airplane time

pineywoods · July 10, 2011, 10:29:31 PM

Yep, it's that time of the year again. The big gathering of a large percentage of the airplane nuts in the country starts in a couple of weeks up in Oshkosh wi. We are leaving at first light driving up. 2 day drive, then setup in the on-airport campground. We go early and work getting everything set up and ready for 10,000+ airplanes and half a million people.

Chuck White · July 10, 2011, 10:37:17 PM

Sounds like a good time there Piney!

Good luck and be safe on the trip!

Norm · July 11, 2011, 08:21:22 AM

Have fun guys!

Burlkraft · July 11, 2011, 09:46:11 AM

I was just by there last week. It looks as though they have started getting ready already!
I hope the weather is not as blistering hot as has been.
I like watching the skies that week. You never know what you'll see fly by ;)

trapper · July 11, 2011, 11:15:20 AM

I am 15 miles away from the airport if you need a break from the activities there. I like to watch the blimp go over.

scsmith42 · July 11, 2011, 11:36:30 AM

Piney, I was just visiting with a good friend and neighbor of mine; he is leaving on Sunday to fly his Pietenpaul up for the fly-in. If you see a green and gold Piet on the flight line, say howdy to Jack for me.

Scott

ps: I actually helped build part of his plane, namely TIG welding the aluminum fuel tank, and also transporting the plane from his home shop to the airport for him.

Ernie · July 11, 2011, 04:30:24 PM

Sounds like a great time Piney, looking forward to all the pictures ;D

dukndog · July 11, 2011, 10:24:41 PM

Those Pete's are a fun plane...I flew in one an old WWII P47 pilot built. Was a bunch of fun in that open cockpit!!
I went to Osh in 1997 and did the same..camped in an RV, and had a blast!!! Those cheezer's couldn't understand my southern drawl tho...it took awhile to order a beer!!
Please take a bunch of pics!!! I think my fav spot is on the lake watching those Hu-16's and float planes!!
Have Fun!!
DnD

pineywoods · July 13, 2011, 09:02:32 PM

I'm all set up in an RV in the campground.Will try to find time to get pics of the more interesting stuff. Problem is, I have been here so many times, just about everything looks routine. I'll look for the pietenpol, just remember there is usually close to 1000 homebuilts alone, plus lots of antiques, warbirds and factory builts. Hasn't made it yet, but the only flyable B29 bomber left on earth is supposed to be here.
It will be about 10 days before everything gets rolling. I come early and work getting everything operational. Takes a volunteer work force of nearly 500 people. Spent most of today fighting a DanG golf cart. Intermittent electronic cdi ignition module.

thecfarm · July 13, 2011, 09:16:14 PM

10,000 planes.Wow. I can not imagine that. Sure does put Bowman Fly In in Livermore to shame. ;D Just a small airfield. When they have thier fly in the small planes are going by here steady.

Larry · July 14, 2011, 10:16:46 PM

This evening these two planes were flying in about a 6 mile diameter circle. They must of made that exact circle maybe 20 times. The twin engine plane would turn on the smoke for about a quarter of the circle always at the same place. The planes kept the same separation.

What were they doing? I thought maybe making a movie or something. No idea what kind of planes they were. Thought one of you guys could solve that mystery also.

pineywoods · July 14, 2011, 10:39:54 PM

Larry, I cant say for sure what they were doing, but most likely some kind of photo op. The smoke out of the twin would indicate practice for some type of air show work. The smoke is deliberate, comes from spraying oil into the hot exhaust manifold. The twin looks to be a ww2 beechcraft trainer, used to train navigators and bombadeers. the smaller single engine plane is most likely a cessna 150 or 172 being used as a photo plane. Flying a perfect circle around a fixed point on the ground ain't as easy as it sounds.

DanG · July 15, 2011, 01:29:24 PM

Yep, the twin is a Beechcraft 18. They were popular as executive aircraft throughout the fifties and sixties. Movie making is a good guess. Probably trying to get the sunlight just right on the smoke trails.

Slabs · July 15, 2011, 07:35:34 PM

I was gonna say C-45 DanG. Probably still had a pair of R-985 AN1's on the wings. The engine with the most distinctive sound of any engine ever made.

Went and looked it up. The C-45 is a Beech 18.

DanG · July 16, 2011, 10:05:12 AM

Quote from: Slabs on July 15, 2011, 07:35:34 PM

Went and looked it up. The C-45 is a Beech 18.

Yup, C45 is the military designation of the 18, but they were all of the older models. The one in the pic is one of the newer ones with the tapered nose cone. It was more rounded on the C45 and earlier 18s.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the other plane is a Cessna 177 Cardinal, based on the taper of the wings. ;D

dukndog · July 16, 2011, 10:07:03 AM

DanG...I agree on the Card...but might be a RG with those spindly heron legs!!!

