OSH ??

[SLIMDREDGER]

ALL

Are there !. Any plans for a Comanche group fly in this year?

2. If not a group fly in, will (can) there be a designated Comanche group camping or parking area? I am sure there will be enough "Classic" age Comanches to qualify as group for the Classic tie down area.

Al Powers ICS 2978

[Kristofer Duckett]

Hi All,

If anyone is, I would like to be a part of it. This will be my (and the wifes) first OSH! If anyone has tips, advice etc. Please let me know. I am also interested in flying as a smaller formation if the large flyin is not a go. Any takers just let me know.

Kris Duckett
N8311P (PA-24-250)
We will be arriving from the south (florida area).

[N3322G]

Kris,

OSH is a fabulous experience. Do you plan on camping with your plane? if so, have you camped before?

[David Pyle]

As Teddy Roosevelt said, "You don't know a man until you camp with him..."

Oshkosh by gosh. Always a favorite. (If it doesn't rain.)

[Zach Grant L1011jock]

Kris,
Off topic, but have you sent that photo in to the Flyer yet? We hope to have a great turnout for OSH, though we are not doing the mass arrival. We also were unable to secure a fixed parking area, but we are seeing several groups of Comanches starting to plan on coordinating arrival times so that we all get to camp relatively close together. Stay tuned for more info as people will be posting plans on this forum as the big event gets closer.
-Zach

[Kristofer Duckett]

Hey yall,

Yes I plan to camp with the plane, nope never before...with the plane that is. (We are city folk!)

Zach I have not...I plan on writing an article however, me and writing are not the best of friends. This is my first airplane so i have somewhat of a story to tell but not very good with words to write it. I have lots of photos I would like to send to the magazine. thoughts?

What the best way to start planning the OSH? Where should we start? We have some direction but no advice as of yet from veterans. Any help and or advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks all!

[Zach Grant L1011jock]

Kris,
No writing skill necessary. Kim can clean up anything you write. Its the ideas and the basic info that is important to the story, and I'm sure you can supply that. You don't need to even supply a story. Just a picture will do, and I really like those pics you have posted. Well done air to air photography is hard to do!

Now OSH camping...hmmm where do I start. Some years its cold, some years its hot, some years it rains, some years it doesn't and some years all of the above happens! A good tent is a good place to start. Air matress or cot is a must. We arent 15 yr old boyscouts anymore and the ground can be very hard. A sleeping bag and pillow are a must for the cool nights, but bring a sheet for the hot nights as well. Dont forget shower shoes, and a towl or two (big beach towel types are great, and can serve double duty if it really pours and the tent starts to flood...). Flashlights and a lantern are nice for the evening and for the late night trips to the jon. Sun screen, a good hat, and bug repellent of some sort are also survival musts. Don't forget tiedowns either.

Now for the nice to haves...a folding chair with beverage holders in the arm rests, a cooler with lots of aformentioned beverages preloaded and precooled. A camelback or other such device for staying hydrated during the day. A folding awning for shade, a good aircraft cover to make sure that the in plane storage stays dry. I usually bring a stove and a folding table as well as food for dinner for the week as I find lunch and breakfast are more convenient to just grab on the grounds. If you do bring a stove, dont forget the fuel, or the matches/lighter if it is not a self starter type...Ive done it, as well as had fuel and a lighter, but the stove didnt make it off the hangar floor...!

Other than that, just go with the flow. For the most part people are great, and what happens after hours is really the best part of the show. There are partys, get togethers, corn boils, general fellowship and hangar talk until long after the sun goes down, then a good nights sleep is attempted before the sun rises again fro another day of OSH!

-Zach

[SLIMDREDGER]

Zach: Glad to see that apparently there is a sentiment in Comanche Land to try and coordinate informal groups of airplanes flying in together with the hope of camping together. Your comments on the evening hangar flying sessions etc. certainly describe an enjoyable part of the OSH camping experience.

In the years that no mass arrivals of Comanches were planned, I would overnite at a motel within an hour or so of OSH, and then plan an earlly morning arrival at FISK, etc. This avoids having to set up camp at the end of a long day of flying, and there is much less traffic to sort out in the early AM .

Would there be interest in planning a similar early morning arrival of the groups you described? It strikes me that staying at Watertown and leaving at 6 to 7 AM for the FISK arrival would be easily done. There may be a better departure airport, but I am not familiar with the options near OSH, and the ability to walk to the Watertown airport from the nearby Holiday
Inn is a plus.

Any Interest? Comments? Better Ideas?

Al Powers ICS 2978

[N3322G]

Kristopher,

My husband has been wilderness backpacking for years and we like REI for supplies. When someone else slow goes, I hike also - a week with everything you need in your pack.

Zach gave you a good start on what to take. http://www.rei.com/map/store# shows ABQ to be your closest store. They have things like potty seat covers - a must for your wife and mini rolls of TP. If you wear glasses, bring a hard case to put them in at night.

Like flying, I suggest a checklist for all items. I've attached our backpacking checklist - it is our starting point for plane-camping too. Hope it helps.
We also weigh each item - since you likely haven't loaded the plane with camping stuff before, suggest this step also.

I'm also fond of the EAA tiedowns - heavy but haven't pulled out of the ground yet.

As NM folk, you already know to have hats and sun protection. Also, don't forget the cell phone chargers and very lightweight fanny pack instead of purse or wallet.

[SLIMDREDGER]

Pat: I would add that freeze dried foods offer very tasty meals (and allow maintaining a low fat diet) at OSH. They don't add much weight, either. All it takes is a small stove to boil the water. Pour in the boiling water and let it sit a few minutes and dinner is served. "Cooking" can be accomplished while seated in your folding chair with a libation in the arm rest holder.

WR AHP

[N3322G]

Al,

Agreed on the freeze dried food ... the chicken meals seem to do better than the beef meals.

I'm also fond, even though it weighs, of the peanut butter snack on ritz crackers or bread. It keeps well in cold or heat and provides nice protein. We didn't take this on the world race but others did and i thought it was a good idea. We took Keefer recipe trail mix: corn chex, pretzel sticks broken in half and m&m's. It worked well when no other safe food was available and it was a good traveler.

[David Pyle]

What brand of peanut butter? Skippy is my favorite.

[Kristofer Duckett]

All,

So how do you get to park where all the other commanches park? Do you need to have an assignment to park or is there another process?

Thanks, kris

[SLIMDREDGER]

Kris:

You are asking the proper question. My experience to date has been that the only way to park with the other Comanches in the "Classic Area" is to have a group fly in. I wonder if we could just meet with other Comanches at a nearby airport and fly in in trail with the others and do the usual Ripon / Fisk arrival and hope for the best. Even with this procedure, I can see airplanes flying in together may end up being directed to different runway exit spots and losing their sequential adjacent parking locations during the taxi to parking process.

Perhaps there are Comanche members who are closer to the EAA OSH management that can advise on this issue, or who have a connection with same, and ask advice.?????

The last time I flew in without there being a pre-organized Comanche Fly In group, I ended up camping in what seemed to be nearly downtown Fon DuLac ! Very unhandy as it took a bus to get to the last tram stop, and there was NO synergy with other Comanche flyers.

Al Powers ICS 2978

[Kristofer Duckett]

Thanks Al,

OK so next question is'what constitutes an official formation or group to fly in with. Is there an official number of planes that must be met or can we pre coordinate with lets say a small number to get parking together. Obviously my motivation is to park near like aircraft for me, considering this is my first OHS. Thanks all.