Flight to Oshkosh 2017- From Miami

[Juan Vargas]

Hello:

I am planning to fly from Bogota Colombia to Oshkosh for the EAA Adventure 2017.

The route from Bogota to Miami is pretty much defined, but I am interested in suggestions from Miami to Oshkosh.

I will do it in a Cessna T182T and I would like to hear any recommendation on suggested routes from Miami to Oshkosh, this taking into account that some airports could be friendlier than other and in general more convinient for GA, suggested legs, or any other advise you consider useful to make this adventure as fun as possible!!

Thanks,

Juan

[vaflier]

Be sure to have on board weather display such as XM or ADSB. I like to plan 3 hour legs since I have a 3 hour bladder. Figure one hour each time you land and you will be close to correct.

[dougbush]

AirNav has a tool for planning fuel stops: http://www.airnav.com/plan/fuel/

I also check reviews on AOPA Airports: https://www.aopa.org/airports/index.cfm

[FlyingRon]

Looking at the map, it looks like the direct routing is pretty close to what I fly to get to Oshkosh. I'd go direct to Gary, IN (GYY) and then drop down and shoot up the lake shore until clear of the Chicago class B airspace (long about Racine or so) and then go direct to RIPON. The other VFR option is to go around the west side JOT/DPA and then up.

IFR routing is pretty much going to send you to the KELSI intersection through there (way out to the west of ORD). I usually drop my IFR plan at GYY and proceed VFR if possible.

Louisville, KY wouldn't be a bad place to stop. We've overnighted there (hotels within a mile or so of the field at LOU came and got us). Eagle Creek (EYE) is on the way (Indianoplis area). Nice airport. Stopped there to drop off some Dutch guys competing in an Amazing Race style reality show.

[Byron J. Covey]

There are many excellent routes. Do you use ForeFlight? If not, get a trial version free for a month, and look at various airports, especially at the comments, fuel prices, restaurants and lodging.

Some places that I have found interesting, but have not visited recently, include Milledgeville, Pine Mountain, Griffin, and Peachtree City, all in Georgia. Tullahoma, Tennessee has the Beechcraft Museum, and Lebanon, Tennessee could be a good stop. I would find a fuel stop further up to ensure a good quantity for the Oshkosh arrival procedure.

Will you be exploring the country, or proceeding directly to Oshkosh?


BJC

[steve]

I fly to OSH from Vero Beach FL most years. I've used 2 routes:
1. Vero FL - Dublin GA - Sturgis KY - DeKalb IL - Ripon - Fiske - OSH
2. Vero FL - Americus GA - Madisonville KY - DeKalb IL - Ripon, etc.

Route 1 takes you up the FL coast. Get flight following to fly direct through the many controlled areas. You'll talk to many controllers along the way to Georgia.
Route 2 takes you west of Orlando. Plan to cruise at 6500 once clear of Orlando. You'll be over the top of 3 Class C airports so you won't have to talk to anyone the entire way to OSH. You can also request transition through Orlando's Class B.
I'm wheels up at 0630 and can make the trip in 8.5 flight hours in my RV9A. All legs are approx 2.4 hours. I fly VFR.

It's another story heading back to Florida. It's usually wheels up at 1030-ish after breakfast, breaking down camp, and a long slow taxi for departure. You'll make Georgia just in time for the afternoon/evening thunder storms, so plan on spending the night somewhere near Atlanta. Then finish the trip in the morning.

Dublin and Americus Georgia have courtesy cars. DeKalb IL always has hot dogs, chips and cold drinks for Oshkosh pilots. This year I landed at West Georgia Regional, near Carrollton, and remained overnight. They also have courtesy cars. Most of my fuel stops have low to mid price fuel.

[Juan Vargas]

Thanks a lot to all of you for the great suggestions. I will start planning for next year. I do not want to miss this adventure. A long way from South America and I will probably use Fort Lauderdale Executive or Opa-Locka as my entrance gate to the US and then all the way up to OSH. By the way, the AIRNAV tool for fuel planning looks great.


