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Oshkosh 2018 - BullockAir-A-Palooze

bullojm1

Well Known Member
Oshkosh 2018 - BullockAir-A-Palooza

I've been planning this Oshkosh/Airventures trip (coined BullockAir-A-Palooza) for some time now - I've been wanting to shuffle things up from years past as I've had friends move to new locations in the US -- As you have followed along in the past, I use this week off work to do the Oshkosh thing, and then visit a bunch of college friends around the US. This year I had a friend move out to Fort Collins, CO, so I decided to take the RV further west than she's ever been before.

My original itinerary was Cleveland - Oshkosh - Ft Collins - Des Moines - Detroit - Buffalo - Home. Weather was a MAJOR challenge along the route. Low ceilings, rain, headwinds, turbulence, etc.. It was the most challenging trip I've ever taken in the RV.

This is my GPS track from Garmin Pilot running on my iPad. I was only able to hit 83% of my intended cities, as I needed to bail on Buffalo, NY due to poor weather forecasted.
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Official BullockAir-A-Palooza Stats:

  • 22.1 Hours flown
  • 178.8 Gallons of 100LL put to good use
  • 3249 Nautical Miles Traveled
  • 18.17 Average MPG
  • 8.09 Average GPH
  • 3 SOS Brothers Bikini Beer Bongs Consumed
  • 1 Bumble Date Ruined
  • 11 States Overflown
  • 7 States Landed In
  • 1 New State added (Nebraska)
  • 1 Tornado Warning (Ft Collins while on Bicycle)
  • 3 Breweries Visited
  • 3 Media Passes
  • 10 Nights Total
  • 5 Nights in a Tent
  • 32 oz of Prime Rib Consumed
  • 1 Torrential Downpour
  • 1,371 Pictures Taken
  • 9 Friends Visited
  • 100's of Aviation Friends Seen
  • 1 New friend I ran into 6 consecutive days randomly!
  • 0.5 Quarts of Oil consumed
  • 2 Autopilot Malfunctions
  • 8.4373 BEERMUGs (Beer Estimated Equivalent Rounded Measurement Units in Gallons).
  • COUNTLESS Laughs.
 
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Day 1

This was nearly the trip that didn't happen. The weather looked absolutely horrible for the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest for the indefinite future. My first stop was a quick flight to Cleveland to visit a friend. I knew I could make it there, but I was very concerned I might be stranded there for multiple days. All of the forecasts said to not go. I spent almost all today trying to find a forecast or weather model that gave me a little hope of making it in VFR conditions. As I drove to the airport, I was fully ready to turn around at any moment and head home, cancelling this trip completely.



When I got to the airport, I unenthusiastically loaded the airplane. I kept checking the weather, hoping by some miracle things would of changed. They didn't. Worst case I'd make it to Cleveland, airline it back home, and collect the RV at a later date. The thought of showing up at work on Monday with my tail between my legs was the deciding factor...OFF WE GO!!!!!
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No, I'm not a complete lush. Those Solo cups are for my epic beer tasting, as well as acting as forward-CG ballast.
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Weather in MD/PA was perfect this Friday afternoon.
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Weather in Cleveland, however, left a little to be desired. A system to the southwest was moving to Cleveland and I was trying to beat it.
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Obligatory "Going to OSHKOSH!" smile...even though I didn't believe I'd make it.
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Hey, a nice tailwind. Things are slightly looking up.
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nearly 200 MPH across the ground. Can't help but smile.
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I've yet to figure out the ADS-B weather intensity color coding. You would think dark red and purple would mean certain death?
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And this is my view out the window. Bad to the north, but fine along my present heading.
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Day 1 (continued)

You call that a purple???
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Once clear of that line of storms, the weather drastically improved. The line of storms which was approaching Cleveland dissipated to nothingness. It was smooth sailing.
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Well, almost smooth sailing - KLPR (Lorain County) had a pretty stiff direct crosswind - 25 kts. However, the RV handled it perfectly. Even heavily loaded, it was a piece of cake landing - it surprised the heck out of me!
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Bunkered down for the night.
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A nice use of some AN365-832A nuts and AN960-8L washer hardware in the men's bathroom at KLPR!
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Day 2

Weather today SUCKED. The whole mid-west from Cleveland to Chicago was MVFR at best. Lots of heavy rain cells and low ceilings. I hung out at the Lorain County (KLPR) for a few hours keenly watching the weather. It looked like I could *almost* make it, except there was a massive line of storms just south of Lake Michigan - and there only seemed to be a very small hole in them. 5pm was my deadline for taking off out of Cleveland. With 3 hours to Oshkosh and a time difference, it meant I had a small chance of making it there sometime between 7-8pm (tower closes at 8).



