Day 4 at the Oshkosh Airventure

Today we went to the EAA Airventure at Oshkosh. This is the first time that Rich and I have been to this show. It is huge and today we saw only a small portion. 

We walked around the Warbirds area. Almost all of the war planes we saw are in current flying condition. We saw the Glacier Girl, a P-38 Lightning built by Lockheed. It was one of a squadron of planes that were flying from Europe to the US during World War II. They were running out of fuel and belly landed on a glacier in Greenland. The crews, disabled the planes so if they were discovered by the enemy they could not fly them. They then hiked to the coast to be picked up by a naval ship and returned to the US. One of the planes were discovered in the late 1990's and recently recovered, To recover the plane, they had to dig down 250 feet through the ice to get to the plane, disassemble it to bring the parts up and then return the parts to the US to put it back together and restore. The plane is now in flying condition. Pretty amazing. Other warplanes we saw include Dauntless Dive bomber, P40, P51s and many others. The P indicate pursuit. When the Army Air Corp became the Air Force, they changed the designator to F for fighter. 

We also saw exhibits by Embraer, Honda, flying cars, NASA, amphibian airplanes, Pilatus, plus many others. From 3:30 to 5:30 we watched the air show sponsored by Rockwell Collins. We saw warbirds taking off and flying simulated bombing runs, flying in formation, parachutists in coordinated jumps, parachutists jumping at two miles high in flying squirrels suits,trailing smoke so you could see them in the air, with parachutes being deployed to slow them down so they could land safely. We saw several aerobatics planes doing rolls, hammerheads, Cuban 8s, stalls, end over ends, spirals, tail stands maneuvers, individually and in groups including a group of home built planes known as 'RVs'. There was a lot of smoke in the air but the crowd was loving every bit of it despite the fact that it was 96 degrees and with the humidity it felt like 103 degrees. 

This evening we joined Doug and Nancy for dinner with some friends, Jeff and Jennifer. Jeff has a Great Lakes biplane that they flew to the air show from Florida.

Today was a fun day and we hope to see more tomorrow.

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Day 3 to Oshkosh

Early this morning the thunder and lightning started. It was predicted but we had hoped it would pass by quickly, which was not the case. Instead of getting up and ready for a taxi pickup at 7:30 am, we were more leisurely and did not arrive at the airport until 11:30 am. Given the choice of hanging around the airport or staying in the room, watching TV and surfing the web, we chose the latter.

I need to correct some of the information from my previous post on Mantako. The author was Sinclair Lewis, not Upton Sinclair, and it was 38 Dakota Indians, not 24, were hung on Dec. 26, 1862. Originally there were 303 Indians who were due to be executed, but 265 were pardoned by President Lincoln. This is per Wikipedia which I am trusting more than our taxi driver at the moment.

We left Mankato at 12:04 pm and we were able to slip between some cells but it meant that we flew west then north before turning east toward Oshkosh. Unfortunately, we missed the window to land at Oshkosh by 10 minutes. They have an air show in the afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00 pm and they close the airport for landing before the show so there is no traffic.

At 2:35 pm we were wheels down at Appleton, an airport just north of Oshkosh. Nancy, flew into Green Bay via commercial airlines from Seattle, picked up a rental car and got us. While we were waiting we were able to sample some 5 year aged extra sharp cheddar cheese (this is Wisconsin after all) and Rich bought us some to take home with us.

We are staying at a Motel 6 here in Oshkosh, a short distance from the airport and the air show. For dinner we went to Wendt's On the Lake and has their famous perch.

Now it is time to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day at the Experimental Aircraft Association 2012 Airventure Oshkosh.

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Day 2 to Oshkosh

At 8:30 am we were starting our preflight of Whiskers, the plane. On the way to the airport we were joined by two gentlemen who were flying a Sikorsky Skycrane to Nebraska to support fire fighting in that area. The Skycrane has a lift capability of 42,000 lbs. To put that in perspective, it could lift Windarra, if the fuel and water tanks were empty. It is also between 7,000 and 8,000 gallons of water. Quite a splash. There was also a Caymen single seat, dual counter rotating, heavy lift helicopter, called 'The Hulk'. We suspect it is used for selective logging.

8:45 am was wheels up as we left Bozeman and headed east passing the Rockies and the continental divide. From the air we could see large gentleman ranch homes. Up some of the box canyons we see mining operations with settling ponds.

We passed over a smooth, green topped mountain, with deep v cut valleys heading down the slopes. Next we pass a river that cuts through the rock with steep vertical walls. It is part of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

We crossed Interstate 90, north of Buffalo, Wyoming, near Lake De Smet. Doug has cell reception on his iPad and was able to receive and send email to a customer in the Czech Republic from 9,400 ft. Isn't that amazing.

