However, the added traffic during this particular week is by
those that are making the trek to the famous EAA AirVenture at
Oshkosh, Wis. The event draws interest from all over the world. Aviators learn the latest about air safety measures, new policies,
see new products and all kinds of planes, make new friends, and
reconnect with old friends.
At Logan County Airport, planes fill up with LL100 aviation fuel.
Logan County is a popular stop due to its location; the fact that the
airfield is non-towered, making quick and easy in-and-out access; it offers low-cost fuel; it is not too far out of the way for many
pilots flying to Oshkosh; and it's a good fueling distance.
It is a great week to go out to visit the airport and see what
beautiful planes come in. Some of those will be going to Oshkosh
yet, and some will be heading back home. Pilots and planes typically
aren't on the ground long and gone as soon as the pilots and
passengers are refreshed. This is not their destination.
Those headed to the show still have 232.1 nautical miles to go. They
will travel northward on a true course of 008 degrees.
The planes flying up to Oshkosh began coming in last Saturday.
One of the earliest was Brian Chesteen from East
Knoxville, Tenn. Chesteen was flying his near-new RV7. He began
flying it two years ago after building it himself.
Also coming in was a Piper Cub flown by Henry Curd
with passenger Paul Burger. They were all the way up from Houston,
Texas.
While Curd was there, a number of Cubs flew in. It looked like a Cub
fly-in for a bit with eight on the field at one time.
Often planes fly together in a group. When they do that, they are
called a "gaggle."
Thomas and Elizabeth Wuethrich dropped by around
10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Thomas' first words were, "Sure a lot hotter here than I expected.
It's not this hot at home." And, they are from South Florida.
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This was their first trip into Oshkosh. Though they had attended the
big annual Florida show, Sun 'n Fun,
they were looking forward to the world-known aviation show.
Originally from Switzerland, the couple came to the U.S. four years
ago and now live in West Palm Beach.
Both husband and wife fly their 1977 Piper Archer II.
In case of storms and the possibility of poor visibilities, they had
filed an instrument flight rules plan, known as an IFR plan. This was their second
stop for fuel, and they planned to stop once more before reaching their
destination.
A little later, this beautiful Stearman was flown in by Carey Hardin
of Starkville, Miss.
Cruising at about 95 mph, for such a big plane the Stearman gets
good fuel with consumption at only about 12 gallons an hour. Its
two large wings on each side create lots of lift, making it more
difficult to stall, among other desirable traits.
Hardin planed to go to several additional locations besides Oshkosh
while in the area. He was looking forward to flight formation
lessons with other Stearmans later in the week.
He also planned to leave this Stearman up north in order to attend
the September National Stearman Fly-In
at Galesburg Sept. 3-8. Don't worry, Hardin has another Stearman back home in Mississippi to keep up his flying skills between
times.
On Wednesday, a 1965 Cessna 172 en route
home from Oshkosh stopped at Lincoln. Flying the 172 were Duane
Fischer and his son Brandon from Lebanon, Ill. They have their
own airstrip there.
The Fischers left Oshkosh in the morning after a thunderstorm moved
off. Lincoln is about an hour from their home.
Heritage In Flight treated pilots to refreshments when they could be
caught. ___
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh -- The
World's Greatest Aviation Celebration
[By JAN
YOUNGQUIST; photos by Jan Youngquist and Curt Fox]
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