My plan of action was to see how far I could make it. I knew I could make it across most of OH and IN, but I was very unsure about making it to IL. Worst case I would turn around and come back to LPR and try again tomorrow.
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Crossing into MI the weather to the south of me was nothing but soup. The ground in OH/MI was absolutely waterlogged, but helping the situation.
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My high school drama teacher would be proud of my performance here. It definitely looked awful to the south.
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However to the north, it looked fantastic. You can even see a little blue sky poking through.
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And this was the gauntlet. Around the lake was IFR. There was only one clear hole to try to poke through.
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After pushing MVFR to it's limit's, I was able to snake myself through this line of weather.
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It wasn't pretty - steady rain, low ceilings, but I was able to push through.
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The weather improved significantly and I was able to fly between layers.
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However, on the other side of the storm a stiff 20kts headwind appeared.
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Just southwest of Chicago the sky cleared out....I might ACTUALLY MAKE IT TO OSHKOSH TODAY!!!! I texted my friends who were there to get a cold beer ready for my arrival in an hour!
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Day 2 (continued)

Northwest of Chicago the sky was very inviting. I was psyched to of made it through the terrible weather and to Oshkosh today.
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Wait...WHAT THE DEUCE??? IFR conditions ahead? NOOOO! There was a decent sized rain cell heading south. I needed to divert westward to almost Madison, WI.
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I was able to clear the weather to the east of Madison and off to Oshkosh I trucked. Just when I could start picking up Fisk Approach, it became clear my aspirations and high hopes for making it to Oshkosh would not come to fruition tonight. The mass arrivals of Bonanza's for the second year in a row had f*cked me. Oshkosh tower was shut down for the night and all traffic was to divert to an alternative.



This is something I did not plan on. I had no idea where to head. I heard on approach some cute-sounding girl saying "I'm heading over to Wautoma". After a quick look at exactly where Wautoma (Y50) was, it seemed like a logical place to divert to.
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After 3.4 hours if felt GREAT to be on the ground. Wautoma ended up being one of the best places I could end up at. CHEAP fuel ($4.25/G), camping was allowed on the field, pizza delivery, GREAT FBO with showers and a pancake breakfast in the morning.

I met some great guys from Lubbock, TX who little did I know would run into EVERY DAY AT OSHKOSH. We shared some pizza and cocktails here, all stuck in this little Oshkosh in Wautoma, WI.

While when I landed at Wautoma I was severely disappointed I was not at Oshkosh, it ended up being one of the unexpected highlights of my trip
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Day 3

Wautoma was like a mini-Oshkosh. 40-50 airplanes tied down and everyone camping.
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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.
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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.
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Is this 1000' ceilings? Yes. Exactly 1000' Mr FAA.
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Perfect form down the tracks from Ripon to Fisk.
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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.
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I don't know what was the big deal with arrivals this year. My Garmin Pilot track indicated it was a CAKEWALK.
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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.
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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!!!!
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Day 3 (continued)

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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!!!!
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It's a sucky job, but someone has to pour and drink the beer.
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Can you imagine your first Oshkosh being this guy? His smile says it all.
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This was new....360 degree opening top! Cheers to you whoever brought it, you won at beer today!
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My friend Dave (RV-7) from Martinsburg. He played it safe and came out Thursday before the terrible weather invaded the mid-west.
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Some after-beer-tasting pics. Yah-Dude from New-England made it!
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Day 3 (continued)