For all of you who are fans of the movie, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", we passed Devil's Tower in Wyoming. We came down to 5,500 MSL and flew clockwise around at 3 miles distant. It is quite impressive. Hopefully some of my photos will be decent. From looking at it, I would say that the scenes that were supposed to be on the top, when the spaceships come in and they play the notes to communicate were probably shot at either a different location or in a studio since there did not look to be enough flat ground on top that I could see. Still, it is quite an impressive site rising up from a relatively flat landscape around it.

After Devil's Tower we head towards the Black Hills of South Dakota. We take a clockwise turn around Crazy Horse monument. You can pick out the face and the top of his arm. Next we take a turn around Mt. Rushmore. This is the first time that I have ever seen it and it is an impressive piece of sculpture. It is also quite a tourist site, with a large infrastructure of hotels, restaurants and an amphitheater.

We arrived at Rapid City at 11:45 am local time for fuel, lunch, a chance to stretch our legs and to empty our bladders. After parking at WestJet we walked over to the main airport for salad. It was not gourmet but okay. Wheels were up at 12:40 pm. Before we took off we saw the Sikorsky Skycrane that we saw at Bozeman. I don't think they took the scenic route that we did.

We are 'cruising' at 9,500 ft. Below, the landscape is more brown than green, flat with trees close to the rivers and any homes or towns. Instead of the farm land being low and the hills rising above as in eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana, in South Dakota, the farming is on the high plain with the river flood plain below. We crossed the mighty Missouri River and the city of Pierre, South Dakota. As we pass Huron, SD, there is a lot more green fields in the landscape. Square and squares of fields instead of the circles we saw in Montana and Wyoming. Major roads lead off into the horizon, straight as an arrow either north-south or east-west. There are rows of trees along one side of some fields to act as a wind break I presume. We have seen a few wind farms along the way.

Just before 5 o'clock local we crossed into Minnesota, land of a thousand lakes on our way to Mankato, Minnesota our destination for this evening. Mankato was the home of Upton Sinclair for a period of time. He lived on the seedy side of town or so said our taxi driver. Mankato was also the site of the largest mass hanging in the US of 24 Sioux indians in the late 1800's. We are ensconced in a Comfort Inn for the night. Not sure where we will be having dinner.

The adventure continues....

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Mt Rushmore

Mt Rushmore or The Dead Presidents

Devil's Tower

Cue the theme for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"

Day 1, a different type of cruising

Today Rich and I are experiencing a different type of cruising. Instead of being on the water we are in the air. We are flying to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to attend the air show. Doug is a partner of a Rockwell Commander 4-seat airplane and he is flying us there.

This morning we arrived at Bremerton airport at 7:15 am. We packed our gear, pulled the plane out of the hanger and prepared. The hanger is a bit of a man cave, complete with a couch, rugs, a small refrigerator, pictures on the wall, tools, etc. Once we were packed and the preflight completed we got in and taxied out. Rich is in the left seat, Doug in the right and I am behind Doug, as flight attendant and backseat pilot (oops).

At 8:14 am we were wheels up climbing to 5000 feet as we went over Puget Sound and then over SeaTac airport. As we continued east towards Ellensburg, we climbed to 9000 ft and up over the clouds. After a while we were able to see the top portion of Mt. Rainier.

So far it is a little like cruising on the water. You need to coordinate with the authorities on the radio and keep track of your progress toward the waypoints. Weather is a factor as well and so far we have been blessed with sun and smooth air. We have also had very little traffic as well. As the plane has an engine we are able to motor directly on our course, just as we would on Windarra on a wind less day.

At the airport in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, we stopped to fuel up at the self serve fuel station, very similar to a self serve gas station. It was a good opportunity for a bathroom break at the 'honey bucket' nearby. After fueling, we pushed the plane over to the side so it was out of the way and sat on the grass and had our sandwiches.

Soon we were back in the air again, heading to Bozeman, Montana. Doug moved to the left seat, Rich to the back seat and I sat in the right seat. After we were back at 9500 ft and on our course, Doug gave me a flight lesson. When you are sailing, you are moving in two dimensions excluding the rise and fall of the boat on the sea. In the air, you have to worry about your position in 3 dimensions. It was fun but a little intense after a while. We diverted around some storm clouds near Yellowstone, a good idea especially after we saw some lightening and virga, or rain that does not hit the surface. We could see farm circles, cars moving on the highways and long trains following the tracks. Here and there would be farms and towns. It is a view that not many of us get to see and we enjoyed every bit of it.

At just after 2:00 pm, we landed at the airport in Bozeman, Montana and taxied to our assigned spot. An attendant came out and helped us unload the luggage and secure the plane. A shuttle from the hotel came to pick us up. After settling in we went for dinner even though it was only 4:00 pm.

It has been a long day but full of new experiences and sites. Tomorrow we continue eastward.

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The Plane