Oshkosh 2014 Picture thread

[C5Engineer 1170]

EAA Airventure 2014 is in the books. I don't really know how to describe it. I thought everyone was exaggerating while telling me what it's like but I'm here to tell you it's HUGE!! It's all I expected and so much more! I don't even know where to start....

 

I started meeting people that were going in Minneapolis during my layover. Everyone had a story and everyone a common aviation interest. I was chased down several times because of the T-shirt I was wearing or my Backcountry Pilot hat. I met probably 15 people there that I had previously only known online including the original builder of N279AF and many reputable names in the industry... Randy Schlitter of Rans, George Happ of Matco, Phil Lockwood of Lockwood Aviation, John McBean of Kitfox, Troy Woodland of Highlander and the list goes on and on. I was also fortunate enough to get to sit and have a conversation with Frank Knapp the Valdez STOL guy and Bobby Breeden 3 time Valdez winner along with Joe Pops Dory and Steve Henry both of hich I've camped in Idaho with. There was also the WASP ladies, Bob Hoover, Kenny Loggins....I think you get the idea.

 

Hmm what other highlights... The largest ever gathering of Lockheed Electras, insane night aerobatics, explosions that would cut you off mid sentence from the percussion, countless forums and workshops, the runway 5K which I came in 55th out of almost 1100 with a time of 21:51, a Bell 47 heli flight....it goes on and on. It was an insanely busy week but well worth the 6-7 miles a day of walking.

 

Special thanks to Larry and Doug for taking care of me by giving me a place to stay, introducing me to awesome people, some rather interesting people, feeding me, and providing plenty of cold beverages. It was great to meet everyone. Like I said I could write for days about my experience.

 

Here is a link to the Album

http://s192.photobucket.com/user/NKAWTG/library/Oshkosh%2014

 

And some of the highlight pictures

 

Bobby Breeden's Certified Cub

 

Frank Knapps Lil Cub...This thing has a trick up it's sleeve everywhere you look

 

 

Just some of the stuff you see in the camping area

 

 

A CH801 Hybrid

 

 

Dick Rutans Bush Plane Concept plane from years ago. Check out the gear...pre Alaskan Bushwheels

 

 

The most photographed sign ever this week

 

 

 

Rans S20

 

Barely a third of the field

 

 

Viking motor in a Just escapade

 

 

Little waterspout action

 

 

Bell 47 selfie

 

 

Larry watching over us during the storm

 

 

[C5Engineer 1170]

800 2-stroke in a Mosquito Heli

 

 

 

Dean Wilson Ellipse

 

 

Check out the strut fairing

 

 

Bob Barrow with the LSA Bearhawk. I camped with him in Idaho a few years back. Was nice to see him again.

 

 

 

 

Snaps in his Micro Mong

 

 

DHolly chatting with one of the WASP ladies. Her stories were awesome!!

 

 

Sloshkosh..watching people trying to pull their campers and motorhomes out of this was a great pastime

 

 

The Avidfoxflyers gathering. C5Engineer, Av8erSed, Lostman, LukeD, who else did I miss Larry?

 

 

 

 

Larry preparing to depart on Sunday

 

 

Couldn't get out of there without getting soaked one more time at Arty and Ed's with the Kreuger family.

 

 

That cell rained down some carnage on the field...not sure if any airplanes were damaged but the porta pottie guys had a miserable job ahead of them! They were on their sides all over the field.

 

 

[Av8r_Sed 82]

Nice collection of pics, Joey.  Thanks for posting them.  As others have said, after you've been to a bunch of them you tend to forget to take pictures anymore.  You sure got around and captured the essence of Oshkosh.  Thanks!

[Av8r3400 1179]

(The 801 hybrid is actually a Tapanee Levitation 4. A 4 seat version of the Pagazair.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapanee_Levitation_4

Edited 6 Aug 2014 by Av8r3400

[dholly 718]

Just a note about that pic...

WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots), the first women to fly American military aircraft volunteered to serve the United States as pilots for the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, and ferried planes across the country, test-flew new and repaired aircraft, trained both ground and air-to-air gunners, and any other duty their nation asked of them. They also served as test pilots for experimental aircraft, including remote piloted aircraft (predecessors to today's "drones") and the early jet powered aircraft prototypes being developed.

