SAFA Skysailor Magazine

14 SKY SAILOR November | December 2019 Oshkosh AirVenture 2019 A irVenture officially starts on the Monday, running through until the culmination of the Saturday Night Airshow, follow- ed by ‘departures’ on the Sunday, only slightly more leisurely than the arrivals. The mass arrivals of aircraft type are something you will never see anywhere else. When we were there in 2012, there were 182 Piper Cubs, all yellow (apart from one) lined up in row after row making a sea of yellow. Considering AirVenture is run by thousands of volunteers each year, it is a huge undertaking – there are no barriers or fences alongside the runway. Crowds control themselves and there is little or no visible litter. The atmosphere is what makes Oshkosh the best airshow we have ever been to. The camaraderie is infectious with everyone willing to help each other. Everyone there is aviation minded. This year especially, as it celebrated 50 consecutive conventions in Oshkosh with many famous visitors, including Burt Rutan. Record summer temperatures greeted us when we arrived this year, and we even witnessed a tornado whilst staying in Appleton WI overnight. Emergency sirens started sounding whilst we were having breakfast in a café. Next thing we knew, the sky darkened outside, the electricity went off and the Farmers’ Market stalls went flying past the windows (our waitress filmed and uploaded the footage to YouTube while we watched). When we ventured outside, all was calm and dry again and we got our Uber ride to Oshkosh without further inci- dent. Considering the storms that hit the airport and campground just prior to the start of AirVen- ture, the volunteers did a fantastic job of cleaning up. Apart from a few large puddles, we didn’t see any evidence of the storm once we arrived. This year, we saw more activities and exhibitors at the Fun Fly Zone compared to our last visit in 2016, which was great to see. We had a quick catch up with Larry and Amy (Evolution Aircraft Inc.), Oshkosh AirVenure, USA, should be on every aviator’s bucket list. If you have never been, then you should start planning to do so now. The sheer scale of the operation is second to none. It opens on the Sunday for those wanting to walk around and watch the aircraft arrive. The word ‘arrive’ here, should be in bold, upper case and large, as to witness the numbers of aircraft lined up, three abreast, on final, is unique and breathtaking. by Kev MacNally “C5 ‘heavy’ on late final” Kev with Larry in the Revolt