soapbox on

One thing I've written more than my share of letters with no apparent action
taken is the concept of funneling 100% of the approaching aircraft into a
small pipe between Ripon and Fisk and then splitting them into two streams
for the light wind procedures for 18/36 and 9/27. That maximizes the
concentration of aircraft into a small pipe and increases the chances for
trying to occupy the same space with two aluminum masses.

That also means that aircraft approaching Ripon from the north and east make
a belly-up turn to follow the railroad tracks from Ripon to Fisk,
notwithstanding a rather tall steel antenna structure 300' below your belly
coming over Ripon. People that say "Why change? Fisk has been working all
these years." obviously haven't shot that approach all that often. And,
before you say that I don't have the chops to criticize, this is the first
Oshkosh I've missed flying myself from California since 1973.

There are excellent alternatives to the Fisk arrival, most of them involving
the main freeway from Milwaukee to Green Bay. It would be a lot easier and
less hassle to join the gaggle somewhere between Milwaukee and Fond Du Lac
or Green Bay and Appleton than everybody doing the dipsy doodle over Ripon.
And, rather than 2 hour "holds" over a couple of nondescript lakes, there
are a dozen airports to land and refuel when the inevitable gear-up happens
and the airport closes.

Of course, everything is easy for the troops who are already at home during
the Show and never have to mix it up with the hoi polloi who travel several
thousand miles to make the Show what it is. If everybody at Headquarters
who has a say-so about the Fisk approach had to do it at noon every day
during the show, I guarantee you there would be changes.

soapbox off



"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...



I am appalled to find that flying to and from the nation's largest
aviation event kills a number of airman each year. I'd like to know
what the EAA is doing to mitigate the carnage that results from their
AirVenture event.