Oshkosh camping

On 11 Jun 2005 06:57:13 -0700, wrote:

Airport closes just before sunset at about 1900. Period. DO NOT try to
extricate yourself from a parking spot and find a runway in the dark
with literally thousands of people lounging, walking, relaxing or
milling about. It is an accident waiting to happen. We used to try and
park aircraft in the dark in the bad old days, and it was not worth the
risk to anyone. If you want to leave, wait until the am and leave when
the airport reopens just after sunrise.

Regards,
Ryan
Madison, WI
Co-Chairman, EAA Flight Line Operations

Excellent point, the thought of taxiing a plane in the dark with all
those people milling around is a nightmare just thinking about it!

Shuttling in and out of OSH daily by air to a hotel in another city
doesn't sound that effiecient. I've done it at Lakeland, where I
would fly over to Tampa to get a hotel. I'd just get in the takeoff
line right after the airshow ended. And make sure to get back before
it started the next day. But they don't get so full that they have to
turn airplanes away like Oshkosh has in the past. But attendance has
been waneing lately, so maybe that won't be the case. Well, we all
know Lakeland's attendance is waneing, but I'm not so sure about OSH.

The Tower and field closes at 8 P.M. according to the NOTAM


--
Cy Galley - Chair,
AirVenture Emergency Aircraft Repair - for 34 years!
A Service Project of Chapter 75
EAA Safety Programs Editor - TC
EAA Sport Pilot


"Tedstriker" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 22:53:26 -0400, "Morgans"
wrote:


"Tedstriker" wrote in message
g
it it the top of my tent.

If it's muggy all night, I might
just blast off and fly my homebuilt somewhere and get an air
conditioned hotel room.

Gotta leave by 19:00, so you have to decide well before then. Also, you
might arrive the next day, to find that the field is full. I wouldn't
risk
it, if it were me, for the seldom problem of not cooling off at night.


Do they close the airport to departues at 19:00? or is that just how
soon to leave to get somewhere else before dark?

that woud be a bummer if one left by air, to go to a hotel, then
couldn't get back in to the fly-in. But I don't think I'll have that
problem, being in a homebuilt/showplane. They usually want all those
they can get. And mine qualifies for that front and center parking
area they've reserved for past champions, and those with over a
thousand hours total time. Mine has about 1,650.

"Cy Galley" wrote in message newsBKqe.37615

The Tower and field closes at 8 P.M. according to the NOTAM


Damn, I hate it when my memory goes to hell!

I should have looked it up, rather than relying on memory. Sorry, OP.
--
Jim in NC

Oops, I meant 2000 too, not 1900.
(I didn't look it up either...)
DOH!

Ryan

"Tedstriker" wrote

Do they close the airport to departues at 19:00? or is that just how
soon to leave to get somewhere else before dark?

Yes, the airport is closed to arrivals and departures.

that woud be a bummer if one left by air, to go to a hotel, then
couldn't get back in to the fly-in. But I don't think I'll have that
problem, being in a homebuilt/showplane. They usually want all those
they can get. And mine qualifies for that front and center parking
area they've reserved for past champions, and those with over a
thousand hours total time. Mine has about 1,650.

Yea, you will have a parking spot, but I don't know where people that come
with showplanes, sleep.
--
Jim in NC

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 20:09:37 -0400, "Morgans"
wrote:


"Tedstriker" wrote

Do they close the airport to departues at 19:00? or is that just how
soon to leave to get somewhere else before dark?

Yes, the airport is closed to arrivals and departures.

that woud be a bummer if one left by air, to go to a hotel, then
couldn't get back in to the fly-in. But I don't think I'll have that
problem, being in a homebuilt/showplane. They usually want all those
they can get. And mine qualifies for that front and center parking
area they've reserved for past champions, and those with over a
thousand hours total time. Mine has about 1,650.

Yea, you will have a parking spot, but I don't know where people that come
with showplanes, sleep.

Show plane camping which is (or was) the same area as the
Antique/Classic/Contemporary.

I've seen many a spot reserved in there, so I suppose you could stake
out your spot, and come back to it. A Cozy parked next to me did that
twice. They had a nice air conditioned room at a friends place about
a half hour flight out.

Me? I just don't enjoy flying that Ripon Arrival. I don't mind flying
close to other airplanes, but I want it to be with some one I know
well doing the flying. At least the Deb has a wide speed range and a
low stall speed coupled with relatively light wing loading.