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Mitch and my camp for the week.
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Some of us new to Oshkosh who are Patriot Fans aren't thrilled with the cooler choices WI has to offer.
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A quick jaunt to SOS Bothers has turned Mitch's frown upside-down.
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CJ even helped suck down a few Yankee Buzzards.
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Even though I know there's a perfectly good open gate a few hundred yards away, there's something satisfying about scaling the gate.
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However, some of us of more portly proportions had to get down and dirty....
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Day 4

Monday morning we awoke to a perfect Wisconsin sunrise.
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I upgraded to a different solar charger this year which I placed on my tent - a SOKOO 22W 5V 2-Port USB Portable Foldable Solar Charger (SOKOO FSC-22). This solar panel is very lightweight and has two USB plugs on it. I used it to top off my battery packs in the tent during the day. WORKED GREAT! A much better and lighter solution than I have used in years past.
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My friend Mitch went on an early morning walk around the Oshkosh grounds and spotted this interesting tie-down technique on this One-Design. Let's just say I'm happy I wasn't parked near this guy...
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I'd love to know the purpose of these "training wheels" on this One-Design...
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For a second year in a row the sleep B-1B made an appearance.
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Unfortunately for the B-1B, Mike Patey's turboprop STOL Wilga stole the show.
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While the P&W PT-6 turbine on the front of it might impress some, the massive tailwheel off the tail made this really stand out.
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"Doc" with a plethora of RV's in Aeroshell Square.
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Day 4 (continued)

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It's difficult to hide from my celebrity status at Oshkosh. Dave from Jamestown, NY is a big fan of RVPlane.com.
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The AirCam always catches my eye.
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I did a quick run through the vendor booths and caught up with my good friend Andre at Aerotronics.
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And onto one of my favorite Monday events - the RV Beer Social. Always good to see Jeff with Vertical Power.
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Frank Smidler and I wondering where his son Derek is? Hope to see you next year, Derek!
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The RV Social was fun as always, with a great showing of RV'ers.
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I've never partaken in the Monday night concert at Oshkosh. Maddie & Tay and Dustin Lynch were performing tonight. I figured I'd check them out.
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Day 4 (continued)

Best seats in the house??? Watching the concert on the wing off the B-1B!
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Dustin Lynch put on an excellent show!
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While the concert was going on, behind us the hot air balloons were being inflated.
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The key to surviving Oshkosh is to stay hydrated! the 1.5L bladder in my Osprey backpack worked great. Oh, and so did the free hat I scored at Mike Goulian's both!
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The evening is still young, and there's one last party that I wanted to hit up - SOS Brothers with some live music.
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I was trying my best to be on good behavior this year. Last year I succeeded in avoiding any beer bongs. However, this year I jumped right back into my old ways as I couldn't resist the lovely Kim.
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What can I say, I'm a bad influence on the new blood. Mitch is getting psyched for his first SOS Bikini Beer Bong.
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Cheers to my New England friends - Captain John, Derek and Marc!
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Day 4 (continued)

Hyde never disappoints! Great band to open the Oshkosh week with!
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An incredible first full day at Oshkosh. I love this place.
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Another night at SOS means another attempt to squeeze through the locked gate.
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SUCCESS!
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Day 5

Next to the Draco, the second coolest airplane at Oshkosh had to be the Yak-110. Sure...why not put two Yak-55's together and add a jet engine?!?!!?
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I rarely get allured into the non-aviation side-shows, but the Ford drift demonstration was pretty cool. I couldn't help but feel, however, that the little concrete barrier wasn't enough protection between me and those cars if something went awry.
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I took my GTX327 transponder in to get upgraded to the latest firmware. It was a piece of cake and took only 10 minutes. Thanks, Garmin for doing this!
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It was really cool to stop by the One Week Wonder every day to see the progress the team of builders was making.
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Well this is unique - a tri-engine 757 - with a turbofan. Pretty cool test platform from Honeywell.
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The Boeing B-1B is where it's supposed to be - in the middle of Aeroshell Square.
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the 310kts Jet-EZ.
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Today was overall a relaxing day. I continued on the relaxation with my friend Jeff in camp Scholler. He caught a rare pic of me - consuming a non-alcoholic beverage at Osh!
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Great to catch up with Jeff!
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Day 5 (continued)

