Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh - Day 2. First day of the “show”, and only one word fits: OVERWHELMING. Wandered the field to regain my bearings once again and identify targets of interest for closer exploration later this week.
Aeroshell Square early in the day, before many of the other star attractions arrive. But there is already one plane drawing a crowd. “Terrafugia” - a convertible plane-automobile! Hasn’t flown yet, but it’s here and getting lots of attention. This is apparently one of those innovative ideas that has many lives. I remember as a kid watching grainy 16mm film footage of a similar “Air-Car” with detachable wings.
Of course, this is OSHKOSH, so there is not just one, but several manufacturers of these convertible airplane-automobiles at the show, with front and center placement and coverage. Wonder what the mileage is on these bad boys?
A bit of nostalgia for long-time Oshkosh visitors, seeing the old FAA ControlTower for the last time. The new control tower is operational, and the daily Airventure news says the old one will be demolished sometime after the show ends.
Dumbest exhibit at Airventure? There are many strong candidates (and haven’t visited the Fly Market yet where there are sure to be contenders. But my vote goes to FORD. Specifically, the silly-ass mechanical bull riding exhibit right on the main drag between the main gate and Aeroshell Square. Bull riding? This is an airshow! Can you please let “Urban Cowboy” rest in peace in Netflix? Maybe they think they can attract John Travolta to their exhibit.
Things that work: The trams. Powered by good ol’ John Deere tractors, these trams give you a break, some shade, and quick transportation across the miles of exhibits and themed aircraft parking areas.
Things that don’t work so well: the EAA buses to the dorms. Waited an hour yesterday for a bus that’s supposed to run every 1/2 hour. And the last bus leaves for the dorms BEFORE the movie is over at the Fly-In Theater. Duh. Please fix this, EAA.
But Airventure-Oshkosh is about planes and people, and there are both in overwhelming numbers. Each theme area (homebuilts, vintage, warbirds, etc) are larger than any other airshow I’ve experienced. Just scratched the surface here. How about not just one, but rows of Cessna Caravans as RVs? Red Bull helicopter doing loops and rolls! Lots more to see this week.
Oh, remember, I call this series “Hog Wild for Flying” for a reason, comparing flying to the motorcycle culture. Seems Harley understands the connection, too. They have a nice exhibit at Airventure to make sure any hunger for ground-based excitement can be satisfied.
Finally today: Dorm life. Like college, but with a 401K plan and somewhat older crowd. But they are creative! Some of our enterprising “dormies” set up an impromptu movie theater in the lounge area on my floor. Laptop, LCD projector, bedsheet for a screen, and mixture of YouTube and DVDs. Very cool way to pass the evening.
Cheers from Airventure! More next time.
August 1, 2008 at 8:33 pm
[...] Short post today. See my other posts from Airventure 2008 at Oshkosh: Find them here, here, [...]
August 4, 2008 at 7:44 pm
maybe the 3000 riders of the mechanical bull would disagree with you on it’s validity being there. Maybe ford should remove their cars and tent too, along with their gigantic sponsorship money, and donation of their mustang which raised 500,000 dollars for the young eagle program. If you want families to come out there needs to be more than just a bunch of planes. A little entertainment never hurt anybody.