Van's Air Force
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First OSH
- Thread starter BruceMe
- Start date
If flying an experimental: HBC for parking. No, tickets on the field. Bring bug spray if concerned. It IS Wisconsin. There is food on the field during the week and bounding weekends.
walldan
Well Known Member
Plan Ahead
As a local to the area I am blessed with easy access to EAA. If this is your first time st Oshkosh do some planning. Start with the flying part. Print and review the NOTAM. It is not complicated but needs to be reviewed and planned for. Practice slow flight and precise landings. There are tons of YouTube videos on the arrival.
Next look at the schedule of events. EAA is huge and with only a day or two you want to have a plan. If you just start walking around you will miss things that you wanted to see and do.
Tie downs. Wisconsin soil is very sandy. Make sure you have Solid tie downs to keep you airplane for ending up on someone else's airplane.
Okay... as mentioned above, if you are flying and experimental airplane, you want Home built parking. If flying a GA plane you will end up in the North 40. You will need to make a sign (see NOTAM). If GA make sure you have a plan in the event airplane parking is full.
Bugs... bring spray. Everyone is different I never wear spray and my wife loads it on. I don't seem to get bit, she does. Wisconsin has had a VERY wet summer and some parts of the state are reporting misqitoses the size of 747's.
Good, lots of food at the event, but you pay for it. Limited healthy options.
Most importantly have fun!!!!!
As a local to the area I am blessed with easy access to EAA. If this is your first time st Oshkosh do some planning. Start with the flying part. Print and review the NOTAM. It is not complicated but needs to be reviewed and planned for. Practice slow flight and precise landings. There are tons of YouTube videos on the arrival.
Next look at the schedule of events. EAA is huge and with only a day or two you want to have a plan. If you just start walking around you will miss things that you wanted to see and do.
Tie downs. Wisconsin soil is very sandy. Make sure you have Solid tie downs to keep you airplane for ending up on someone else's airplane.
Okay... as mentioned above, if you are flying and experimental airplane, you want Home built parking. If flying a GA plane you will end up in the North 40. You will need to make a sign (see NOTAM). If GA make sure you have a plan in the event airplane parking is full.
Bugs... bring spray. Everyone is different I never wear spray and my wife loads it on. I don't seem to get bit, she does. Wisconsin has had a VERY wet summer and some parts of the state are reporting misqitoses the size of 747's.
Good, lots of food at the event, but you pay for it. Limited healthy options.
Most importantly have fun!!!!!
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BruceMe
Well Known Member
Thanks is all great information as for the notam there is a meeting at my downtown airport next weekend that I plan to attend. I might be bored but at least I'll be trained I've been watching a lot of videos on Oshkosh arrival as well I actually looking forward to it. thanks everybody
Toobuilder
Well Known Member
Just a point of clarification- you are not limited to a specific parking area based on the ship you fly- you can park almost anywhere. Last time I went (in the RV) we parked in the classic area based on its proximity to the show. Also got front row seating on 36/18, which provided hours of entertainment watching people try to land (especially the formation arrivals). Sitting under a lean to shade with a drink in hand was worth the price of admission right there.
rv7charlie
Well Known Member
If you've never done one of the big flyins, do spend some time practicing slow flight. If you do, you'll get to follow a Glasair during arrival. If you don't, you'll get to follow a Cub. (S turns can be your friend. Or not.)
Seriously, people have spun in because they weren't prepared for minimum controllable airspeed approaches.
Charlie
Seriously, people have spun in because they weren't prepared for minimum controllable airspeed approaches.
Charlie
sprucemoose
Well Known Member
This is not really accurate and could be misleading to newcomers. You might have gotten a spot there based on arriving early enough or knowing someone, but for the masses they'll be parked where they belong. You can't park your 172 in HBC just by showing a sign. Any type can park in N40 if they want to, and a surprising number of homebuilts do.
rv7charlie
Well Known Member
I wondered about that. Last time I flew to OSH, there was just combined homebuilt/classic camping. Can homebuilts still park/camp with the classics, if desired?
sprucemoose
Well Known Member
That goes back a ways, before there was a dedicated homebuilt camping and everybody went to "showplane camping." Had to be at least 20 years ago.
You can always show a VAC sign and hope for the best. It helps to get there good and early. There are a few RVs that park in VAC every year but they are volunteers in Vintage.
You can always show a VAC sign and hope for the best. It helps to get there good and early. There are a few RVs that park in VAC every year but they are volunteers in Vintage.
flyeyes
Well Known Member
This is totally correct with two caveats: very few airplanes are going to stall slower than an RV4. Some, but not many. It's important to practice slow flight and spot landings at the weight you anticipate arriving with. These are different airplanes heavy vs. light. That difference has bent airplanes and people.
Also, don't s-turn. The notam specifically mentions this. If the airplane in front of you gets slower than you're comfortable with turn out of line. The first time I flew in 20 years ago, the airplane in front of me was a Cessna 180, in front of him a cub going about 60 knots. The Cessna starting s-turning, and at one point would have collided with me if I hadn't gone under him.
BruceMe
Well Known Member
Toobuilder
Well Known Member
Fair enough, but I didnt know anyone and I just showed the sign. On an unrelated note (not me), I also know that if you raise enough of a ruckus, they will park you anywhere just to get you out of their hair. It seems "the customer is always right" applies.
