A Bonanza from Terrell Texas, near Dallas. They split the flying equally between them during the trip.
Terry Huffine first came to EAA AirVenture seven years ago at Howard's invitation. He flies in his "Duke", with his wife Sandie, from Sarasota, Florida. Sandie points out that each year, the first thing Terry does after arriving at the fly-in, is to say, "Well only 365 days until the next AirVenture." He counts down the days all year long.
Howard's brother Dave, and his wife Gayle, arrive in a 1973 Baron. He's been coming to the fly-in for about eight years.
David's most vivid memory of EAA AirVenture was the talk given by General Robin Olds a few years back. The General's description of his experiences as a P-51 pilot struck David as a tremendous example of heroism and patriotism. "He has an amazing and dynamic personality. He's the genuine article."
Another trailblazer in the far reaches of the North Forty is Ron Dornink. Ron's been parking out here for 10 years. He also likes the ready access to the stores and restaurants.
Ron's been flying for 47 years, and coming to Oshkosh for 25. He owns a grass strip in Freeport, Illinois.
Ron's name seemed familiar so we checked back and discovered that in a 1998 edition of this column we met Al Plapp who had some nice things to say about Ron.
"[When I was a kid] I worked for Ron Dornink at his airport in Illinois. I painted fences, and shoveled, err, stuff, in exchange for flying lessons. It's called Ronald K. Dornink Airport, but we called it Dornink International. I stop back there as often as I can. It's still a grass strip.
"Someone has taken all the old first solo shirt tails and stitched them together into a quilt that is now on display. There must be 80 to 100 shirttails. Mine is there.
"I think he's still got a couple of kids working for him, learning to fly."
This year at AirVenture Ron has two of his grandsons with him.
Sam Scaman is 14, and lives in Lakeworth, Colorado. This is his first time to AirVenture. "I'm looking forward to the whole thing. It's really big. I want to see the old airplanes and the new ones."
Erik Dornink is also 14, and this is his 5th AirVenture. He particularly likes the Warbirds.
Ron is teaching both of them to fly.
Row 63 (aka 563) is the annual gathering spot for some flying friends from Jackson, Mississippi.
Don Stitman and Henry Aldridge arrived in Don's 1985 Maul. John Mosley's 1976 C182 is parked in the next spot over.
All three agree that the fly-in is a lot bigger now than when they first started coming. Don is here for his 4th EAA AirVenture, John has been coming since 93, and Henry is the Oshkosh veteran of the group, who first came in 1983.
They enjoy returning each year because you get to spend time with people who like the same things that you do.
Don says, "I also really enjoy waking up to the sounds of the Warbirds at 5:30 am."
One of their favorite fly-in memories is when one of the planes they were travelling with had to make a forced landing in a field near Oshkosh. "We circled overhead until we saw he was OK, then we continued in." The friend left the plane in the field and continued on to Oshkosh as well.
Henry is from Hawkins Field in Jackson. It is an old field that was turned into a military field during WWII, then back to civilian. They take great pride in the fact that Lindbergh visited there many times, including landing there during his tour after the trans-Atlantic flight.
Way down at the south end of the airport, Gary Nelson and Glen Walker have arrived to their first AirVenture. Gary is a high-time CFI who has owned many planes over the years. "A 140, a 182, a Molt Taylor Coot, a few others. It's hard to say which one was my favorite because you like each one for different reasons. But maybe the 140 was a favorite."
Gary and Glen are from Port Orchard, Washington and fly out of Bremerton National Airport.
Glen is learning how to fly. He hasn't soloed yet, "but I got a lot of stick-time on the trip out here. I also learned a lot of navigation." He's especially looking forward to seeing the Warbirds.
Both men have attended the EAA Arlington fly-in for many years. They came to AirVenture in Gary's Avid Magnum. He finished building it in Oct 2000. "It took me two years and eight months to build. But I like to say that I spent 8 months building, and two years looking for my tools. I tend to put things down and then can't find them." He looks fondly at the Magnum fuselage. "There's probably tools in there now."
John Berendt is one of the Chairmen of the new Tall Pines Café, a breakfast-only operation, which is being run by the Vintage Aircraft Association this year for the first time. The café is located just south of the Ultralight field near the South 40 camping area.
This is John's 30th year at the fly-in. He's from Cannon Falls, Minnesota and has been volunteering at the fly-on for 27 years, which is how long he's been a member of Vintage.
Over the years John has helped out in many areas of the Vintage fly-in such as Forums, but mostly he's done logistics for all parts of the group. He collects and distributes equipment and materials for all the VAA's fly-in projects. "Basically someone tells me they need something, and I go out and find it."
