Oshkosh Advice/Planning

[jerrodmonaghan]

As you all know I’m gearing up to put in a panel. I plan to go to Oshkosh to help make the decisions and have never been. I’d like to make plans. Any advice is always appreciated! Such as where to stay, how to get in, do you need to sign up? Do you need to make appts with vendors or is it just a free for all? Thanks

 

 

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[MIm20c]

Do you like to fly in busy airspace?

Do you like to camp?

Do you like formation flying?

[kpaul]

6 minutes ago, jerrodmonaghan said:

 

As you all know I’m gearing up to put in a panel. I plan to go to Oshkosh to help make the decisions and have never been. I’d like to make plans. Any advice is always appreciated! Such as where to stay, how to get in, do you need to sign up? Do you need to make appts with vendors or is it just a free for all? Thanks

 

 

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Check out the Mooney Caravan, fly in and camp with 60 other Mooneys.  

All the vendors are available throughout the entire week, no appointments or additional fees.

[N9201A]

As you all know I’m gearing up to put in a panel. I plan to go to Oshkosh to help make the decisions and have never been. I’d like to make plans. Any advice is always appreciated! Such as where to stay, how to get in, do you need to sign up? Do you need to make appts with vendors or is it just a free for all? Thanks
 

www.eaa.org/en/airventure

[carusoam]

Make friends... take somebody that is familiar... great when it gets really busy on approach... or you get forgotten as you are a couple miles out...

Camping is great.

get your EAA membership lined up...

If you do it right the EAA has an overlap so you can use one membership to allow for two different years...?

Bring a kid... they are amazed by all the flying activity...

PP thoughts only, hoping and praying, to fly formation to KOSH one day...

Best regards,

-a-

[gsxrpilot]

• The best option is to join the Mooney Caravan - get formation qualified and arrive to Oshkosh with the largest Mooney group. There is lots of support, advice, questions answered, etc. And it's by far, the easiest way to arrive in your own Mooney.
• The second option would be to go on your own. 
  • Sign up for EAA membership - required for camping
  • Download and study the NOTAM - it's large and the arrival is complex and very busy
  • Bring a friend along in the right seat, preferably another pilot, or someone with eagle vision to watch for traffic
  • Load up the plane with all your camping gear, bring a credit card or large check book
  • Spend the week in aviation heaven

After a lifetime of wanting to go to Oshkosh, hearing ATC say "Cleared to land 36L, welcome to Oshkosh" got me just a little bit choked up. And after six trips now, I still get a little emotional turning final for OSH.

[Bob_Belville]

Jerrod, I note you're based in Houston, if you want to check out flying into KOSH in formation with 60 Mooneys there is an active Texas Caravan Wing with a required formation clinic scheduled for April 5-7 at San Marcos. The Caravan itself will rally in Madison WI and fly into KOSH Saturday July 20. AirVenture continues throughout the following week. 

http://www.mooneycaravan.com/training

[jerrodmonaghan]

Thanks for all the advice. I’m soaking it all up like a sponge. The idea of flying in formation makes the hair on my arms stand up. I was in the US Airforce and like so many others always dreamed of flying when I joined... never happened and I was a medic. Did my share of time in the sky but never behind the controls. Thanks again for all the information!


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[Bryan]

1 hour ago, jerrodmonaghan said:

Thanks for all the advice. I’m soaking it all up like a sponge. The idea of flying in formation makes the hair on my arms stand up.

I was in your situation this time last year.  I went to the San Marcos (TX Wing) formation training last year as a totally new person to flying formation but found it is very safe and structured.  Like @gsxrpilot, that feeling landing on Rwy 36 last year for the first time was AMAZING; will be back this year.  Glad I did it with the Caravan because watching the Fisk Arrivals come in with a beer in-hand, lawnchair next to my plane and a portable radio was "entertaining." 

Can't wait for the upcoming event in just over a month.

[gsxrpilot]

19 minutes ago, jerrodmonaghan said:

Thanks for all the advice. I’m soaking it all up like a sponge. The idea of flying in formation makes the hair on my arms stand up. I was in the US Airforce and like so many others always dreamed of flying when I joined... never happened and I was a medic. Did my share of time in the sky but never behind the controls. Thanks again for all the information!

You're just a short 30 Mooney minutes from KHYI where we fly formation on a regular basis. You should hop over one day and ride along with us. Just use your plane to get to HYI and then jump in the right seat with one of us. You might find that its super fun and very safe. Send me your contact info in a PM and I'll let you know next time we fly.

[skydvrboy]

1 hour ago, jerrodmonaghan said:

The idea of flying in formation makes the hair on my arms stand up.

I was in your shoes last year about this time.  Thinking of formation flying made me apprehensive, both excited and a bit scared.  I called up SARDOT with the Flying Monkeys wing and asked him if I would be able to fly formation with them, having only a little over 100 hours total in my log book.  He told me to come to the clinic and give it a try, said they've never had someone NOT be able to do it if they really wanted to learn.  I won't say it was easy, but I got the hang of it well enough by the end of the first full day to keep myself and everyone around me safe.