Jeff calls Captain John and I "Beavis and Butthead". Can't really argue with him after I reflect upon my Oshkosh behavior!
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While at Jeff's camp, we saw the T6 Texan flyover commemorating the T6's 80th anniversary.
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"Beavis" and I were clearly having too much fun as we were interrupted by the neighboring local Sheriff. His complaint was we needed to drink better quality booze than what Jeff was offering us! So off to his RV I went to sample some fine single malt scotch.
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Besides catching up with Jeff, the main reason for meeting up with him was to catch a ride to the best prime rib joint - The Black Otter Supper Club in Hortonville, WI. Jeff was kind enough to offer us a ride in his Chevy Suburban - the "Queen of the Fleet". This is the most comfort Captain John and I have experienced since we got to Oshkosh. CJ quickly took advantage of the best sleep he'll have all week.
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Meanwhile, Mitch decided to skip out of the best meal of his life to assist his friend Pablo arriving to help tie down the One Design he helped get flying.
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Mitch also got a pic of the Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy arriving. What can I say, my photographer is dedicated to staying behind to do his job while all of us get ready for our meat coma!
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And now onto the official 2018 "Meating" of RivetBangers.com. Yes, I know no one uses this forum except for one exceptional reason to keep it alive - 20-30 of us getting together and eating mass quantities of prime rib. Mike C took the gold medal with his 72 oz King Cut!
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We had quite the showing this year - 23 of us!
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Day 5 (continued)

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I've learned from past mistakes, and was wise this year and kept with the reasonable 32oz Queen Cut.
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BOOM! This is what I am most proud of....for the second year in a row we have single-handedly cleaned out the Black Otter of Prime Rib!
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The lax security made it possible for us to restock our depleted beer supply at camp.
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Day 6

I ran into my South African friends at Whisper again this year and checked out their X350 Gen II. This is a REALLY SLICK KIT AIRPLANE! The interior is very wide and comfortable. There is a TON of baggage space behind the seats. It's quick also - 175 kts (200 MPH!) cruise speed at 80%. And, 538 lbs of useful load with full fuel (63G - 1000nm worth!).
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These guys love talking about their airplane. It's almost the complete opposite of the Van's booth :)

Christiaan at Whisper forwarded me more information on their airplane to share.

Spec Sheet:
http://www.rvplane.com/pdf/WhisperOsh2018/WhisperOsh2018_x350-Gen-II-Info.pdf


Pricing Sheet:
http://www.rvplane.com/pdf/WhisperOsh2018/WhisperOsh2018_X350-G2-Pricing.pdf


Inflight Article:
http://www.rvplane.com/pdf/WhisperOsh2018/WhisperOsh2018_Inflight-Article.pdf

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Hmmm, this looks like a new prop.
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Sure is! The AXSport Aviation (http://www.axsport.co.za/)AXL3 3-blade Constant Speed / Adjustable Pitch prop (electrically actuated). I didn't see the weight on their site, but I recall the Whisper guys saying it was around 40 lbs. Pricing seems great too - 75,000 South African Rand, which today equals about $5,200 USD. If I was building a RV-7/8 now, I'd seriously consider this prop!
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Last plug for Whisper - their plenum is AMAZING! It's very strong and extremely well made. They sell it separate from their airframe kit. I think it would work out very nicely on any RV model.
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Day 6 (continued)

I felt like getting some walking in so I walked down to the ultralight field. These guys seem to be having the most fun at Oshkosh.
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I'm usually not a Helo type of person, but the Mosquito XET Turbine is pretty slick.
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Maybe I'm just a sucker for anything that burns Jet-A the fun way!
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So this is one of the craziest things that happened at Oshkosh. When I left Wautoma, I was convinced I would probably never see my friends from Lubbock, TX again. Turns out I saw them all 6 days at Oshkosh. Here I ran into Trey and his son randomly while walking around from the ultralight field to Aeroshell Square. Just as in the past, when I went my own way I told them ...."See ya tomorrow!".
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This is one of the nicest paint schemes I've seen on an AirCam yet. While gawking at it, someone walked up and started asking me a bunch of questions about AirCam's, which I happily answered. I must of been convincing, because at one point he asked me "what year did you finish this??". I reluctantly needed to tell him I was just a fan of the airplane, and where the AirCam booth was. He said they should have me on their payroll (Robert Meyers at Lockwood - ya listening????).
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Day 6 (continued)