This year he and fellow volunteer Steve Nessee are riding herd on the new breakfast operation.
The Vintage Aircraft Association's new Tall Pines Café is serving breakfast each morning during EAA AirVenture 2002.
"Last fall we started talking about setting up a breakfast place down here. We weren't sure how well it would do but we decided to give it a try."
The Vintage Aircraft Association's new Tall Pines Café is serving breakfast each morning during EAA AirVenture 2002.
The Café is staffed completely with volunteers. Some fairly senior Vintage folks, like Directors, Chairs and Judges, are down there each morning preparing and serving meals.
The Vintage Aircraft Association's new Tall Pines Café is serving breakfast each morning during EAA AirVenture 2002.
Although the Café opens at 6:30 am, the crew starts at 4:30 when they fire up the grills and put on the coffee. Between 12 and 15 Vintage volunteers work there daily.
The Vintage Aircraft Association's new Tall Pines Café is serving breakfast each morning during EAA AirVenture 2002.
So far the Café has been a big hit. It's been crowded each day. One morning some early rising fly-in attendees showed up for breakfast at 5am. The organizers are already looking forward to improving and expanding it next year.
The Voices of EAA AirVenture:
You really need to get some of the 50 sunscreen, it's a lot better... You're never alone at Oshkosh. It's an extended family of 300,000... It's so nice to see so many individuals who share the same interests in aviation... We had a request for joining steel to aluminum, like on a Citabria... They had 19 Mustangs. They had them all pulled up in front of everybody with the props going and everything. Pretty cool!... Oooh aaaah...
Bob Muzik is sitting on his folding stool beside the ultralight runway eating his dinner of cheese and crackers. He's been coming to AirVenture, from his home in Lowry, Minnesota, for ten years. He flies his 1959 Skyhawk out of Glenwood Municipal Airport. This year Bob is camping in the South 40.
Bob got started flying in ultralights and still loves to watch the comings and goings here at AirVenture. He comes back year after year because, "there's always something new. A new design. A new aircraft. It's fun to see them.
"The airshow is great. Sean Tucker is great. It's kinda unbelievable, what can you say about that? It's amazing that his plane holds together."
With Bob this year is his friend Ed Jungst. Ed is an RV builder. He's built an RV-6 and an RV-8. Ed and Bob do a lot of flying in the RV-8. They regularly take it to local fly-ins and pancake breakfasts. They would have brought the RV to AirVenture but "the Skyhawk we can pack to the hilt."
Wayne Pearson and his family have been coming to the EAA fly-in for over 30 years. "I started coming when it was in Rockford," he says.
On this particular evening he and his wife Evelyn are sitting on their folding chairs watching the ultralights. One of their sons, who arrives tomorrow, is a member of the EAA Ultralight Chapter in the Minneapolis area.
Evelyn proudly points out that Wayne was a B-17 tailgunner in WWII. "That's where he learned to love airplanes," she says.
"I learned to fly," says Wayne, "in 1948 in a Piper Cub."
Back in the 60s & 70s Wayne was a member of an EAA Chapter in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and although the demands of family and career pulled him away from flying and Chapter involvement, he kept coming to the annual fly-in. Over the years he's passed on his love of planes to his wife and three kids. "Once you get it in your blood you never lose it," Evelyn says.
These days the Pearsons drive to AirVenture for a few days each summer from their home in Crystal Falls, Michigan. They stay at the dorms in Ripon. Wayne remembers the early fly-ins as having "not so many planes. We used to be able to park right by the runways and watch."
Over the years Evelyn was active as a volunteer at the fly-in. She would work Classic registration and sometimes "haul sandwiches out to the volunteers."
The Laguna family fly out of Rio Linda airport near Pleasant Grove, California. They arrived to AirVenture 2002 a day later than planned since, as they were departing, their Navion broke a throttle cable in the run-up area of their home airport. Fortunately it was repaired in less than a day, and they were on their way.
Art, Erin, and Marybeth Laguna are enthusiastic AirVenture attendees.
Art Laguna is a pilot for the Army National Guard at Mather Field in Sacramento, California. He flies C-12s, the Army's name for the King Air, and all sorts of helicopters (Scout, UH-1, Blackhawk).
Art's wife, Marybeth tells about Art's first trip to the EAA fly-in back in 1993. "We sent him out as a scout," she says, "we wanted to find out what it was like before the rest of us came out."
In the next few years Art brought their older daughter Sarah, who is now 22, and then eventually his wife and both daughters started coming. Sarah, who is now a student pilot, was unable to attend this year due to work commitments ("she's cryin the blues at home"), but younger daughter Erin, 12, is here and is an enthusiastic AirVenture attendee.