I HIGHLY recommend giving it a try, both for the safe arrival into Oshkosh and because it is FUN!  It is definitely my favorite kind of flying now, perhaps because I love the elusive pursuit of perfection.  You will also get to meet several other Mooney pilots and see what they've done with their planes.

[gsxrpilot]

And just to further alleviate any concerns. The formation flying done at the clinics is several orders of magnitude more difficult/advanced than what is required to fly the arrival to Oshkosh. It's important that we train to a much higher level for several reasons. But the arrival into Oshkosh is very simple and easy enough for anyone to fly. And arguably MUCH simpler/safer than the FISK.

[Air pirate]

OSH is a must,  as mentioned aviation heaven, first time I went 30+ years ago, I was  a freshly minted pilot, (about a month), did the Fisk arrival  in a rented Warrior. The tower was belting out instructions "Orange and White Low Wing Rock your wings for OSH Gosh, follow the xxxx on downwind etc. Land on Red Dot, taxi off into the grass ASAP" . You couldn't pull a greased string out of my butt with a 40 mule team, but what a great time!

Last year, I cancelled IFR over Fond Du Lac and descended south of OSH,  they tower had me orbit over Warbird Island for about 15 mins and cleared me to 36. STILL a GREAT TIME !

Hotels aren't cheap and book up a year out, airbnb has some decent offerings, camping is cool but better when I was younger, LOL

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by Air pirate

[Gone]

23 hours ago, jerrodmonaghan said:

Thanks for all the advice. I’m soaking it all up like a sponge. The idea of flying in formation makes the hair on my arms stand up.

Jerrod:  That is nothing compared to the scare you will get if you try the FISK arrival. Hundreds of aircraft inbound and not all of them see each other (or you).  If you do this, use the 1300' 135kts till the controller puts you on the downwind (or base or final) depending on what they think is available for you.

Caravan is a piece of cake compared to the FISK arrival and everyone you fly with knows exactly where you are.  We have trained together.   We know our airplane and we have a pretty good idea of yours.  Good leadership.  Good procedures.  Good training.  Great outcome.  

But that is just me.

(Update):  Following Sandman to the Purple dot in 2015.

[KSMooniac]

I'll echo the Caravan comments...I've been several times, mostly flying the FISK arrival and once with the Caravan. The Caravan experience is FAR safer, and MUCH more fun. Camping on the field is the best way to soak it all in, and camping with the Caravan is even better as you have built in friends, gathering tent, social events, etc.

I've stayed off-airport once, and I'll never do that again! You lose so much time trying to get to/from the show due to bad traffic in a small town, remote parking lots, etc. There are nice bathroom/shower facilities for camping, as well as food, ice, shuttles, etc so it is not roughing it at-all. It is only miserable if you have a bad tent in a thunderstorm.

Go to a Caravan formation flying clinic and check it out...it is tremendous fun and you'll get hooked!

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[carusoam]

Three times to KOSH... over 19 years...

Fisk arrival is still nutty... 

-a-

[steingar]

Yo don't have to fly in the  Caravan to get there.  I've gone just about every of the last 18 years.  Sometimes there's no traffic, sometimes its crazy.  But there's never been a midair on approach to Oshkosh, the controllers and yes, even the pilots, do a wonderful job.  Indoor accommodations are at a premium, but you can camp with your airplane for a very reasonable price.  Between that, flying in, and the money to get in the door (around 0.1 AMU for the week) it'll be the most parsimonious vacation you take this year.

As far as the vendors, you walk up and talk to them.  A good idea to go during the airshow when everyone else is out on the flight line.

[jerrodmonaghan]

“Fisk” approach? I’m embarrassed to say I had to look it up. I was trying to figure out what FISK stood for... aviation acronyms is it’s own language. To learn it’s a city made me laugh out loud. You idiot I thought to myself...


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[Amelia]

I’m weighing in to encourage you to sign up for the Caravan. I’ve flown the Fisk Arrival several times. Talk about hair-raising... the challenge for me was the mix of 65 mph Cubs and my slick Mooney with gear and flaps dangling so as not to run over them or fall out of the sky. And the guys who were oblivious to where the queue started. Yikes! Field was already at capacity once, so I was diverted into Fond du Lac , which was fine, but much time spent on buses, commuting. The Caravan formation was amazing. So professional and organized. My new Mooney friends tried hard to get me comfortable, and bless them, one even volunteered to ride shotgun with me on that glorious day. Understand, this isn’t Blue Angels standards. Precise, but not 6” between wing tips, inverted. The camaraderie, the cooking, (don’t miss breakfast,) the stories, the great advice, the chance to see other schnazzy panels..were just great. Dear Grandmama and Grandpa were comfortable enough in their way-old sleeping bags on Thermarest mattresses, and grateful not to be in those buses lined up and waiting for access to the drop-off gate. We came and went as we pleased. Whatever you choose, you’ll have a fine time. Very comfortable shoes and socks are a must. 

[carusoam]

If you forget the inflato-mattress.... you can get one by walking to Target...  

A mattress and a six pack of fat tire to balance the load.... it a longish walk... you need the balance...

Best regards,

-a-