The fuselage was making good progress today at the One Week Wonder.
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One of the more unique AirCam paint jobs. It's name, "Road Runner" and painted colors were inspired by the 1970's Plymouth Superbird.
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When I got back to HBC a new neighbor had arrived - Tom Savrda from Vero Beach, FL. His RV-7 won the Grand Champion Kit Homebuilt award at Sun 'N Fun this year. I didn't get a chance to see it at SNF, so I was happy it was in close proximity to me.
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THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR MY WHOLE LIFE! Someone figured out how to do the front tip-up canopy seam right!
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Tom had one of the cleanest firewall forwards I've ever seen. In fact, everything about his airplane was just perfect. A&P Mitch quickly found one fault - 0.032" safety wire instead of 0.040" wasa used to secure the prop bolts! Now THAT'S an A&P I would want doing a pre-buy for me!!
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Off on another adventure. We utilized the Welcome Wagon to take us to the Red Barn to stock up on beer and dinner supplies, and Mitch and I had a Media Golf Cart reservation to get to.
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Just as Mitch and I were being dropped off at the Media Center, the Blue Angels made a flyby.
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Mitch and I had a few minutes to burn waiting for our cart to return, so we got an obligatory picture in front of the Brown Arch.
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When Mitch and I grabbed our cart, we realized the fuel quantity was **** near empty. A visual look at the gas tank verified what the gauge was telling us. Off to a new Oshkosh experience - figuring out where to fuel the golf cart! Oshkosh is truly it's own self contained town for this week. Grocery store, maintenance shed, gas station, etc.. Everything you could ever need within a couple square miles. Gassed up, Mitch and I used the remainder of our hour to haul-*** from the most southern portion of GA parking to the extreme end of North 40. THANKS EAA FOR THE MEDIA PASSES!!!!
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When we got back to HBC, we found some people were in the middle of a Siesta.
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Day 6 (continued)

And this is what Oshkosh is all about for me -- the friends, both new and old. We enjoyed a couple of brews while Marie was kind enough to cook us dinner.
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Next up was the night air show. The walk over to the sideline of runway 18/36 was very picturesque.
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Of course we had VIP access to Mike Goulian's tent to watch the airshow from.
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The Boeing B-1B departed in style before the night airshow began.
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I don't know if the C5 Galaxy left and came back, or whether it just got out of the way for the B-1B to depart. In any event, we got to see it taxi back in to Aeroshell Square.
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So bad news - a dangerous line of thunderstorms was heading our way. Good news - We're under cover at the Whelen tent with free food and booze.
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A small rain storm passed through and then stopped before a large thunderstorm was about to roll through. Our options were limited, and we had a truncated time schedule to figure out what to do next -- go back to HBC, or wait out the thunderstorm in the protection of the SOS Brothers tent? Walking through Aeroshell Square was eerily peaceful. Not a soul around and every airplane looked pristine, glistening in a fresh coat of rain. It was almost like a ghost town.
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Speaking of ghost towns, so was the SOS Brothers tent...or at least the main stage. Or perhaps that has to do with their music choice for tonight.
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Day 6 (continued)

It freakin' poured here. I didn't want to know how my poor little tent was holding up.
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As I previously mentioned, my friend Derek couldn't make it to Oshkosh this year. So we did what we could to make him know we missed him and bought him a signed Beer Ventures poster.
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Karina didn't understand why Derek would miss out on all of this fun. I'm sure this photo isn't contributing at all to Derek's list of regrets for not attending!!!!
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Well, why not another beer bong? I need to make up for not doing any last year.
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Mitch, under the guidance of my expert tutelage, decided another bong was also a good idea. Even though it was disappointing the night air show was cancelled and some terrible weather rolled through, we made the best of the evening!
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Day 7