Last two questions:


1) I understand from "FlyingRon" that you can fly over the lake, with Chicago view on your left side. Is that allowed? Any constraint?


2) Which last stop do you recommend before arriving to OSH?, Fuel, others?

Regards,


Juan

[whviii]

We use KDKB Dekalb Taylor Municipal in Il. Great FBO, free hot dogs, drinks and chips on Saturdays.
This summer we had to spend Saturday night due to thunderstorms in the OSH area. The young man running the desk there was great. Helped folks arrange hotels, tie downs and not only dropped several folks at their hotels but picked them back up in the morning. Fuel price is good too.


Thanks a lot to all of you for the great suggestions. I will start planning for next year. I do not want to miss this adventure. A long way from South America and I will probably use Fort Lauderdale Executive or Opa-Locka as my entrance gate to the US and then all the way up to OSH. By the way, the AIRNAV tool for fuel planning looks great.


Last two questions:


1) I understand from "FlyingRon" that you can fly over the lake, with Chicago view on your left side. Is that allowed? Any constraint?


2) Which last stop do you recommend before arriving to OSH?, Fuel, others?

Regards,


Juan

[TedK]

Last two questions:


1) I understand from "FlyingRon" that you can fly over the lake, with Chicago view on your left side. Is that allowed? Any constraint?


2) Which last stop do you recommend before arriving to OSH?, Fuel, others?

Regards,


Juan

Juan- The Chicago Class B is nearly impenetrable. It is almost impossible to get a Bravo Clearance regardless if you are IFR or VFR...particularly if you are Northbound.

You can fly the Shoreline route under the Bravo but remember it is a squeeze. The Bravo is overhead at 3000ft, that leaves 2400 ft for North and Southbound traffic ...the Lake is at 600ft MSL. It is even tighter if Midway is doing Instrument Approaches on 22. 22R's approaches cross the shoreline at 2400MSL.

They lost a plane at Milwaukee a few years back due to wake turbulence from an airliner. 8000 hour ATP if I recall correctly.

If if it were me, I would gas up West or Northwest of Chicago when headed to OSH. If the WX is good at MDW when you depart OSH then I would do the Lakeshore route southbound and get cheap gas in Northern Indiana.

ted

[Juan Vargas]

Oshkosh is getting closer! I have another question: When you fly in, can you rent a car to be picked up and returned at Oshkosh airport? or do you need a ride to a city close by?

Thanks,

Juan

[Bill Greenwood]

You can rent a car to be picked up right at the Osh terminal or FBO, try them on line as you need a reservation well in advance. Expensive as heck tho. Also in FLD since you are coming from the south. There is of course, pretty good bus service all around EAA if you dont have a car. Just a bit hard to go out at night or away from the field as convenient.

[CHICAGORANDY]

Next to that you might need to try Appleton, about 18 miles away?

[Juan Vargas]

Thanks for the information.

[FlyingRon]

Oshkosh is getting closer! I have another question: When you fly in, can you rent a car to be picked up and returned at Oshkosh airport? or do you need a ride to a city close by?

Despite there being no scheduled air service into Oshkosh anymore, I think Hertz still has a desk in the terminal. I've run people over there to retrieve rentals before.

[Cary]

As a result of not having a car when I've flown in, I don't know much about the town of Oshkosh. But my purpose in being at OSH isn't to see the town, it's to experience Airventure. There is so much to do on the airport grounds, all day long and into the evening. Except for an annual party that I attend off the airport grounds (to which I usually bicycle, but it's close enough that I've walked, also), the only times I leave the airport is to do some laundry and to go to a couple of the nearby restaurants, plus taking the bus to the Seaplane Base a couple of times during the week.

Transportation into town, for shopping and such, is available by bus--I haven't used it for that--and transportation on the airport is pretty thorough, by bus and tram. My point is that for the most part, a car just isn't necessary--an unnecessary expense to add to an already expensive week.

Cary