A Little Parking Humour

With all the serious debate over parking problems, maybe we can use a bit of a laugh. Here's a couple that happened to me at EAA.
One year I flew my plane into Fond du Lac. I often stop there the first day, and take that night to wash the plane, before bringing it down to Airventure, also I stay at the hotel in FLD.
So I got into FLD around midday, grabbed the rent a car, and rushed down to Oshkosh, got there in time to make the seminar or briefing or whichever I had planned. I had a great day, and that evening was happy, but tired and ready to go back to the hotel.
So I went out to the red lot to get in the car for the short drive to FLD. Should be no problem, I'll just grab that rent a car that I drove in a few hours ago.
It then slowly dawned on me that the car part of my day was pretty much a fog and I really had not much of an idea of what the rent a car was, and only short of a notion of where I parked. And no. I could not look at the keys because I don't like to carry them around so they were in the car.
So I am wandering around for an hour our so, hot tired, sweaty and my feet hurt. A guy came by in a golf cart, and I asked for help. He was a really nice guy, spent a half hour of his time driving me around the parking lot. At least the looking went a lot easier when I was sitting down and riding. All I could recall was that it was a small light colored 4 door rental, just like hundreds of others. When the parking cleared out we finally found it about where I thought it might be.
i thanked and apologized to my helper.
He said, "Don't feel so bad, the year before he was working in north parking for GAP, and a guy forgot what and where his airplane was"!. He'd rented it for the trip,flew in, parked, and at the end of the week could not really remember the paint scheme much less N number.He said it was a white Cessna, just like a hundred others there.
They finally found it also. Wish I knew the name of that nice guy in the golf cart. He is more the rule than the exception at Oshkosh. A kind word and a smile sure helps in those times. Remember to pass it on to the next guy.
Hey, I had never lost my plane, maybe just a few mundane rent a cars.

Bill,
The attitude of the person that helped you is what I find simply the greatest part of EAA. Just keep in mind that next year when he is helping someone find their car, airplane or wife ( well some of us.... ) that you will be the guy in the story :-).

I know there has been some hammering of people ( and yes some of it deservedly so), but I have an idea. How about a "wall" or forum to just say thanks. If someone goes above and beyond or if you just see someone doing a good job, have a place to post a thank you. A little appreciaton to those who give. Just a thought
Rick

In the 80’s, I would fly into Oshkosh after the Friday air show and be placed in the north 40 as my 59 Cessna 182 was at that time too new. After a few years, planes would stay after the show so that I had to stay at Fond du Lac as there wasn’t room at Oshkosh. After another few years, my 182 was old enough to be parked in the south 40. So, I have parked about everyplace that you can imagine. I must admit I enjoy parking at Oshkosh much better than at Fond du Lac.

In 2003, I flew my Cub with another Cub into Oshkosh just before the air show on the first day. We were parked at the start of the south 40 so close to the runway that we weren’t allowed to camp next to the Cubs. When I returned home, I was going to write a letter to Poberezny asking him to arrange better parking places for Cubs in the future so more people could see them.

After about a week, my wife quizzed me about a package that had just arrived in the mail from Oshkosh. She asked me what I had purchased at Oshkosh and then forgot to tell her about it. I told her I was as mystified as she was about the package. The package contained a First Place trophy for the Best Cub in Classic category. Glad I didn’t write that letter to Poberezny.

Sometimes it’s better to just enjoy and not complain.
Attachment 628

Twenty years ago I flew in to SNF, as did lots of folks......

I had just completed my PPL at a flight school at North Perry airport (KHWO), west of Miami, and was on the 2nd of numerous X-Cs I had to do to build up (I think it was) 25hrs before going straight in to doing the IR. The ink was still wet on that slip of paper you receive initially, and my X-C planning was as meticulous as it had been on the day of my checkride - flight plan log completed with winds, variation, deviation, leg times, fuel burn etc, etc. I got a full briefing from FSS to the my fuel stop of KLAL. I'd never been there before, and had never heard of it until I picked it out on the chart as today's destination. Five or six weeks earlier, I had never been to Florida before, had never been to an airshow and had been in a "small" plane only once, 4 years previously.

So off I set on this X-C, got a bit lost in some haze, got myself sorted out, picked up the ATIS, followed the instructions to the detail - found the water tower, spotted the aircraft ahead (fortunately North Perry was a pretty busy airport, so seeing other aircraft fairly close didn't phase me - or I was too naive to worry), listened on the required frequency, rocked my wings when instructed, landed as directed, followed the flagmen to parking and as I parked in line with assorted other aircraft, it gradually dawned on me this was not your average FBO situation......

As I climbed out of my C152, the greeters greeted me with "Hi, Welcome to Sun & Fun! How long are you staying for?"..... "um, I just stopped on my X-C to top up with fuel"..... Much merriment and laughter was had by the greeters and parking crew. They were really kind and got me out of there quickly before I got too stuck. I hopped over to Bartow, fuelled up and headed home, mulling over my little adventure.

The next day, I was all set for the X-C. Being Florida, it was in a similar direction to the previous day's X-C. This time, when I spoke to the briefer, they mentioned "Oh, and be careful to avoid the airspace around Lakeland for the Sun & Fun airshow"....... Hmmmmm - I guess yesterday's briefer just passed over that paragraph.....

Ten years & one month later, I was living in Oshkosh. A year or so after moving here, I volunteered as a greeter on the North 40, and it really struck me how my little visit to SNF must have caused a chuckle or two back in 1991 :)

Great story, Janet. Shows you had some good instruction prior to your X-country...

white cessna:D

A few years ago at AV I had a Twin Beech with Air Force markings coming south from warbirds, so I figured he was going down to vintage. I began directing him south when he held a pink sheet of paper with tiny writing on it out the window and began pointing back north. I shrugged, turned him off of Papa and sent him around north.

A few minutes later here comes the Beech again. "Ok," I thought, "Warbirds don't want him," and I began directing him south. Again, emphatic head shaking, holding the pink sheet of paper out of the window and point back north. Puzzled, more than anything this time, I turned him back north to make another circuit up The Ditch.

The third time he came south on Papa, I began directing south and, of course, shaking of the head, pink sheet of paper, and pointing north. This time, I pulled him off on the intersection, stopped him, and the door popped open. I climbed in (which, I'm not going to lie, was awesome! Never been in one of those things), walked up to the cockpit, and the pilot said, "This is where we want to go!" and handed me the pink paper. I quickly scanned it. Sure enough, "Vintage Aircraft." I laughed and said, "That's where we've been trying to send you! Warbirds is north. Vintage is south. So I'll send you around again, but next time, just keep going!"

The pilot looked around, apparently annoyed with himself and his gas expenditure so far and politely asked, "Can I just turn around here?" I looked out at the intersection and responded, "I don't know. Can you?" We agreed with a good laugh, I got out, and he planted one wheel and pulled a 180 and I sent him south. My friends and I still get a laugh when one says, "Can I just turn around here?" and I dutifully respond, "I don't know. Can you?"