AirVenture Oshkosh, are you going?

AirVenture Oshkosh is right around the corner!! Next week, starting on Monday, July 21! Are you going? It’s the ‘Mecca’ of aviation, the largest aviation gathering in the world! Are you flying yourself or taking an airline flight? Oshkosh is the world’s busiest airport for a week, every year, during the convention.

I’ve been there myself many times. And in 2022, I flew there in my 150, and I’ve flown in there with others as well, in their aircraft. It’s a challenge each time. You a HAVE to be on your ‘A’ GAME!! Seriously! So many airplanes converging on Oshkosh! Did you know that air traffic controllers from around the country bid to work ‘Oshkosh’ during the convention? Yes, they do! It’s a challenge for them, as well, managing or juggling the mix of traffic, as they all converge on ‘OSH’, from fast jets to slow props, and getting them lined up, with enough spacing, and all safely on the ground at Oshkosh….it’s quite a feat! And it’s amazing to watch, also!

And the flight planning for this is different, especially if you don’t go on a lot of long flights. If your typical flight is a local flight for breakfast or lunch, this is quite different! If you don’t normally deal with weather, this ‘trip’ will be different. You may encounter weather-related delays on the way, or even mechanical delays. Have you ever had to deal with that before? It might take you a few days of flying to get there, depending on where you start from. There are many things to consider. And quite a lot of decision making, or ADM (aeronautical decision-making) as pilots refer to it.

In fact, inadequate pre-flight planning and preparation are among the top ten causes of aviation accidents each year. Some here are some things to consider, depending on what kind of airplane you fly –

                  What’s the weather? IFR/MVFR/VFR?

How much fuel do you have? How many gallons per hour do you burn at cruise?

What’s your range? When and where do you plan to stop for fuel?

                  How do you check for weather? There are many sources now.

                  What’s your route of flight?

                  Do you find someone in another airplane to fly along with you, in loose formation? Some do, some don’t. I flew alone. On my own schedule. Easier for me that way.

                  Do you fly early in the morning, or later in the day, or at night? Depends on if you are a ‘morning person’ or a night owl?

These are all decisions that have to be made. And now, with so many pilots having electronic ‘devices’ that provide them with real-time weather information, they should have a better idea of the weather, and more. But many pilots still lack a good understanding of weather and make poor weather-related decisions as a result. And things still go wrong. The weather changes. And some pilots don’t get updates. The forecast winds change. And you have to be able to adapt to a changing situation. Some people stubbornly do not adapt well to changing situations, and they suffer the consequences.

The best general advice? Regardless of your experience, or the aircraft you are flying, BE CONSERVATIVE in your planning! Don’t ‘push it’. When I flew my Cessna 150 to Oshkosh, I planned a fuel stop about every 2 hours, give or take. Sometimes there was not a suitable airport at the 2-hour point, so I’d either land sooner, or continue onto a suitable airport. That helped considerably. My fuel gauges showed about ½ full when I landed for fuel. This is just one example. The regulations allow VFR pilots to land with only 30-minute reserve during the day. That is the minimum amount. That is not enough for me. I prefer an hour.

One other thing; I did NOT fly into the evening. Nope! I ONLY flew during the day, in good weather. I always landed by about 6pm, well before sunset, regardless. I did NOT push it, into the evening, with dusk approaching. Everything changes after dark. I speak from experience, having extensive night flying experience, when I was an airline pilot, some years, ago. That’s DIFFERENT! In a well-equipped turbine powered airplane, good avionics on board, etc. being part of a crew. Not alone.

About two months ago now, a Cessna Citation (jet) crashed short of the runway at San Diego’s Montgomery Airport, in the early morning hours, before the air traffic control tower was open, and all on board were killed in the crash! Unfortunately, the pilot decided to fly this approach even though he was probably fighting fatigue because he had been flying all night, the weather was not good, and there were some equipment problems at the destination airport. He should have diverted to another more suitable airport, with better weather, but foolishly, he did not. Several people died as a result. Accidents like this give ALL of us a bad name!

No one is typically around at smaller airports, non-towered airports, after dark. I did NOT take ANY chances, being alone, at a small airport, after dark, and then, just my luck, not be able to find the self-service fuel island, or the self-serve fuel kiosk may not work, etc. or the pilot- controlled lighting (PCL) may not work, etc. It’s happened before.

So, that’s my advice. Be conservative. Always have options!  Have plenty of fuel, have daylight, carry some spares, and some basic tools. You are more relaxed and think much better when it’s like this! Seems obvious, but some chose not to follow this guidance. That’s their choice. I’ve learned, and am wiser for it. My bucket of ‘experience’ is growing with each hour that I fly. All part of it.

And this worked out well for me! Lots of planning, and I tried hard to avoid BIG surprises! Little surprises, I can handle. I am not flying my 150 to Oshkosh this year. My ‘gut’ feeling was to ‘not fly myself’ back this year. Nope. And my 150 has had some mechanical problems, as well, perhaps the result of being 50 years old? So, I have replaced the battery and the alternator. I’m flying back on the airlines. A goal is for me to get a bigger, more capable single-engine airplane, but I’m not there yet. I know what I want, but it’s beyond my financial means, right now.

By the way, I am planning on making videos each day while at AirVenture, in addition to taking pictures, and hope to post them on social media, like Facebook or Instagram. I will have to see how this works out. I will be too busy during the day, so hopefully in the evenings.

And, if you are in need of an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE, improve your piloting skills, perhaps provide avionics training, or whatever you may want to work on, I AM available! Contact me for more information.

Fly safely!

John