Time Flies By at Oshkosh

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the EAA Airventure were just as busy as the first day. We watched a second airshow on Tuesday. Chris said he thought it could never happen but he was kind of bored watching acrobatic planes dancing in the sky. I mean, how many times can you watch a plane stall and spiral to the ground before taking it for granted that they won’t plow into the ground? So, we switched to touring more of the plane displays and going to some of the talks.

There were lots of home builts, Cessnas and other small planes to look at with owners eager to talk about them. On two of the days, we visited the area housing the restored WWII military planes.  I think the group is called Warbirds of America.  When I asked Russ why most of the people we talked to in that area had southern accents, he explained that the group was from the south and used to be called the Confederate Air Force but when that became a political problem, they went through several name changes until settling on this one. There were lots of B-25s, B-29s and even a couple B-17s along with a large assortment of fighter planes. The B-17s and B-29s are going to fly together in one of the airshows – the first time two planes of that type have flown together since... a long time ago. These vintage aircraft are some of the planes that were flying in formation during Monday’s airshow.

There are also lots of vendors showcasing their airplanes and accessories. Out of the trailer windows one evening, I saw a young couple walking down the road past our trailer, she was pushing a large towing device for moving airplanes and he was hobbling alongside her with crutches and his leg in a cast. We were speculating on how they were going to get their new purchase home.

Similar to a county fair, there were four large buildings with lots of vendors selling all sorts of things, like memberships to flying clubs, air tours to South America, GPS units, boosters for engines all the way to stainless steel cooking pan demos, recliners with vibrators and airplane toys for kids. I kept looking for the hot tubs and kettle corn, but those were absent.

In case we weren’t tired of shopping, there was also a substantial flea market. Russ and Chris spent quite a bit of time in this area looking at all the wrenches, multi-tools, and other things that were “useful” tools. They each bought a few cheap tools and were quite excited at the bargain they got.  Chris bought a multi-tool just like he had a few years ago (until he lost it) and was excited that he got it for way less than 50% of the original cost. Of course, he later found out that the blade that was a fingernail file was broken off. Oh well, he never really used that blade anyway.

I found a couple of vendors selling garden flags, wind spinners and yard décor so I enjoyed the flea market also.  There was someone selling fabric but I didn’t see anything that appealed to me. If we had owned a Piper or Cessna airplane, I would have cleaned the place out.

Wednesday was a rainy and windy day so we came back to the trailer earlier than usual and enjoyed watching some TV and reading. I find it very relaxing to sit in the trailer on a rainy day, listening to the rain on the roof and reading a book. I baked a no sugar added apple cobbler in the oven for our evening dessert and was quite pleased that I didn’t burn it.  The trailer ovens are notorious for being difficult to control for baking. The delicious smell coming from the oven helped enhance the comfy mood.

Time is flying by, but we are having such a great time with Chris! So thankful he could spend the week with us.

We arrived early to spend as much time as we could checking out all the war planes. All of these planes have been purchased, restored and are being flown by private citizens with a passion for the aircraft. Not a cheap hobby, that is for sure!

The area included a replica of an encampment, complete with an "unexplored" bomb. The people were dressed in vintage uniforms from privates to officers, nurses and other support personnel.

Russ was having a great time with Chris, explaining all the various items on display

The volunteers for the Warbirds in America group were dressed in authentic uniforms which I thought were probably highly uncomfortable since it was so warm and humid.  Here they were posing for some professional pictures. There must have been 15 or 16 B-25s lined up to head out for the afternoon airshow.

This plane is an example of the type of airplane my dad worked on during WWII when he was an aircraft mechanic for the Flying Tigers in Burma.

Restoration was incredibly detailed and accurate for these planes. Can't imagine what this kind of restoration costs or how long it takes.  You really have to have a commitment to come out with something like this.

A B-52 Stratofortress flew over during Thursday's airshow. 

Debating the merits of a gadget in the flea market.

The NASA Building had poster board like displays of space projects and a few projects for kids (and some adults,) but it was pretty understated. This week is for the private plane enthusiasts.  There are some talks that I am interested in attending though, especially the astronaut reunion on the occasion of the 50th year anniversary of the landing on the moon.

A low cost way of demonstrating the actual size of the Mars rover. I think every kid interested in space would want one of these!

This wingwalker looks like she belongs at Burning Man not in Oshkosh.

A sampling of the thousands of planes that have flown in for the convention. I read that over 2,000 planes take off and land each day during the show.

The only picture we got of the three of us was taken on the rainy day. Despite that, we are one happy group!

Thursday morning, Russ and Chris took the bus over to the seaplane base, about 5 miles from the convention's main area. The vendor exhibits in the main area included several seaplanes but the ones that flew in for the show had to land in  a bay of Lake Winnebago near Fond du Lac.

A much smaller exhibit area, it didn't take long for them to tour the area. There are no airshows for the seaplanes, but you can watch them take off and land. Unfortunately, on Thursday afternoon, one of the seaplanes flipped on takeoff. Two people were injured and I think another was killed.

This looks pretty tiny for a seaplane.