I managed to wake up before sunrise to another perfect Wisconsin day. Unfortunately today I'm headed out of here. Taking the RV further west than she's ever been before - COLORADO!
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Another RV'er snapped this pic of sunrise today and sent it to me. I wish I could wake up to this view every day.
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A lot of people were tearing down camp. Mitch was out early bumming a ride back to Plymouth Mass in a Cirrus.
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Jerry Fischer flagged me down at HBC HQ (in his own Jerry way). I ran into EAA'a Charlie Becker the other day and he said he'd be dropping something special off to Jerry for me - Thanks for the limited edition of 2018 Homebuilders Hefe, Charlie!!!! Oh, and thank you Van's for the free t-shirt!!!
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Getting out of Oshkosh was relatively painless this year. I don't think I've ever had any issues getting out. There were a couple of stuck mic's causing a hold up on the tower frequency, but that's about it. I was able to catch my friend Bob Leffler departing in his RV-10.
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Somewhat sad to leave Oshkosh, this was such a fun year. But excited for new adventures to new places.
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After 3.1 hours in the air, it's time to get some fuel and stretch out. Wayne Municipal Airport (LCG) was right along my route and had cheap fuel.
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Another GREAT airport to land out. They had a plethora of free sandwiches for us Oshkosh'ers.
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Next stop, KFNL in Loveland, CO. I was a little intimidated to fly so far west. Not so much the distance from home, but the unknown about weather, high altitude, etc..
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There was a line of storms along my direct route from KLCG to KFNL. It looked like there was a nice hole to weave through.
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Day 7 (continued)

I can't complain too much about a little 13 kts headwind at 8,500'/
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The clouds started building the closer I got to the line of storms, as expected.
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Light rain was all around me, but it was clear sailing through the hole in the line of rain I was going through.
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Sweet, I made it through. I should be in the clear for a run to FNL!
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Day 7 (continued)

Well, the airplane did need a wash to get the Oshkosh dust off of her.
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I rode just south of the line of storms. I was on autopilot, and I noticed something didn't seem right. I was bookin' at 172kts airspeed. All of the sudden, I encountered some of the worst turbulence I've ever experienced, I flicked off the autopilot and immediately diverted south and climbed from 6,500' to 8,500'. It was terrifying. I should of known something was awry when my airspeed was 172 kts - I was in an updraft and my autopilot was compensating for it by putting me in a decent. I definitely flew too close to this line of storms and learned a good valuable lesson.
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With my heard beating at a normal rate again, I enjoyed the scenic views eastern Colorado had to offer.
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I dropped back down to 6,500' to fend off some headwinds and try to get to KFNL as quickly as possible. Some storms were quickly headed to the same destination I was aimed for.
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Those look like some Rocky Mountains ahead!
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This is what I had been concerned about for the past 30 minutes or so - a storm cell moving over KFNL. Garmin Pilot and my GRT ADS-B painted the weather picture as somewhat grim.
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In actuality, this is what I was dealing with as I was downwind for runway 15. This is the highest airport I've ever landed at by over 3,000' MSL. My first mistake was fully enriching my mixture on downwind as part of my pre-landing checklist. My engine let me know right away that wasn't a good idea!
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I've always wanted this pic of my RV with the Rocky Mountains behind it.
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The RV snugged down for a few nights in Ft Collins.
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It's hard to believe I went from Oshkosh, WI to Fort Collins, CO today and am currently riding back from a micro brewery with my good friend Kara on bicycles.
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Day 7 (continued)

Meanwhile back at Oshkosh, my friends sent me this awesome time-lapse of the postponed night airshow.
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Day 9

