Snippets v.1

Arrived Thursday the 20th, just after the NOTAM took affect. After a 3 hr flight from Lower MO and a fuel stop in KMSN, it was like the old days, started at Ripon. Here are few bullet points (of interest only to me).

Arrival ATIS is next to useless. NOBODY could receive it until they got the arrival way points without pulling squelch. I know this because I asked EVERYBODY. FAA....crank up that blowtorch.

Did not get any guidance as to where the arrival would start until I could perceive it from Foreflight. I understand at the time of my arrival that they were only 1 hour into the whole NOTAM arrival, so I am providing some slack on that.

I do not like 27 because I park in Vintage at the Point Magoo taxiway. Nevertheless, for the second year in a row I took 27 without complaint or whining. The ground traffic, I knew, would be light (I was right). The 14 miles taxi south was a non-event and oil/cyl temps behaved. BUT IF YOU ARE GUIDING AIRCRAFT ANYWHERE ON EARTH, AND THE AIRCRAFT IS A LARGE TAILDRAGGER...PLEASE KNOW THIS, IF YOU CANNOT SEE THE FACE OF THE PILOT FROM YOUR POSITION WAVING YOUR FLAG, OR YOUR ARMS AND HANDS....THE PILOT CANNOT SEE YOU. You might as well take a break, go sit under an umbrella.This rarely occurs in Vintage but I witnessed it this year right on the Magoo taxiway. (I thought Tall Tom, friend of all, was going go into a conniption fit). It happens TOO MUCH "up north". I understand there are two separate groups but the training needs to emphasize this. As a side comment, I appreciate all of the hard work the volunteers put in. Perhaps Ron can weigh in.

I hope that ATC can do a post mortem on the cluster *%$# that was Thursday departures. I know that it tested the resolve of the Vintage crews. If it was not so sad, it would be a tragic comedy act.

Finally, who was the YUTZ in the Bonanza that landed north on 36L, either Friday or Saturday? Understand that this was contrary to a LONG line of arrivals in the pattern for 18. He/she was NOT on the radio (probably on N Tower freq) or totally incapacitated.

Been going to OSH for a LONG time. I had hair and lots of it. The "tram" was a farm wagon pulled by a JD tractor. I don't remember they even stopped you had to run to catch it. I so love this event, it is a cleansing experience for me. I am hoping it does not outgrow the limits of safe practice or the limits of the capabilities of ATC. Yes, we have people that either "are not" or "no longer" qualified to fly to this event and fly away from it. One of these days I will be in the latter category.

I was going to mention "mass arrivals" but I think that has been beaten to death.