cubflyr(at)comcast.net
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 Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 8:20 am Post subject: More OSH arrival and parking stuff |
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Flying to OSH: you HAVE to go and in the aircraft you built. For one thing,
you have to show it off to the 800,000 people that will be there during the
course of the week. Will they ALL come see your airplane? No; but those most
interested will. And you will see many examples of your type of aircraft,
and some you never knew existed. Flying there and being there will be fond
memories forever. The first time always is. Then you will become addicted
and will HAVE to go every year. (For some folks, once is enough; for others,
every five years or so. For many, the yearly event is not often enough.)
Search the archives for the many posts about how to get there, what to take,
camping, etc. The posts are many and varied. And it doesn't matter if they
are several years old, it probably still applies.
PRINT OUT AND STUDY THE NOTAM. Is that shouting? Yes. There are parts of the
NOTAM you won't need. Don't print those. I print out all arrival (and
departure) information for all runways as you do not know till you get there
which runway they will have you using. I color code my print-outs for each
direction. Have everything you need on your kneeboard about the time you are
listening to the ATIS. You should be all set to enter the foray by then.
Have PLENTY of fuel. You can circle The Lake for quite some time or be told
not to even get in line yet as something is going on at the field. Cockpit
water bottle and snacks are good to have with you; it can sometimes take a
while.
Getting In Line, the beginning of your arrival, is VERY doable. This is a
well-oiled machine that has been refined for MANY YEARS and the controllers
know what they are doing, There is a 2 year waiting list for controllers to
come work OSH. And if you have read the NOTAM, have everything on your
kneeboard, have looked at the photographs of the area, you will fit into the
well-oiled machine easily. It sounds scary; it isn't. You just have to PAY
ATTENTION. And shouldn't you always be paying attention?
You need to be constantly LOOKING AROUND. Airplanes will be coming into The
Line from all directions and altitudes. Keep the five second rule in play:
if you have to do something (WHAT would you need to look at inside the
cockpit??), then count to five while looking, then look out and around
again.
Depending on when you arrive, you may or may not talk to approach or tower.
If it is early and the NOTAM is not in effect, it is just like a controlled
airport and talking to a tower. DO what you know how to do. If the NOTAM is
in effect, you probably will not have to say anything on the radio, nor
should you unless someone asks you something. Communication is by wing
rocking and the constant instructions from approach/tower. LISTEN; that's
all.
So: now you have come in over Ripon and followed the railroad tracks, found
the flashing lights at Fisk and are in line behind a Kitfox. What do you do?
Just fly your airplane. The 90 knot limit is very doable in your airplane.
You should be familiar with slow flight anyway. If you aren't, go out and
spend a couple of hours flying around at 80 to 90 knots so you aren't
practicing In Line at Fisk. You may be behind a J-3 Cub or Flybaby and need
to stay in line. Should you be up with the big boys at 130 kts? If that is
what you are comfortable with but down lower with the slow guys is OK too.
You are still the pilot in command. If something isn't right, doesn't feel
right, looks wrong or you can see the stitching on the fabric of the KitFox,
check six and get out of line. Go back to the beginning. BE SAFE. A good
rule to follow is: if you haven't done it at home, don't try it at OSH for
the first time. FLY THE AIRPLANE.
Now you have landed on the white dot, and were told to expedite your exit.
That means get off the runway. Sometimes a B-25 is landing behind you and
they need the runway clear NOW. DO it. Don't wait till the intersection; get
off the runway. The grass at the sides of the runway is usually OK to go
taxiing off into but watch for runway lights. Then follow the flow of
traffic on the taxi way closest to you. Pay Attention. Someone will probably
be waving you in one direction or another.
The next person you see will have an orange vest on and will be waving you
to follow what he is telling you to do. DO THAT TOO. You may know where you
are going and as long as you have the SIGN PRINTED FROM THE NOTAM, they will
also know where you would like to be. HOWEVER, things change: every year the
layout of the field is different, airplanes are assigned areas that were not
where they were last year. Just follow the directions you are being given.
If you want to park with your buddy and he is 5 airplanes ahead of you, DO
NOT.......DO NOT STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TAXI WAY AND WAVE OVER A
VOLUNTEER TO TELL HIM WHAT YOU WANT. Is that yelling? Yes. Because that is
what will go on between you, who thinks he knows where you want to be, and
the volunteer who knows where you have to go NOW. Meanwhile there are 50
airplanes behind you waiting for you to convince someone you need to be next
to 48 Victor. They don't care. Clear the taxiway and hash that out later.
Again, it doesn't matter who you know, where you parked last year, who YOU
are; you are blocking the taxi way. Figure it out later. You can usually
always be moved later.
Show planes (homebuilts, war birds, antiques, etc) will ALWAYS have some
place to park. Factory-built "spam cans" can be turned away when their area
if full. So, if you get to OSH, there WILL be a place to park. The Vintage
division can take some homebuilts but usually overflow and if there just
ISN'T anywhere else in that area to park them. If you came in with a Cessna
170 and want to park and camp with them, you probably can but expect to be
parked quite a way south of Airshow Center. That is still OK: you are at
OSH.
The briefing prior to departure has been a constant problem and you should
have a departure briefing AND CARD before departure. We have tried to put a
stop to aircraft being stopped prior to departure for a briefer to stick his
head in the cockpit and brief you but it may still occasionally happen. The
departure information IS in the NOTAM and should also be studied and
printed, on you kneeboard. Things change and that is the reason for the
pre-departure briefing. Just be familiar with the altitude restrictions and
direction of flight prior to leaving. We see pilots blowing the NOTAM every
year. The field will close every day of the show to departing aircraft. As
stated before, do NOT wait until 5 minutes before the field closes to decide
to depart. You may spend the air show parked somewhere you didn't want to
be. PLAN AHEAD. PAY ATTENTION, even on the ground.
The question of running up while in line: do your preflight check list as
you are in line but NOT WHILE YOU ARE TAXIING as you don't know what the
pilot in front of you is going to do. While you are stopped, go down the
list, keeping track of where you were on the list. Save your take off check
list, of course, for last, as you come up near the hold-short line. If you
are being waved off by a volunteer while doing your run-up, you may have
angled your prop blast into another airplane, the crowd, or something else
is happening you may not be aware of. The volunteers are your extra set of
eyes. I go through my final take off check list when I am number two for
departure. Can you do your run-up at the hold-short line? Yes, but the
controller may want you to taxi into position NOW. So do it somewhere,
before.
A Few Rules: don't get angry at a volunteer: they are there to help you,
even if YOU don't think they know what they are doing. You think it's easy?
Come volunteer yourself and find out it ain't all fun and games. Yelling at
a volunteer gets you nowhere. In fact, it can get you to Appleton. Every
year we get a hand full of pilots that are somehow more privileged than the
common folk around him and needs to yell at someone. Don't be him/her. You
are at OSH, for crying out loud; what's there to be upset about? Would you
rather be at work??? Go yell at someone there. Be prepared: that means
following the FARs and knowing all you can know about where you are going
and how to get there. Have fun: that is why you came to OSH. Be safe: PAY
ATTENTION, just like you always do.
See you there.
Michael
RV-4 N232 Suzie Q
Vintage Division hothead I mean hotshot
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