Another Oshkosh has come and gone, but what a year it was! Chapter 46 enjoyed a record number of members attending this years AirVenture. Why not? It is the biggest event of the year for EAA. This year saw the B1-B, the F-22A Raptor, some impromptu formation fly-bys of the Blue Angles, a concert by the Beach Boys, the unveiling of Cessna’s new breed including the LSA and the so-called “Cirrus Killer” and all of the “usuals”. You know that you’ve got something good when the “Usuals” include such names as Sean Tucker, Jim LeRoy, Gene Soucy, Michael Mancuso, The Red Barons, The Aeroshell team and … Need I go on?

As he has in the past, our fearless leader Jim Cavanaugh went up early to secure the campsites. This was the first year that he pulled the U-Haul instead of cramming a bunch of stuff in the back seat with the kids and loading the rest on the top of the van like some sort of death valley pack mule.

He had the Cavanaugh crew helping him stake out the sites. Chris and Caitlyn Cavanaugh as well as Dan and Jessica Fischer, Cavanaugh’s cousins from Scottsdale Arizona, did the actual work. Sometimes I think that Jim’s job ends the moment he drives up and puts the van in park. If you look at the slideshow of all of the unloading, setting up, staking out sites, I see no pictures of Jim helping. OH, That’s right, Jim’s taking the pictures. Well, at least his right index finger is getting a workout.

After all of the staking out was done, the kids relaxed with a game of Kan Jam, a sort of Horseshoes with Frisbees.

Plenty of Chapter 46ers flew in for the event. Bob Miller, Dan Maloney and Mark Croce in a flight of 3 (along with passengers Tom and Liz King, Greg Barnhard, Erica Miller and her boyfriend, I think his name is Blaine(sp?)). Liz wins the have-to-buy-a-tent award this year since the one she brought up wasn’t fit for man nor beast. I’m not saying that it’s her fault, it’s whoever packed that tent for her, that’s who’s fault it is, whoever THAT was.

Ken Sciog and I had planned to fly up in my quintessential 152, 6279P but weather in Lancaster changed our plans. While I was lamenting the fact that 900 foot ceilings and steady rain were preventing my timely departure, a Beechcraft Bonanza took off! Oh for an instrument rating. Instead of missing the show completely, Ken and I decided to drive it. 26 hours total drive time there and back for 24 hours of Oshkosh.

Since I didn’t actually make it to Oshkosh until late on Friday (thanks to the poor weather) I can’t speak for much of what went on there. I went up to get the award for this website (thank you very much) and that didn’t happen until the last weekend of the show. But Jim Cavanaugh was there and here is what he had to say:

"We had the largest group ever at Oshkosh this year with the chapter occupying 26 camp sites in Camp Scholler. Our thanks and deep appreciation to John & Carol Palesh, George and Betsy Kalonaros and Paul and Pat Pederson for feeding up to 80 hungry chapter 46 members at a time. Without them, the “Oshkosh Experience” just would not be the same. George and Betsy set a new high with their full-blown pig roast on Thursday night. If you were not there, you have a chance to re-live the moment at our second annual chapter pig roast on October 21st. Our chapter was again recognized at Airventure when Bill King won a national award for our chapter web site. Great job Bill! Many of our Chapter teenagers (and a few of the adults) are now skilled and experienced volunteers at Kid Venture. They donated hundreds of cumulative hours of work helping set up as well as during the event. Chapter-46 member Bob Kupon is Vice Chairman of Kid Venture. Airventure was great again as always. Much more than anyone can see or do in a week. It was HOT! Temps were in the mid to high 90’s and humid. There were fewer storms than we had last year. However, the amazing storm that roared through on Sunday morning, as we were packing up, made up for the relative calm the rest of the week! There was also a lot new to see with real growth in LSA Sport Pilot Aircraft area including Cessna’s new proof of concept LSA. The Eclipse Jet received the first certification of the new breed of VLJ’s. Cessna did a brief fly by of their “Next Generation” aircraft often dubbed “The Cirrus Killer”. Lots of buzz about diesel power plants for GA aircraft. The amazing Honda Jet was on display for the entire week. Movies got a lot of attention with the “Ford Fly-in Theater” featuring great aviation movies each night like “The Great Waldo Pepper” and “The Blue Max” in Camp Scholler. The EAA Museum was the site of the Hollywood premier of the spectacular WW I movie “Fly Boys”. And everywhere you went, there were HDTV monitors showing clips of One-Six Right. (We will view this at our November meeting!) The new Space Ship One exhibit was unveiled in the EAA Museum. The U.S. Air Force stunned the crowd with a breathtaking display by two F-22 Raptors. Not to be outdone, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels also put in an unexpected appearance at the show. And, did I mention The Beach Boys Concert? But most important was being together with the great friends we have made over the years. That is what really makes Oshkosh special. We missed some of our old regular friends this year at Oshkosh; Steve Yuhaz, John Hackney, Ed and Jan Kramer and Tom and Sue Broad. We hope that they will be able to join us again next year. But we had a good crop of “first timers”. Hopefully, they will all become Oshkosh regulars."