Rockford and my parents in their Stinson SM-6000 Trimotor or their matched set of his and hers S-1C Pitts dad built.
Oshkosh, Bob Hoover, Bob Herendeen, Bob Lyjack, Red Devils, Leo Loudenslager, John Baugh flying the P-51 Miss Coranado (which I fell in love with). Steve Wittman, French Connection, Duane and Marion Cole, Wayne Pierce, XP-51 being flown. Driving down to Hales Corner to visit the museum.
Jim Rice
Wolf River Airport (54M)
Collierville, TN
N4WJ 1994 Van's RV-4 (Flying)
N3368K 1946 Globe GC-1B Swift (Flying)--For Sale
N7155H 1946 Piper J-3C Cub (Flying)
There are so many great airplanes there. In the evening or early morning sometimes I would look at my plane parked in the field and just have that warm feeling inside, like it was a home away from home.
Last year when I visited Zack's house and we were stuffing ourselves in the back yard the blimp flew over very low, almost like a friendly neighbors dog coming to visit.
That is something I have never seen anywhere else.
Jim Rice, you mention Bob Herendeen. A long time ago, back in early 80's I was at an airshow in California, perhaps Chino, can't be sure.
I was walking quite a ways from where my Mooney was parked to the center of the show and carrying my bag, on a hot dusty summer day. Along came an airshow pilot driving a golf cart and he stopped to give us a ride.
It was Bob and I have never forgotten that small act of kindness. He didn't know me, I was nobody in airshows, and didn't even have on a flightsuit. He was just being a nice guy.
I have seen a lot of famous airshow pilots drive by in golf carts, and except for the ones who I know haven't had others stop, but I have caught a ride with a lot of volunteers and photographers, etc.
OK, Hal; you're question was what airplane(s) do we THINK of, not which is our favorite... When I first started flying in 1978, the only thing I knew about EAA was what I read in AOPA Pilot and/or Flying magazine. I thought at the time that you could only be a member if you built your own airplane. So, since I was flying Cessnas, it never occurred to me. I didn't have any other friends who flew, and my airport was so small there just weren't folks hanging around it that much to talk to. So, when I think of Oshkosh, I think of the early homebuilts that our predecessors labored over, experimented with, and with which they tested the uncharted waters. And, after hearing Jack Pelton's words in this month's Chapter Video Magazine, Thanks for calling it "Oshkosh."
Hal Bryan
EAA Lifetime 638979
Vintage 714005 | Warbirds 553527
Managing Editor
EAA—The Spirit of Aviation
Airplanes? Hmmmm.... At this point, when I think about what is now Airventure, I don't think about airplanes. I think about the experience. I remember being a low paid professional pilot that did not know anything about EAA and walking through the front gate in 1981, and looking around, feeling like a cross someone from the Congo who just got dropped off at the gates of Epcot center and a kid in a candy store. I have heard that the folks who work the front gate ticket boots recognize the look.
I have professional pilot friends all over the country and although our paths do not cross that often, we will find each other at Oshkosh and catch up on who's been doing what since our last meeting.
I remember flying a no radio antique into the Oshkosh show early one morning, following the other railroad track that the NORDO instructions mapped out, thinking "I hope this works".
I remember meeting Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager at their booth as they talked about the not-yet around the world flight.
I remember "Pappy" Boyington autographing his books. I remember the Japanese pilot there who claimed that he was the one who shot Boyington down. I think I saw Tex Hill there too.
I have met a surprising number of SR-71 drivers at OSH. I got to meet Pat Halloran at OSH. Pat is an airplane guy, or at least that was what I thought from speaking to him on the telephone about a little airplane that we were owners of examples of. Great to talk to. Later I learned that Pat retired from USAF with 2 stars after being a U-2 and SR-71 driver and commander of the whole wing. But at OSH he is just another airplane guy. Tom Wathen trusts Pat to fly his airplanes.
I don't remember the year, but Martin Caidin brought Iron Annie, his JU-52. He was kind enough to wait until I was done staring at the strangeness of it before towing it out to the line to go flying.
Everything that Burt Rutan brought to Oshkosh was interesting.
I can not say enough good stuff about the tower crew. On year I was running north to OSH at the end of the day, before the published time that arrivals are cut off, but the weather was deteriorating, no one was at Fisk, and I was about to turn around and go to Fondu Lac. I thought about that just long enough to follow the railroad track to the quarry on the NW corner of the airport and right then I heard "red low wing rock your wings". They put me on runway 27 and I was a happy camper. I can only guess that they figured it was better to get me down than to let me go mill around elsewhere.
I remember being camped in the antique area near the Theater In The Woods and drifting off to sleep hearing, through the trees, Bob Hoover poking fun at Yeager sitting next to him on the stage. And another year I remember Robin Olds speaking. Not a shrinking violet.
I remember seeing Leo Loudenslager center stage about 200' in the air, fly what looked to my uneducated eyes a perfect rolling 360, 4 rolls inside. I said to myself "I want to do that!". Years later, I can, although the judges will certainly score me lower than what Leo could fly.
And I found my Pitts parked behind the IAC building at OSH. Passed papers a month later. 36 contests and 600 hours later it is still teaching me things. Thank you Paul and Tom P. Thank you Curtis.
Lots of great memories.
Wes
N78PS
Last edited by WLIU; 05-16-2013 at 02:21 PM.
I first joined EAA back in the late 70's/early 80's when Burt Rutan's designs were the coolest things in the air so I guess a long row of grazing Vari/LongEZs says Oshkosh to me. I've never been to the big show...but I am building away on my Thatcher CX4 so there is still hope!
Over the last 30+ years there have been so many outstanding aircraft at Oshkosh (it would be nice to deep six "AirVenture" and just say Oshkosh) that I could take paragraphs just to name them all. One that hasn't been mentioned is Burt Rutan's Voyager. I can remember seeing it fly (in 1986 I think) and seeing Dick Rutan flex the wings like a bird flapping its wings by doing a few pitch oscillations. Those wings really did flex.
Bill