My 2 days in Fort Collins were nothing less than spectacular. My friend from San Diego ended up coincidentally being in town. Can you tell we shop at the same store????
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This could be the most innovative invention I've ever seen...the bicycle growler holder!
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Fun times were had by all at the Horse & Dragon Brewing Company.
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This was my biggest fear of leaving my RV parked outside at Fort Collins - hale damage. Just a few weeks ago my friends got caught in a storm with golf ball sized hale which did a number to their car. I can only imagine what it would do to the RV.....luckily it ended up being a false alarm and the RV remained safe.
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Great day in Colorado catching up with a great group of friends!
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The weather in the Denver area was pretty murky Saturday morning. Plus some storms were moving in from the west. I found a good MVFR window and blasted off a little before noon. My next destination is Des Moines, IA.
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It was a little soupy out, but very manageable. Conditions significantly improved as I got further east.
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Woohoo! Full VFR conditions!
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The clouds quickly burned off and I went up high to try to grab some tailwind.
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Closer to Des Moines there was some minor weather to contend with. Compared to the trip from the east coast to Oshkosh, this has been relatively easy.
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Day 9 (continued)

The clouds were slowly becoming more of a solid overcast. I stayed on top as long as possible, but I didn't want to stay on top as we approached the lines of storms, fearing a tall buildup of clouds would certainly be near the storms.
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Right before the rain, I dropped down.
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I've flown into Des Moines many times, but never from the west. This is the Saylorville Lake, which the upper Des Moines river feeds into. A **** then controls the flow into the lower Des Moines river, which flows through downtown.
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Safe on the ground after 3.3 hours from Fort Collins. Ankeny (IKV) is a great little airport with super friendly staff.
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I met up with my College friend Rene and his wife Monika for a fun night of catching up and checking out the local Italian festival. I was shocked I found a cardboard cutout of exactly what I look like with my shirt off!!
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Day 10

For the first time this trip, there were ZERO concerns with weather for my next leg of my trip from Des Moines, IA to Port Huron, MI. Fuel at IKV was a little on the steep side....so I headed over to Belle Plaine Municipal Airport (KTZT) for some very affordable fuel.
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Shouldn't I be getting a tailwind heading east??? Weather's been totally screwed up this entire trip.
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Like I said earlier, it was a great day to fly. Nice puffy clouds and a smooth ride.
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Crossing back over the Mississippi.
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Finally...some tailwind! I'll take it.
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Rounding the southern corner of Lake Michigan the visibility did degrade slightly.
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Heading up through Michigan it was quite bumpy. It was a hot day, so the thermals were keeping me awake.
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This may not represent much to most people - it's route 23 between Anne Arbor, MI and Flint, MI. It's a significant road to me....I went to college in Flint (Kettering University, formerly known as GMI). After driving 9 hours from MD to go to school, this stretch was the final 1 hour leg where excitement to see my friend and go back to school really kicked off. That school got me the amazing job I have today, and taught me an incredible skill set to be successful. Furthermore, years after graduation, I bought my IO360 engine just north of Flint and drove it back to MD on this highway. It's the greatest stretch of highway to my life, and I'm glad I experienced this serendipitous encounter.
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Some people were having fun at the General Motors Proving Grounds.
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North side of Lake Saint Clair.
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Day 10 (continued)

On crosswind to land at PHN the St Clair river was off to my right with Ontario on the far side.
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I got a sweet hookup with a hangar at PHN. Super friendly FBO. One of the line guys said that the RV was the sexiest thing he's seen in a while....and that's with a Cirrus. Take that #CirrusLife!
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My buddy and his son were waiting for me when I landed. We spend a few hours watching speedboats go up and down the St Clair River.
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What better way to procure some firewood than using his Willy's Jeep? What an absolute blast this was riding around the dirt roads of MI.
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Day 11

Off on my final leg of the trip. I originally planned to go to Buffalo, NY today. I could of made it there, but the weather forecast to make it home the following day looked grim. In fact, today's weather was going to present some unique challenges to make it home. Time to see how far I can make it!
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Downtown Detroit.
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Detroit River.
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Detroit Metro (KDTW) off my right wing.
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And here's the weather between me and home. And it was encroaching on my home airport......
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As I rounded the MI/OH border and stared to head east, the ceiling and visibility slightly dropped.
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I decided it was foolish to attempt to find a hole though this large system over the mountains of PA, so around it was!
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North of Akron, OH I passed near the Goodyear Blimp.
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I kept at a good arms length away from this system as I tried to scoot around it.
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My flight path coincidentally took me over the Dew Drop campgrounds in the Allegheny National Forest. I did a couple of circles around to let my favorite camp managers, Ray and Von, know I was nearby and thinking of them. They've nicknamed me "Crazy Man".
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Day 11 (continued)