I've never had a problem getting out, BUT you have to be ready to
leave at the end of the air show. That means packed up, with the
plane pulled out into the space between the rows. You have to wait
for the ground crew to spot you and then guide you to the taxiway. No
engine starting until the ground crew tells you to start. That is
done with the plane pulled out into the area between the rows of
planes and pointed parallel to the rows so you don't blow any one away
when you do start. the year it was so hot and dry, you couldn't see
more than about 50 feet behind me when I started the Deb. It took
darn near two pails of water to wash the windows before leaving.

I file IFR, but usually put the pink sheet of paper on the floor and
depart VFR.

If you are nice and polite and contact the ground crew ahead of time
and are ready to go as soon as the field opens you can be one of the
first out.

Early on you don't have the rush to get out as you do on Saturday and
Sunday. You need to have your shh... er ... stuff together, radios on
frequency, watch the flag men, and be ready to do what you are told,
when you are told and it'll run smooth as clock work.

They are usually either two or three deep at the hold and two abreast.
They alternate left and right sides. When they say go, you firewall
it and had out. Depending on speed watch for passing traffic or being
passed. If departure is on 36 that right turn just before the tower
can be interesting if you are on the left. :-)) You do learn to
"stay on your side of the runway" until about time to turn.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

("Tedstriker" wrote)
[snip]
For anyone that has actually slept in a tent at OSH, does it cool off
enough at night to sleep comfortably?


Last year was PERFECT (Wed-Sun) ...there was a Saturday late night storm.
Many people noted the total lack of mosquitoes for the week - the blood
sucking kind. Sleeping weather was very good.

I showered at night - no lines, cools you down, cleans you up from the day's
sun screen and sweat ...sleep like a baby. Trick I found works good for me
when it's hot and muggy, I use a bath towel on my pillow - for some reason I
sweat less that way.

In 2003 I stayed in the dorms (Thur-Sun). Prior to my arrival, the grounds
were hit hard by a few storms, some with straight line winds. Thursday
evening the N40 was 1/3 full. Had another storm roll through my first night
in the dorm - LOUD. By Friday evening the N40 was a almost empty. Broken
tents were piled 6-feet deep next to the dumpsters!! People pitched their
broken tent's, so to speak, and flew home.

Mosquitoes were light in 2003. Temps - not hot.

There was an OSH a few years ago that generated some I Survived Oshkosh _ _
_ _ t-shirts. Don't recall the year?


Montblack

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 00:18:17 -0500, "Montblack"
wrote:

("Tedstriker" wrote)
[snip]
For anyone that has actually slept in a tent at OSH, does it cool off
enough at night to sleep comfortably?


Last year was PERFECT (Wed-Sun) ...there was a Saturday late night storm.
Many people noted the total lack of mosquitoes for the week - the blood
sucking kind. Sleeping weather was very good.

I showered at night - no lines, cools you down, cleans you up from the day's
sun screen and sweat ...sleep like a baby. Trick I found works good for me
when it's hot and muggy, I use a bath towel on my pillow - for some reason I
sweat less that way.

In 2003 I stayed in the dorms (Thur-Sun). Prior to my arrival, the grounds
were hit hard by a few storms, some with straight line winds. Thursday
evening the N40 was 1/3 full. Had another storm roll through my first night
in the dorm - LOUD. By Friday evening the N40 was a almost empty. Broken
tents were piled 6-feet deep next to the dumpsters!! People pitched their
broken tent's, so to speak, and flew home.

Mosquitoes were light in 2003. Temps - not hot.

There was an OSH a few years ago that generated some I Survived Oshkosh _ _
_ _ t-shirts. Don't recall the year?


Montblack

Hmm... The way I've always gone in the past, that is take the
airlines to MKE, then rent a car and drive in doesn't sound so bad
again.

That would have been 1995 ... the year Gail and I met at Oshkosh. As I
recall, we had trouble sleeping also ... but probably not for the same
reason {;-)

Jim



There was an OSH a few years ago that generated some I Survived Oshkosh _
_
_ _ t-shirts. Don't recall the year?

RST Engineering wrote:

That would have been 1995 ... the year Gail and I met at Oshkosh. As I
recall, we had trouble sleeping also ... but probably not for the same
reason {;-)

Yes, 1995 had some wicked storms. Uh, Jim, that isn't called sleeping. :-)


Matt