2005 Looks Like A Year To Remember

As I slipped and skidded my way through a new dump of snow, heading towards a meeting of the principals of our FBO, one thought was fresh in my mind: I can't wait till Oshkosh!

Yeah, buddy. Roasting in the summer sun, getting my head or neck sunburned, walking, limping, or riding the cripple cart for miles on miles -- and being surrounded by some ridiculous number like a quarter million other aviation fiends. How the heck can I concentrate on problems like our need for an O-2 cart, or whether we should make the extension to the maintenance hangar a fabric shop or an engine-overhaul shop? Why, it's only five months away! Are you ready?

AirVenture, or as us medium-old-timers call it, "Oshkosh," as if the place was the name, is going to be a blast this year. Of course, Aero-News will be there with our mobile news room (do drop in!) and our usual characters (not to mention the unusual characters). I wondered how Tom Poberezny and the gang at EAA were going to top themes of the two most recent years, 2003's misty-eyed look back at the last 100 years and 2004's clear, hopeful gaze into the next century of flight. I needn't have wondered. This year's slogan is, "You've Got to be There!" and I hope everyone within reach of my electrons will take it to heart.

Oshkosh is the aviator's Jerusalem, St. Peter's, Mecca. You are commanded to make this Haj -- the spirits of aviators past, present and to come will visit you at night, rattling their chains, to persuade you. You simply must do it once in a flying lifetime; and more than once can only reinforce the benefit to your spirit.

The show's spiritual center, it's Square of St. Peter if you will, is Aeroshell Square, where the highlight of the whole show, White Knight and SpaceShipOne, will be on display, in their only public open-air viewing since the 2004 flights (the terms under which the craft will be interred in the Smithsonian National Air And Space Museum have not been made public, if indeed they are final).

It's also expected that two aircraft that are the only flying survivors of their type will be in the Square: the Commemorative Air Force's B-29 FIFI and Steve Pitcairn's Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-2 autogyro, which he's donating to the EAA museum. An extremely rare Consolidated LB-30 (a version of the B-24 heavy bomber), also from the CAF stable, will be there too.

Some people go for the static displays airshow is going to be a who's who of flying. This is all the more amazing when you consider that these professionals don't get paid a thin dime for their feats of skill and precision. Like the thousands who make the show happen, they're volunteers. This year, as usual, is a crowd-pleasing mix of legendary pros (Sean D. Tucker, among others), young tigers (Mike Goulian, Mike Mancuso), and some acts that defy classification (think of Jimmy Franklin's Jet Stearman).

One new treat this year is going to be Debbie Gary, who's planning to step up from a Marchetti SF-260 to a Pitts Model 12. I've seen plenty of airshows in a Pitts, but none in one with that kind of power.

And then there's the homebuilding community. Most everything that's exciting in aviation these days, up to and including SpaceShipOne, has its roots in EAA's network of inventors, constructors and just plane hangar-side tinkerers.

At AirVenture you'll be able to see the great successes of the homebuilding world like Lancairs and Van's RVs, the elder statesmen of the movement like Thorp T-18s and BD-4s, and you'll probably see the great successes of tomorrow introduced.

Commercially-produced airplanes are represented in vast numbers, too, and usually Oshkosh is the best place to meet up with the folks in your type club. The Bonanza Society has been flying in formation for fifteen years (this will be #16) and several type clubs have latterly followed suit. Whether you fly a Cessna Airmaster or a Cessna Citation, or anything in between, there's probably somebody here who can teach you cool stuff about your plane.

And of course, there is no better place to meet the Aero-News crew and see us in action -- if you dare. We'll be in our usual madhouse/mobile office next to the media center, so stop in and let us know how you like the show -- and our product.

It might be EAA's slogan for this year, but they're on to something --you've got to be there!

*The real old-timers call it "EAA" and remember when it was at Rockford, IL. Rockford still has a tangential involvement -- it's a turn pylon on this year's air race.

FMI: www.airventure.org