It was pretty dicey in Northern PA. Lots of rain and low vis.
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Great, just when I needed you the most, FIS-B radar dropped out on Garmin Pilot. Originally I thought it was due to being too low to pick up ADS-B.
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Luckily, a restart of the app fixed it.
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Things started to look better the further east I went.
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Rounded the corner of the system moving across PA! Hopefully smooth sailing from here!
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Looked great to the east.
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100 miles to go, or so, and I was racing weather moving in on KDMW.
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Mikey, great job reporting! Mitch and I look forward to next year! Maybe you need to add a trip to either Massachusetts or Maine next year for some more entertainment? Hahaha see you soon!

:) CJ
 
Day 11 (continued)

Nearing Harrisburg, PA, a low layer of clouds popped up. Luckily I was already past all of the mountainous terrain of PA, and could easily maintain VFR under them.
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The race is on! If I couldn't beat the rain to KDMW, my backup plan was to put down in York, PA (KTHV) and wait out the weather or have someone come get me.
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BOOM! Made it back with no issue. What a flight. 4.2 hours from Detroit - should of been about 2..but there was a lot of extra flying to get around the weather. It was an exhausting flight.
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No sooner did I pull the plane into the hangar did it start down-pouring. I probably beat the rain by 10-15 minutes. Considering how much flying I did today, that was extremely lucky.


What a GREAT TRIP! So many places visited and friends seen. It was an extremely challenging flight with regards to all of the weather I encountered. I stayed VFR the whole time, but it pushed my limits to the extreme multiple times. This is the trip that finally convinced me to get my instrument rating. the IR would of made this trip so much easier and safer.
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Thanks for the great trip report!
I know you told me about your flight to Oshkosh...that was really, really sketchy.

Thanks for saving me the last beer from the beer tasting.
It was that 360 degree beer top. I was really happy to have it since I shut down at 7:58 Sunday being the 2nd to last arrival.

I'm already looking forward to 2019.

As Captain John said, you better get your IFR.;)
 
One day.....!

Dude! What a **** of an awesome post. Hope one day when I get my 8 done I'll get to run into you at Oshkosh and party down with you with some great craft brews and some gentlemen whiskey! Love your trip report here. Inspiring. Motivating.
Cheers.
 
You should get your instrument rating! Believe me, if I can do it, you can too!

As Captain John said, you better get your IFR.;)

I already have my first instrument lesson scheduled for next weekend. This trip really hit home that I needed to get off my duff and just do it. While I was VFR the whole time, and always had a "out", it would of been a much simpler trip to file and not worry about weaving through weather low.
 
Hey Mike, Thanks for the write up! Great to see you at Oshkosh! I had the same weather challenges out and back. I had nothing on my list for Osh this year, came home with an oxygen system and IFR ground school course! This trip convinced me that an IFR rating is in my near future. Hope our paths cross somewhere along the line this fall. Our home airport is adding a food truck festival to the annual fly in and car show. Sunday, Sept 23rd, Simsbury, CT 4B9 . Maybe you can make it? Always a good time!
 
I wondered when this post would show up, only to find my gluttony at the Otter immortalized. Nice post, my friend!
 
Mike,

Another great write-up. Good to see you at OSH. Another benefit of IFR is getting a IFR slot reservation for an OSH arrival.

Hope to see you in Belfast.
 
Great trip report! Was great to meet you and talk for a bit...

We were wandering through one of the vendor hangars with my brother wearing a Pliny The Elder tee shirt. Mike spotted it and was like a moth to a flame... so we chatted about a few of our favorite things; RVs and beer!
 
#RealAviationMedia

It's a pleasure to read a piece by a matured aviation journalist. Perfect mix of airplanes, bikinis and booze. Good job on avoiding weather. Great media crew they surely know whom to issue the passes to. Maybe you can join me on a trip in 2020? Need somebody to tell all the truth.

Let's make the flying great again! :D

 
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