I was speaking to WASP Jean McCreery, age 91 or 92. Jean is sharp as a tack with a wonderful sense of humor, and was recounting her ride in a P51 Mustang the day before. The pilot asked if she would like him to do any particular maneuver, to which she answered "Chandelle", and proceeded to explain and gesture with her hand to make certain I knew what the maximum performance maneuver was. When I asked if she enjoyed her ride, she said "Hell yes!", but was a bit disappointed because the pilot failed to finish the maneuver correctly. You see, she confided in me, every night for the past 70 years before falling asleep she relives in her mind those perfect Chandelles she learned to do in her Stearman, AT6 and P51 trainers.

FYI: And to earn the coveted WASP wings, they had to be perfect in every type flown. Not an easy task. In total, these brave women flew 78 different aircraft, carried out over 12,000 assignments and logged over 60 million miles of flying between 1942-1944. While 25,000 women applied to the program, in the end, 1,830 were accepted into the rigorous flight training program and 1,074 of them received their silver wings. Only 13 WASP, known as "The "Lucky 13", were offered the opportunity to earn multi-engine ratings and regularly flew B17 Flying Fortress, B24 Liberator, B25 Mitchell and B26 Marauder Widow Maker bomber and C47 transport plane missions. Two WASP were checked out and flew the B29 Super Fortress, a particularly difficult rating as no two B29s were alike.

Like the Tuskegee Airmen, recognition of the WASP was slow to come. Thirty-eight lost their lives in service, yet WASPs received no official recognition or honors when disbanded in 1944. Finally recognized as veterans in 1977 and honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010, the service of the WASP is still largely unknown to most Americans, and ignored in most history books. Only 200 or so of these extraordinary aviators remain alive and I have had the honor of meeting and visiting with nearly two dozen in intimate, private settings during the past 10 years. They were in their service time, and remain today, extraordinary individuals. Three years ago I helped Jean into a SeaBee at the seaplane base and she proceeded to do T&G's on Lake Winnabago despite a 30-year hiatus at the controls of a plane. Another year, we splashed down to the local lake home of a Lucky 13 WASP friend and delivered her to OSH in a Grumman Widgeon. At 90+ y.o., she was rock solid at the controls in the right seat and I will never forget the look of elation on her face as she was dancing through the clouds once again. Seeing and recognizing my WASP friends will always be the highlight of my AirVenture trips.

More history here: http://wingsacrossamerica.org ; http://fifinella.com

Note: 2014 Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade WASP float celebrating their service and ground-breaking accomplishments! --- NATIONAL TROPHY WINNER --- fund raising for final payment still needed, please contribute HERE if you can.

Thanks!

[edit] repair link

Edited 6 Aug 2014 by dholly

[akflyer 1427]

Great pictures and great story Doug!  I would love the opportunity to sit down and hear some of  the stories first hand.  I will never forget an airshow I went to in Arizona where a guy was reunited with the very B24 he flew in the war.  He was emotional, the crowd was emotional and the look on his face as he climbed in, fired up, taxied out and did a few high speed passes over the runway was the highlight of the airshow for me.  He was flying right seat but the CAF pilot said he never touched the controls once, the old guy did it all and flew it like he had just been on a mission the day before.  Way cool to see the spark in old folks eyes as they get to relive the glory days!

 

[Luked 71]

Here are a few pictures I took. Wish I had taken a lot more.

 

Super STOL

 

 

B-25

 

Corsair (my favorite warbird)

 

 

T-28

 

Sky Raider

 

 

Questair Venture

(side note: I read a magazine article about the Venture, and the author said that he thinks someone saw a cartoon drawing of an airplane and thought it was an engineering drawing  )

 

Ford GT (not an airplane, but pretty cool)

 

[Luked 71]

I also like to take some pictures of various aircraft details. Here are just a few. I was too busy this time to take very many.

 

Super STOL:

 

brakes

 

Aileron hinge

 

Flap track

 

Joint between Slats

 

Tailwheel

 

Trim

 

Wing tip

 

Gas tank

 

Sky Raider aileron pulley and cable

 

 

I've got some more, but they are on my phone. I'll see if I can get them uploaded some time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[C5Engineer 1170]

Thanks for allowing me opportunity to be in the presence of these ladies Doug

 

[C5Engineer 1170]

This video get's close to summing up the week....close... but it misses the 10K airplanes that I spent 10 hrs a day for a week walking around. Snaps makes an appearance in the first 10 seconds. Congrats John! Of a show of this magnitude just seeing your plane is awesome.