"It's like home here. I really like it," says Erin. She has friends who she meets here each year, and particularly enjoys the Activities Tent.
Art has some exciting memories of his earliest visits. "One night there was this fantastic thunderstorm and the wind was really blowing. We were parked next to some Canadians whose tiedowns came loose, so we all grabbed on under the wing and helped hold it down for about an hour. We made some great friends that night."
More recently, "Two years ago we came as part of the Mooney group. 98 Mooneys flew in together."
Art can't say enough about his love for visiting the fly-in. "I can go up to a complete stranger who also has a Navion and have a long talk with them about the plane."
"This is my happy place," he beams.
Jay Zack and Keith Hulten are from Cloquet Minnesota. They arrived on Tuesday morning after a "beautiful" flight in Jay's Avid Magnum. It's Jay's 4th time to the fly-in, and Keith's 8th. Jay spent two years building the Magnum and made its first flight last March.
Jay is a member of EAA Chapter 1221, which has about 35 members, and 12 or 13 planes under construction. Now that the Avid is done he's thinking about building an ultralight next.
Keith is building a Super Cub with Taylorcraft wings. He owns a company called Tuffloats (www.tuffloats.com) which makes composite floats for all sorts of aircraft. He first came to the fly-in years ago when he was in the Air National Guard.
Keith remembers some of his early visits to Oshkosh when it was "hotter than blazes." But says this year we're having the "best AirVenture weather ever." He used to come to the fly-in as part of a big group from Grand Rapids, Michigan who would stake out a large area in the campground and spend the week together.
Keith's advice for anyone agonizing over starting a building project: "The key is to have a hangar. Get the hangar first and the project will follow."
Many AirVenture attendees plan their visit months in advance. But not Les Stapleton and Joan Baumstark. They are from Tempe, Arizona, and are travelling through the Midwest on a pre-wedding vacation. Neither of them flies, but friends recommended that they visit the excellent EAA Museum in the quiet town of Oshkosh. They arrived at the height of Wednesday's airshow traffic jams and were adventurous enough to not turn tail and run. And they're glad they did.
We met them early in the evening along the North 40 fence watching the comings and goings on runway 9. They were enthralled. "It's a lot of fun!" said Les. "We love seeing all the experimental aircraft. And what an incredible amount of organization that goes into this."
They had visited the museum earlier in the day. "It’s the best museum I've seen," he said. "I love the warbirds. My favorites are the P-51 Mustang and the P-38 Lightning."
"The voyager was amazing, says Joan. "Two people in that small space for nine days."
Wayne Beihle and his son Shawn are visiting AirVenture from Cincinnati. They arrived on Sunday in their 1971 blue on white Cessna 182. It was only a three and a half hour flight, but they stopped to top off their fuel at Dodge County.
They've been to the fly-in four times, but the last time was five years ago. Wayne says some of the reasons they love coming to AirVenture is, "being around other flyers. And the people you meet. The quality of people is outstanding. There's never a harsh word."
Wayne remembers the apparent craziness of turning final the first time he flew in. "There were planes all around. Underneath us, above us. Very unusual." But of course it turned out OK.
Shawn remembers seeing some special planes during his early visits to the fly-in. "I liked the Gee Bee, and the Concorde, and the SR-71. That was pretty cool."
This year Wayne is looking forward to seeing the NASA exhibits, "especially their stuff on GA avionics."
Among the many volunteers that make the AirVenture Ultralight area work are the women who work in the Red Barn. For years this dedicated crew has been known as the BarnVols. Last fall, long time BarnVol Sue Brown decided that because most all of the BarnVols were female, they should be called "BarnDol".
Ultralight Red Barn volunteer "BarnDols" (l-r)Janet Fancher, Jane Stevenson, Carla Larsh, Chazz Humphrey, Sammi Gaffney, Susie Virgo and Melissa Czerwinski.
"The BarnDols do all the work here," says Ultralight Chairman Chazz Humphrey. "They are absolutely indispensable. Most of them are in here at 6 am and stay until 6, and sometimes 7 pm each night of the fly-in."
There are about 16 BarnDols. They do it all in the Barn. They sell admission tickets, memberships, merchandise, coffee & donuts in the morning. They handle a lot of the paperwork for the aircraft judging, and they answer a lot of questions.
"And we have a lot of fun," says BarnDol Jane Stevenson.
This year Sue Brown got all the women a grey polo shirt onto which she had embroidered the words "BarnDol" and each individual's name. "And because Chazz is the 'big guy' around here," says Jane, "he got a shirt that says "BarnBul".
