Some Surprises In The Air This Year In Oshkosh

by ANN Senior Correspondent Kevin R.C. "Hognose" O'Brien

AirVenture is almost upon us! And as usual, Aero-News will be there in great force. Going over some advance press information, I saw a few disappointments, in that some exciting aircraft aren't coming after all. That's a bummer. But on the up side, there are a bunch of awesome things to see here in the beautiful Wisconsin summer. So make an appointment or two to see some things you'll never see again.

Steve Culp's sick-in-a-healthy-way Biplanes

When I saw Steve Culp's version of a Sopwith Pup last year, I almost fell over. T.O.M. Sopwith would have only the barest glint of recognition of his own firm's design. Steve took the two-seater plans and built it as a convertible single/two-place plane. He overbuilt it -- redesigning it to +- 10G, adding extra wing ribs, and adding a little more horsepower than the 160 hp Clerget which was tops in 1918 -- like, 400 from a Russian M-14 radial with a three-bladed composite MT-propeller. (It should fly like a tilt-rotor).

Finally, he picked the most colorful authentic Pup scheme, that of training Squadron C417, and then put it on with a gloss that the dopes of the Great War simply couldn't have done. And then mounted a real Vickers gun on top. Steve wasn't at the plane, so we called him on his cell, and he told us that he had ANOTHER one, a red one, in the works; it just wasn't ready (the blue one barely had the time flown off, and he was going to work on envelope expansion after Oshkosh).

He also told us about his plans for an airshow act with the beautiful, overpowered Sopwiths (hint: expect to be thrilled). Sure enough, this year Culp Pup #1 will be joined by a red counterpart, marked in German Maltese crosses and swinging a two-bladed prop. The #2 pup is owned and flown by Howard Ham, an experienced airshow pilot in his own right.

To build the Sopwith, Steve sold his famous Culp Special, the plane that he flew for years on the airshow circuit. It must have been a little hard to part with such an old friend, but only a little: Steve sold it to a friend, Doc Hamm, and the three of them are going to fly in to Oshkosh together. They plan to leave July 20th, arrive on the 22nd, and will be on display together in AeroShell Square from the 25th-31st.

More Trimotors than you can shake a stick at

During the 1920s and 1930s, multiengine airplanes became the standard, and the standard in airline flying was often three motors. It was a confluence of design and the limitations of motive power in those days of single-row radials. While there are plenty of three-engine planes flying today, including modern planes like the Falcon 50 and the Britten-Norman Trislander, if you say the word "trimotor" and most flying buffs will grin, imagining a corrugated Ford 5-AT or, maybe, a Junkers 52.

Both those types will be represented at Oshkosh this year, as will several other variants of the Ford Trimotor (including a rare Bushmaster), high- and low-wing Stinson Trimotors, and an ultra-rare Dornier Do-24ATT, the only one built on the basis of a World War II air-rescue seaplane used by Germany and the Netherlands, which is making a round-the-world flight.

The Trimotors are already wending their way to Oshkosh -- you have to start early when you cruise at 90 miles per hour!

It's The Pitts

And the other Pitts... and the other, other Pitts... as EAA and the International Aerobatic Club plan to have an example of most of the prolific biplane designer's designs on hand, as previously reported in Aero-News.

You've got an appointment with fifty years of incomparable Pittses, ranging from 65 to 400-something horsepower, in the grassy area between the IAC Building and AeroShell Square (which is the center of things at Oshkosh). If you have time, make an appointment to visit the EAA Museum that contains, among its remarkable displays, even more historic Pitts Specials.

SpaceShipOne

If you went to Mojave, you saw SpaceShipOne and its sophisticated, unconventional launch platform, White Knight. If you didn't, this is your last, and I do mean last, chance to see the historic spacecraft before the Smithsonian gets it and locks it away where you'll never get a good camera angle on it again. This is a one time only deal this year -- be there in AeroShell Square, or be square yourself.

The men who built and flewand crewed this historic machine are members of our fraternity -- that's why they're bringing their baby to our show. (Er, your show, Mr Poberezny. Yes, Mr Poberezny. Just kidding, sir...). After this show, Burt Rutan and Paul Allen's, and Brian Binnie and Mike Melvill's, great achievement belongs to the nation and the world. During this show it belongs to us. Treasure these days.

Some New Airplanes

A new kit airplane being shown formally for the first time at Oshkosh after fifteen years of development is the Barr Six. You might mistake the plane for a Cessna 206. If you look closer, you think, "composite 206." But it's a 200-knot, 2300-lb useful-load 206-stomper, with features liberally lifted from the Bonanza (check out the preflight-friendly cowling) and other planes as well -- and a mighty IO-720 400 horsepower, eight-cylinder motor.

Fuel hog? Designer Jim Barr says no: it burns less fuel per horsepower than a 300-hp six does. The airplane was so powerful that despite many years of flying experience, mostly in powerful singles, Barr got lots of dual before flying it himself. Now he's ready to show it to people who might want to build one.

And, while experimentals are the soul of EAA, the wallet is in general aviation. We'll see new blood there, too, in the shape of the Quest Kodiak utility turboprop, for instance.

 Sometimes the news isn't a whole new airplane, but is still exciting: for a lot of people this will be their first chance to see the Piper Meridian with the first 3-panel Avidyne installation.

Columbia (formerly Lancair Certified) will be going all-out to promote their new name. We're also expecting Eclipse to pull out all the stops to make their jet a memorable participant in its first AirVenture. And all the usual suspects, in both certified and experimental general aviation will be there. Will you?

And A Disappointment or Two

A couple of previously announced AirVenture attractions aren't going to be there. One of them is a big one indeed -- the CAF's "FIFI," the world's only flying Boeing B-29, just gave the CAF what every airplane operator dreads -- bad news at annual.

The Boeing's wing structure is corroded, and it's going to be a major job to fix her. This is a disappointment to all, but especially to the handful of B-29 vets that were hoping to see the majestic old war-winner fly again. For some of them, 2006 will be too late, but it can't be helped.

Best of luck to all at CAF on the rebuild. If you can pitch in on this big project, you ought to look them up. CAF is still bringing B-24 "Diamond Lil" to the show -- there hasn't been a B-24 here since 1995. Diamond Lil, actually an LB-30 transport version, is the oldest existing (not just flying) B-24 airframe.

The other disappointment is a much smaller one, but as historic in its own way as a B-29 and perhaps of greater personal interest to me, as our gyro fiend. That's the beautifully rebuilt Miss Champion, last seen at Osh in 1996, can't make it because owner/rebuilder/pilot Steve Pitcairn has a scheduling conflict. He will fly it, one last time, to Oshkosh's Wittman Field where it will go into the AirVenture Museum, but not until after the show.

This is a bit of a sad note, as it's the last flying gyroplane that can be directly traced to a company founded by or licensed by Juan de la Cierva. Every rotorcraft flying today owes this man a debt.

And One Last Appointment For You

Our readers may not love every word we write, but we love every one of our readers. You are the guys and gals that read our news, send me fan mail (send any hate mail to Pete Combs please), and from time to time click on our advertisers... after all, no bucks, no Buck Rogers.

So come on by the Aero-News mobile office in the parking lot of the media building (down the street from the control tower, away from the flight line). You'll recognize it by the great big "Aero-News" banner. If we're there (and not tied up interviewing somebody) we'll answer a knock on the door and invite you in. If we're not there, leave a note for us!

FMI: www.airventure.org