31 Jul 01

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Oshkosh - Part One

Every year there is this really bigass airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The sponsoring organization is called the EAA. All of a sudden last week I got the opportunity to attend the show, which is officially named AirVenture but by now is simply called Oshkosh. I happen to know some folks with an online magazine who were kind enough to show me around the airshow.

It was quite a journey getting there. Thankfully, I like a good quest every now and then, as does the Cherub. Less fortunately, Napalm would have found it more painful than a root canal, so he didn't go.

It started in the wee hours Friday morning with a 3 hour plus road trip to Orlando, in order to make the first flight on a Boeng 727. The next stop was a rendezvous in Chicago with a teensy little Saab turboprop that bobbled distressingly through the turbulent air. On arrival at Madison, Wisconsin, there was still yet another hour long road trip to the town of Oshkosh, famous for the line of childrens wear, b'gosh.

Do you realize people eat cheese curds there? Eeeeuuuggghh. More on that later.

Boy were we beat when we got there. That didn't stop us from doing some meeting and greeting, and some touring about the grounds, or even from attending a luau, of all things! In Wisconsin! But I tell you what - we were fast asleep by 9:30 pm Central.

The next morning, we awoke appallingly early, something like 6 am. Fortunately, the AmericInn staff had already got the continental breakfast going. It was easily the best complimentary breakfast I ever had at a motel. Only the two I can recall eating in luxury hotels rate any higher. Anyway, they had an automatic waffle iron for the guests to use and an array of cups of premade batter. Thus equipped, the Cherub made a damn fine waffle.

After a brief nap, we ventured out again to the airfield. I cannot begin to tell you all the stuff we saw. They had aircraft that was government and civilian, commercial and private, even some stuff that couldn't even by the broadest definition be considered aircraft. It's amazing the sheer quantity of aircraft, the huge volumes of spectators, the enormous showing of vendors and exhibitors. Oshkosh lasts a week, and you probably need all that to see everything, but we were just there for the weekend, so we looked quickly and mostly hit the high points.

I also got a helicopter ride. The featured craft was of the sort you see on M*A*S*H, teensy tiny, into which three human bodies could uncomfortably be crammed, but the view and the sheer thrumming thrill of it were well worth it.

I have some pictures I am going to post, by the way.

Upon returning to the room, I got online for a much-needed rendezvous with Wlofie. We'd been having some misunderstandings of a painful sort, which had been haunting me the whole trip up, but we got to sort them out and soothe each other and find some mutual peace.  

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