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Wautoma was like a mini-Oshkosh. 40-50 airplanes tied down and everyone camping.   We woke up to some nice MVFR weather which quickly, along with Oshkosh, went IFR. Some rain was working itself from east to west. Wautoma went MVFR relatively early - about 10am, while Oshkosh was still IFR. EVERYONE at our FBO was waiting for Oshkosh to go MVFR. My friends from Lubbuck and I decided it was better to be in the air circling lakes while MVFR and waiting for Oshkosh to go MVFR, than to be on the ground and get the good word. We all had full tanks of gas and only 30 nm to fly. So the 4 of us jumped in our planes and took off, to the dismay of nearly every other pilot at Wautoma. I didn't know if it was jealously or stupidity we were being judged on.  As soon as we got in the air, Fisk approach announced they were MVFR!!!! I firewalled the RV to get to RIPON before the controllers changed their mind. In all my years of flying to Oshkosh, this was the easiest approach ever. No one was around me.  Is this 1000' ceilings? Yes. Exactly 1000' Mr FAA.  Perfect form down the tracks from Ripon to Fisk.  About a little before noon I was at Oshkosh! I was told I was one of the first 10 arrivals. You can see in my row there was only one experimental (RV-8 from PacNW - N18VA)) that landed before I did.  I don't know what was the big deal with arrivals this year. My Garmin Pilot track indicated it was a CAKEWALK.  First order of business - Picking up my MUCH APPRECIATED RivetBangers.com media passes for Captain John, Mitch and I. Mitch is my incredible A&P friend my Plymouth Mass. He has helped me fixing uncountable issues with my RV - some even mid-air via text. It was the least I could do to hook him up with Media passes for his FIRST OSHKOSH EXPERIENCE! Nothing like new blood.  Onto more important business - the THIRD ANNUAL BEER TASTING! Todd Stovall was KEY in helping getting hundreds of beers cold enough for consumption. THAKS FOR VOLUNTEERING TODD!!!!  The Beer Tasting was a HUGE hit!              THANKS TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS! Todd Stovall, Rob Sheerer, Captain John, Dave Setzer, and Mitch Buckley. AND A HUGE THANKS TO JERRY FISCHER and RICH EMERY!!!!  It's a sucky job, but someone has to pour and drink the beer.  Can you imagine your first Oshkosh being this guy? His smile says it all.  This was new....360 degree opening top! Cheers to you whoever brought it, you won at beer today!  My friend Dave (RV-7) from Martinsburg. He played it safe and came out Thursday before the terrible weather invaded the mid-west.  Some after-beer-tasting pics. Yah-Dude from New-England made it!    Mitch and my camp for the week.  Some of us new to Oshkosh who are Patriot Fans aren't thrilled with the cooler choices WI has to offer.  A quick jaunt to SOS Bothers has turned Mitch's frown upside-down.  CJ even helped suck down a few Yankee Buzzards.  Even though I know there's a perfectly good open gate a few hundred yards away, there's something satisfying about scaling the gate.  However, some of us of more portly proportions had to get down and dirty.... 
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Last Modified: October 5, 2024 |