DanG · July 16, 2011, 10:52:23 AM

Could be Duk. I ain't as up to date on these things as I like to pretend. :D Ain't the RG just the upscale model of the Cardinal?

dukndog · July 16, 2011, 08:13:08 PM

RG is retractable gear. Pilot may have flown with the gear down to keep the film plane slow....

I can't wait to see more pics!!! I believe the B-29 he spoke of is names "FiFi". Years ago I got to fly in the EAA's B17, "Aluminum Overcast" One of the most memorable flights I've ever had. My all time favorite flight though is in a PT-22 open cockpit trainer that had a 5 cylinder radial engine. Sounded like one of them green-n-yeller tractors...but with wings!!

Norm · July 17, 2011, 07:45:40 AM

One of my most memorable flying moments was before the EAA show but not at it. My son and I were putzing around the airport in Marshalltown flying a Lance I'd just bought. I was giving him some basic lessons when we spotted a huge airplane moving through. It turned out to be the B-17 heading up there with what looked to be a Mustang flying with it. We kept our distance but got a great view of it.

Now seeing a B-29 would be right up there too, even if it was parked on the tarmac.

John Mc · July 17, 2011, 09:07:48 AM

Quote from: DanG on July 16, 2011, 10:05:12 AM
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the other plane is a Cessna 177 Cardinal, based on the taper of the wings. ;D

Cardinals (Cessna 177 or 177RG) have no wing struts. If I zoom in on the photo a bit, I see a wing strut under the right wing on this one.

I believe all of the 172s had some taper to the wing (though it may have changed a bit over the years). Probably all the 182s as well, but I don't have a lot of info on that.

The older 172s had a straighter vertical stabilizer (tail-fin). It switched to a more "swept back" tail in 1960 with the 172A -- it did nothing for handling, but made the aircraft look "snazzier". It's hard to tell from this photo, but that does look like a straighter tail.

In 1963, the 172D switched from a fuselage that sloped straight back from the rear edge of the wing to the tail to one that dropped down just aft of the wing then went back to the tail (kind of more of a "sedan" look to the cabin). This one looks to be a straight line from the rear of the wing to the back of the tail.

I could be all off on this -- the angles are hard to tell from the photo, but I'm guessing it's a pre-1960 Cessna 172.

I own a 1979 Cessna 172N. Most of the info from the above post came from a 172 model history I downloaded from the Cessna Pilot's Association back when my wife and I were shopping.

pineywoods · July 17, 2011, 05:46:09 PM

Quote from: Norm on July 17, 2011, 07:45:40 AM
One of my most memorable flying moments was before the EAA show but not at it. My son and I were putzing around the airport in Marshalltown flying a Lance I'd just bought. I was giving him some basic lessons when we spotted a huge airplane moving through. It turned out to be the B-17 heading up there with what looked to be a Mustang flying with it. We kept our distance but got a great view of it.

Now seeing a B-29 would be right up there too, even if it was parked on the tarmac.

The B29 is supposed to fly in the afternoon airshow on friday.

pineywoods · August 11, 2011, 12:57:16 PM

I lost my internet connection when I left oshkosh headed for the pig roast, so pics had to wait till I got back home. Left oshkosh on 8/4 and drove up into mich and east across the up, across the bridge and down to harrison. Anyway, here's a few pics, some videos to follow.
Some shots of the B29 bomber "FIFI" Only one left flying, I can see why. Fuel burn is 100 gallons of 100 octane gas and 5 gallons of oil per hour for eachengine...

One of the rarest, a genuine Folke Wolfe 190, not a replica.

Boeng Aircraft brought their latest creation, the first public showing. The line of people to walk through it was 2 blocks long. I didn't.

Talk about open cockpit, (what cockpit ?) this guy was giving free rides. It's called a breezy.

For all you fling-wing types, the biggest DanG chopper I have ever seen

This is for all the Nam vets, a genuine huey rescued from the jungles and restored complete with the 50 cal. More of this one on the video to follow.

Last up, when you get tired of sawing, you can build one of these. The power plant is a genuine onan 24 hp, right off somebody's sawmill.

Here's about as close as I got to flying. Rained a bunch, lots of stuck rv's. Deere to the rescue.

trapper · August 11, 2011, 10:35:18 PM

I got to see that blackhawk there also. One day isnt enough to see it all.
Marv

Norm · August 12, 2011, 07:57:30 AM

Wow Fifi is impressive as is the 190. Thanks Piney.

Ianab · August 12, 2011, 08:15:22 AM

Lil got to work one morning and there was one of those in the Kindergarten playground!!!

Well it was just the fibreglass shell, not a whole airplane. Neighbours across the road had picked it up from some place and were going to put it on the back lawn for the kids to play in.... :D They carried it across the road and put it in the playground as a practical joke.

Ian