Wayne Beihle and his son, Shawn, are visiting EAA AirVenture from Cincinnati. They arrived on Sunday in their 1971 blue on white Cessna 182. It was only a three-and-a-half hour flight, but they stopped to top off their fuel at Dodge County.
Shawn and Wayne Beihle at the edge of the North 40 watching takeoffs and landings.
They’ve been to the fly-in four times, but the last time was five years ago. Wayne says one of the reasons they love coming to EAA AirVenture is “being around other fliers. And, the people you meet. The quality of people is outstanding. There’s never a harsh word.”
Wayne remembers the first time he flew in and the apparent craziness when turning final. “There were planes all around. Underneath us, above us. Very unusual.” But of course it turned out okay.
Shawn remembers seeing some special planes during his early visits to the fly-in. “I liked the Gee Bee, and the Concorde, and the SR-71. That was pretty cool.”
This year Wayne is looking forward to seeing the NASA exhibits, “especially their stuff on GA avionics.”
Terry and Dianne Copeland came to AirVenture this year in their tan, maroon & gold, 1981 Bonanza A36. It's their first time to the fly-in and they're thrilled. They're sitting alongside runway 9 watching the arrivals and departures as the sun sets.
"It’s sensory overload," says Terry. He seems particularly fond of the Velocity, excitedly pointing out each one that lands.
They arrived on Sunday from Mansfield Airport which is near their home in Hollister, Massachusetts.
They're loving the Oshkosh atmosphere. "Everyone is so nice," says Terry. Dianne agrees, "and it’s not just the pilots. All the local people are so friendly too."
They came out to AirVenture a day earlier than planned in order to avoid some bad weather and are having a blast. Dianne describes AirVenture: "It's like Woodstock, only sober."
Jeff and Cathy Gerken are attending their 3rd AirVenture. They are camping with their 1969 Cherokee Six which they flew in from Lancaster, Ohio.
"We really decompress when we come here," says Jeff. "The blood pressure goes down. For all the people who come to this it's nice to see everyone so nice."
Jeff and Cathy Gerken sitting at the edge of the North 40 watching takeoffs and landings.
They fly out of Fairfield County Airport where they are members of EAA Chapter 443.
"There are about 60 members in the chapter," says Jeff. "We do a lot of Young Eagles there."
This year was their first time crossing the lake to get here. They usually come west and turn at Chicago. They like to come the AirVenture a couple days early to go to the Museum and enjoy the area.
"There are only two weeks that we get to take vacation. One of those will be various places, but every year one week is Oshkosh."
I've been asking attendees at this year's AirVenture about memories of the first time they attended. So here's mine.
I first attended in 1991. I wasn't able to be here for the whole week, so a friend and I arrived in his Bonanza on Sunday, which in those days was more in the middle of the fly-in than it is now.
The North 40 was full so we landed at Fond Du Lac. It was just before sunset. I loaded my camping gear onto the shuttle and headed north to Camp Scholler. I arrived after dark, wandered around trying to figure out how things worked, and finally pitched my tent in a small unclaimed patch up against the south fence.
The next morning I woke up soon after dawn and heard a buzzing sound outside my tent. I stuck my head out, and saw about a dozen ultralights flying around just to the south of the campground. They were circling in the Ultralight pattern, as they do every morning and evening during AirVenture.
I've always been pleased that that was my first view of the fly-in. It's some folks, who are up early, flying their planes, from a little grass strip, as Frank Beagle, AirVenture's best announcer says, "getting themselves some sky."
The extreme southern edge of the South 40 parking area is 1.7 miles south of the FAA Tower. If it was used, the highest row number would be #160. The Vintage Aircraft Association, which does the parking in the South 40, put out row number signs all the way up to row #150. After that the potential rows are only marked with orange cones. This year airplanes were parked all the way into row #151. That's 1.6 miles south of the tower. Don't worry, there are shuttle busses.
One of the planes parked in row 151 brought Tom Pelz and his friends Ray Spangler and Dan Weber. Tom is from Boscobel, Wisconson, and owns the 1959 orange, brown & white K35 Bonanza that they arrived in.
Dan Weber, Ray Spangler, and Tom Pelz don't seem to mind parking in row 151 of the South 40.
Tom has come to the fly-in eight times, but this is the first time for both Ray and Dan. Neither of them are pilots.
"It's only a 45 minute flight here," says Tom, "but I hopped down to Chicago to pick up these guys. Every year I bring along some people who've never been before. This is their Christmas present."
Ray is from Schaumberg, Illinois. "I amazed by all the different type of planes here. Helicopters, ultralights, warbirds."
