Oshkosh '08 by Trey

Oshkosh...Ever heard of it? And not the part that has to do with the kid clothing line. Maybe you're like me and thought it had something to do with a bunch of civilian airplanes flying into an airport in Wisconsin for a week or so. While that's certainly part of the deal, Oshkosh is much more than that. My buddy Paris gave me a call a couple of weeks ago to ask if Mel and I were interested in going. Already having the week off from work, we decided that it would be one of those once in a lifetime things.

In an attempt to spare you the boring details, we two-hoped the nearly six hours up to Oshkosh in Paris's Cessna Cardinal 177RG. The scene that greeted us was what I was expecting times ten. That is to say, it wasn't what I was expecting at all, really...

Privately owned aircraft by the thousands. Something in the order of ten thousand...of every type. In addition to the largest gathering of aircraft in the world, Oshkosh also hosts hundreds of aerial demonstrations, reps from the aviation industry, warbirds, workshops, state of the art cool things, tons of swag (free stuff), you name it. Anything having to do with flying and beyond. We were there from Sunday until Wednesday and didn't begin to see everything that was out there. We camped under the wing of the Cardinal the entire time. Our usual daily ritual involved hitting the "showcase area" early and taking it back to the "house" to eat sandwichs and watch the flybys and airshows through the binoculars in the afternoon. The evenings were spent chewing the fat with our neighbors before hitting the sack. Not a bad vacation!

Long story short...Mel got to hang out in 75-80 degree weather for a few days and I got a chance to see a bunch of airplanes. Actually, we both had a blast and were certainly fortunate to have the great opportunity. Put things into perspective for me, personally. It had been such a long time since I've been around general aviation that I forgot how much I used to enjoy it. The whole trip was an incredible experience for us both that we hope is more than just a one-time deal.
Guess that means we need an airplane now!