OT: any pilots / aircraft owners / airplane geeks?

[Seramount]

have been interested in planes my entire life. my earliest childhood memory is sitting on the hood of my dad's car watching DC-3s / DC-4s start up at the local airport.

got to check off a bucket-list item last week and attended the 2019 EAA Oshkosh Airventure fly-in last week.

was fortunate to travel in appropriate style and sit right-seat in my buddy's 1978 Mooney M-20J. to make the experience even better, we arrived as part of a large formation with 66 other Mooneys. the caravan was organized in 3 sections, each with multiple 3-plane elements. spacing was pretty tight, about 25 feet between aircraft at times. once at Oshkosh, everyone tent camped next to their aircraft.

the venue is ridiculously large...total attendance was 500,000+ and 11,000 aircraft were on-site. even using the shuttle buses and trams provided, we ended up walking 23 miles in 2.5 days. aircraft were displayed in various areas, home-builts, vintage, WWII era, Russian-built, seaplanes, etc. etc...

in addition to the planes, there were endless acres of vendor displays, seminars, simulators, souvenir merchandise...

at 0600 each day, a flight of T-6 Texans would buzz the camping areas at 200 feet with their radial engines making a hellacious noise, so there was never a need to set an alarm to get up.

around 3 pm, flight demonstrations would begin...there was something for everyone. biplanes (one with a jet engine!), warbirds, skydivers, even an aerobatic helicopter. the crowd favorite seemed to be a F-22 Raptor that would make low-level passes over the runway and then light the afterburners and do a vertical climb that was ground-shaking and ear-shattering.

anyways, if you have even a minor interest in aviation, the fly-in is something you should consider attending.

photo shows the Mooney group taxiing to the active in Madison, WI...a Piper Warrior pilot that was requesting take-off clearance was informed he was number two after the 'flight of 66'...his response was 'aw crap'...produced a few laughs.

[rePhil]

Our friend saab2000 might be into flying

[parris]

Thanks for sharing. I've been interested in aviation since I was a small kid. There were a few farms close to ours that had grass strips. It was very cool to watch crop dusters doing their thing.

One of the fields that we rented from NYS in Marcy was on the flight path for Griffiss AFB. Depending on the time of year there would be flights of B-52's overhead on a pretty consistent basis as they took off.

[gasman]

Very nice story. Oshkosh has been on my list for decades. Ive flown with lots of friends over the years. Never have taken the time to get a pilot’s license as I think it’s an all consuming hobby to be safe.
Someday I’ll make it.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by rePhil

Our friend saab2000 might be into flying

I fly them but I’m less into it than one might imagine. Having grown up in Appleton I’ve been to the Oshkosh show countless times. It’s a circus but a fun circus. Hasn’t changed much in decades actually. Never flew there because I could always drive and I have no idea how to safely fly those airplanes!

[oldpotatoe]

Oshkosh the epitome of ‘airshows’. Never been but they got it all. From homebuilts to military iron. Another for those interested in aviation are the air races in Reno..

[RFC]

More photos please!

[Ken Robb]

I got a private license in 1967 and a couple of my favorite rental planes were Mooneys. The first was a Ranger and the second was a Super 21. They both offered better-than-average performance compared to other planes using the same Lycoming engines. OTOH they were a bit more cramped because the extra speed came from better streamlining.

[Bruce K]

skyrider worked his way up to a commercial - multi engine - instrument rating but then changed direction

BK

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

skyrider worked his way up to a commercial - multi engine - instrument rating but then changed direction

BK

Civilian path is a tough one..read-BIG $$. To ATP, YUGE $..
My CMEL/Instrument was $ and an application...ATP..$900 plus an afternoon...

BUT, flying ANYTHING is a rich man's sport. Owning and flying and MAINTAINING something like below is for the rich and famous for sure.

My favorite..if I win a lottery(and it's gotta be a big one)..gonna get one(and a crew to maintain it)..then buy The F-4U's younger brother, the 'other' F-4..

[dave thompson]

Here ya go Peter. You can thank me later. https://www.controller.com/listings/...ht-f4u-corsair

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by dave thompson

Here ya go Peter. You can thank me later. https://www.controller.com/listings/...ht-f4u-corsair

Thanks..gee, a bargain..gotta spend $50 to 'unlock' annual fixed and variable costs but both are 6 figures...4 figure hourly expenses...yowser..

47 hours..and ya know, he'll sell it no problem.

Tom Cruise owns a P-51(among others)...

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Civilian path is a tough one..read-BIG $$. To ATP, YUGE $..

Yes, but..... for many the payoff is big too. The key is to have quality guidance. Too many folks will spend the yuge $$$ but have no chance of a quality job. There are flight schools that’ll take all your money. Happily. Knowing you aren’t employable.

The reputable ones will pull you aside early and let you know to pursue other paths in life.

And professional aviation (read MAJOR airlines) is much more about timing and luck than skill.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by saab2000

Yes, but..... for many the payoff is big too. The key is to have quality guidance. Too many folks will spend the yuge $$$ but have no chance of a quality job. There are flight schools that’ll take all your money. Happily. Knowing you aren’t employable.

The reputable ones will pull you aside early and let you know to pursue other paths in life.

And professional aviation (read MAJOR airlines) is much more about timing and luck than skill.

Tell me about it..I sent out about 2 dozen requests for applications...in late 1992 and got one application, from United, cuz I had a guy on the inside.

I interviewed with a pile of Flying Tiger guys, right after FT went under..some where 747 Captains..

Didn't get hired... Was told outright by American I was too old, "we only hire potential Captains", and a guy at AA said, "10 years to Captain and we want you there for 10 years"..I was 42..mandatory retire at the time..60 YO.

Also told by Customs I was too old to apply..35 YO max...FAA had hiring freeze.....so..into the bike biz...

BUT..cannot fly..way too much $ to turn AVGAS into noise in some bugsmasher(172 'about' $100 per hour)...Tried for a while but even $200-$300 per month(3 hours) way too much...

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

BUT..cannot fly..way too much $ to turn AVGAS into noise in some bugsmasher(172 'about' $100 per hour)...Tried for a while but even $200-$300 per month(3 hours) way too much...

When I learned to fly in 1967 I paid $7 per hour WET for a 150! Of course it was a low-overhead FBO on a 2000 foot grass strip.