Airventure Oshkosh is around the corner. The aviation crowd is ready.
Nick:Hi there, this is 5 Minutes withAOPA-China Episode 55. I’m Nick. Today is a special day. Because It marks that16 days later, we’ll be in Oshkosh!
Nancy: Yea, EAA Airventure Oshkosh, the bigevent of the year is coming up, pretty quick, I think.
Nick: That’s why I’m so busy these days. Iscan loads of information about the airventure and rehearse the journey againand again in my head to perfect my itinerary. So that we could visit as manyplaces as we can during the stay there. As a first-time visitor, am I overdoingit?
Nancy: Not at all. Although the event doesn’tstart until the end of July, this year’s dates are July 22 to 28, you have tostart the preparation months in advance.
First and foremost, as a Chinese citizen,you need a visa to visit the US. Remember to apply for an invitation letter inEAA website, which is of great help in applying for the visa.
Nick: Yea, my visa application was full oftwists and turns. I was undergoing administrative processing for more than amonth until my visa was issued.
Nancy: Congrats you get it eventually. Visais the premise of the whole trip. With the visa in hand, you are able to bookair tickets, reserve hotel rooms and rent cars. Reasonable prices evaporate monthsahead of time. The earlier, the better. Just imagine during the week of theevent last year, it drew almost a tenth of the global’s aviation fleet andattracted over 600,000 attendees.
Nick: A Disneyland of Aviation. Mostparticipants like us, do not fly ourselves or ride in light aircraft to theshow. We fly the airlines into nearby airports in Appleton, Green Bay orChicago which are blessed with car rental services.
Nancy: However, to capture the true flavorof Oshkosh, arrive in a light airplane. If you are a pilot, you happen to be inthe US and own a light aircraft, rent one if you don’t own one, you shouldprobably do it, That’s why the event is also called fly-in.
Nick: Does it cost a lot?
Nancy:I don’t think so. Federal Aviationregulations allow passengers of private non-commercial pilots to share the costof a flight. The local EAA may have a list of pilots in the area looking to cutthe costs of flying to Oshkosh by taking a passenger or two. In the daysleading up the show, Oshkosh becomes the busiest airport in the world. Think O’Hareis busy, try 64 arrivals in 15 minutes.
Nick: So here is an interesting and rarefact that pilots are instructed not to reply to controllers’ radio calls. Toavoid overtaxing the already clogged special frequencies, they acknowledgetransmission by rocking their wings.
Nancy: If it is your first time to flyyourself there, reading the NOTAM is a must, not just read it but also understand it. There arealso a lot of videos out there about how to fly to Oshkosh. It’s different fromanything.
Nick: Haha, I’ll watch them landing. I hearthat it is common to see three aircraft landing on different touchdown pointsof the same runway at once.
Nancy: It’s true. Not common elsewherethough.
Nick: Actually I find it so hard to finalize myitinerary. There are eight aviation neighborhoods, each one of them is unique. Ahuge variety of activities including gathering, celebration, lecture, forum,workshop, airshow, static exhibition, take place at the same time.
Nancy: Indeed, 7 days is definitely not enough. Well,there is always next year. By the way, do not get lost in the 1,400-acre showgrounds.
Nick: I do worry about that. You know I don’thave a good sense of direction. Anyway, I’ve downloaded the map and marked thetents we’ll visit, the service center and underlined the shuttle bus route tothe seaplane base. With the app, I think I can handle it.
Nancy: As a repeat visitor, I suggest youbring along whatever you will need. Among the essentials: sunglasses, bottledwater, power bank, back pack, comfortable shoes, bug spray, raincoat, strawhat, long-sleeve pullover, and lots of cash. You will need these things becauseWisconsin’s mid-summer weather is highly changeable: boiling during the day,cold at night, and spirited, soaking thunderstorms at a moment’s notice.
Nick: Thunderstorm? Yea, I heard that last year, there was a big storm rollingthrough, it blew tents over and soaked people. Is that just part of theexperience?
Nancy: Haha. You are right. Every year, there is a storm; everyyear tents get blown over.
Nick: That must be the hardest part. I amready for that.
Nancy: No. Leaving is the The hardest part.Even though your feet are aching, your face is sunburned, and your money isgone, you’ll be reluctant to leave the land. It’s the place where you can seeeveryone, get tuned in to everything that’s happening. Oshkoshis where I first saw so many well-maintenanced World War II aircraft, marveledat the ground shaking beneath my feet as the fighters raced down the runway. Atleast once, you’ve got to do Oshkosh.
Nick: Are you going to Oshkosh this July?Let’s meet and explore together haha.
Nancy: Yes, find us there. That brings usto the end of today’s 5 Minutes with AOPA-China. You can always find us onWechat, Facebook, Twitter, Ximalaya and any podcast platform. If you’d like tosupport us, the easiest way is to rate or review us, tell your friends moreabout us. See you next week.
Nick: Wait wait, I have a nice quote byLeonardo Da Vinci sharing with you.
Once youhave tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turnedskyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.