Dan, from Winfield, Illinois, says it's all very impressive. "There's something for everyone. I especially like the gunship 'Spooky'. And the aerobatics, crazy stunts!"
Tom thinks back on his past visits to AirVenture. "It’s always changing. I don't know if it’s changing for the good or bad, but in many ways it's nice."
Tom likes the commercial exhibits. "I like looking at the electronics. Instead of getting a new plane, you can just update all the stuff in the one you've got."
At first glance they seem to be your basic AirVenture family, mon, dad, and their son. But like so many stories here at the fly-in it turns out to be much more interesting than that.
Sterling Hurst and his wife Nancy are from Walker Field, near Grand Junction, Colorado. Sterling has only been to the fly-in four times, the first time being in 1981. This is Nancy's first visit.
Brian Cloud, who is the third member of their party is 17 years old and is a student pilot. Sterling is his CFI.
"Isn't Cloud a great name for a pilot," says Sterling. "Brian did all the flying on the trip here."
"I really learned a lot on the trip," says Brian, "especially about navigation."
The 1961 Comanche 250, that they flew in is owned by Brian's dad, Richard, who isn't here at AirVenture this year. Richard bought the Comanche 19 years ago, before Brian was born, when Sterling taught him to fly. Now, years later, Brian is learning to fly in the same plane, with the same instructor, as his dad.
Brian is pretty comfortable with this flying stuff. "I've been flying with my dad ever since I could drool. When I was really little he would put foam pads on the right seat and I'd get on my knees so I could see and hold the yoke.
"When I got bigger and the pads didn't work, I'd sit in the seat and fly on instruments." This is Brian's first Oshkosh.
One of Sterling's fondest memories of AirVenture is watching the late Ken Brock fly his gyroplane. "I saw it every time I was here."
Randy Hytry is one of those guys who wears an orange vest and rides a scooter from dawn to dusk, in all (and we mean ALL) kinds of weather, to help you to safely taxi and park your plane.
Randy's been volunteering for Vintage parking for 10 years. He volunteered in other areas of the fly-in for 19 years, and this is his 21st Oshkosh overall.
Randy and the rest of the parking crew work hard, but they have fun too. "One year, while waiting for a delayed launch of the Concorde, we put on an impromptu performance of formation scooter riding along the taxiway. We got a big round of applause."
And the hours are long. "During the whole week I get to spend about a total of a half-day north of the Vintage Red Barn."
Randy is an electronics professor at Northcentral Technical College, which leaves him free in the summer to do a lot EAA volunteering. He's also an A&P mechanic. He arrived at Oshkosh this year in early July to begin preparing, but by that time he had already spent 5 weeks travelling with the EAA B-17.
Norman Smith and his gang come to AirVenture from South County Airport in San Martin, California. Norman and his nephew Adam Brown, age 14, flew here as part of the Mooney Caravan last Sunday in his 1968 M20F Mooney. When they got here Norman and Adam met up with Steve Schrepfer and Norman's son Patrick, age 10, who arrived via the airlines. They all pitched their tents among the Mooneys near the west edge of the North 40.
Norman loves coming to the fly-in for the "variety of planes and people you see here." One vivid recollection from his first year is how many planes there can be in the sky. "I once counted 100 planes in the air at one time!" Norman's advice for preparing for the trip to AirVenture: "Pack clothing for hot, pack for cold, pack for rain. But pack light."
Norman says his flying 'claim to fame' is that he has landed at every public use airport in California. "283 of them. Some are pretty small and rugged. It's taken me the whole 19 years that I've been flying. I didn't start out to accomplish this, but a few years back I was looking at my logbook and I realized I already had most of them, so I set out to do the rest." He finished by landing at San Francisco International in November 2001.
Young Patrick is a fan of the jets. "We waited in the rain for the Harriers to arrive. They were really cool." Patrick is excited about the arrival of personal jets, like the Eclipse, "Hey Dad, it's on $875,000."
Adam is a bit more philosophical about the AirVenture experience. "I like the general atmosphere. Back home, out on the street you don’t see much aviation stuff. But here it's kinda like Mecca."
Well that about wraps it up for EAA AirVenture 2002. As always it's been a great year. We met many old friends, and a bunch of new ones. It was hot, it rained, it was cold. But best of all, sport aviation continues to thrive.
It is satisfying (but not surprising) to see that in these troubling times, the EAA family is not diminished. We are paying respect to the fallen, and making the sacrifices needed to protect ourselves, but we have not lost the spirit of independence, inventiveness, and the joy of flight, that we all share and which we celebrate here each summer.
See you next year.
— ATF