My Osh Kosh Journey - Dave Aronson

After some late minute flight plan arrangements, I got off at 4:00 am on Thursday.  Flight Service reported ceilings at 14,500 and some mist reported.  My route was SAC VOR to Truckee VOR and then direct to Battle Mountain Nevada, my first fuel stop.  The Citabria had passed it's last oil analysis and the Lycoming was performing great.  At 450 hours past TBO, I evaluated the engine at each oil change. I traveled alone, the back seat full of gear and tools, just in case.  I was quite happy to go alone, the airplane and me, a bit of solitude and a challenge to boot. My wife Ronni had plans to spend time with her sisters and she wasn't much interested in flying all that way to "listen to a bunch of guys talk about their airplanes".

After a few minutes in flight I became aware that my flight may be a bit exciting right off the bat.  I could see the lights along my way but the mist turned to rain straight out.  My GPS  track (borrowed a Garmin 195 from Tom A.) was easy to follow and the air was calm. As I approached the SAC VOR, the big red  instrument light went "BINCK" and I was in the dark.  My flashlight was a new purchase from Curt F..  A real nice fiber optic or something like that.  I turned it on and WOW, 50,000 candle power!!!!.  I covered the end up with my shirt and flew that way, through the rain past Reno.  My airspeed was up and my economy at 11,500 was lean and mean.  I  also found that the Citabria leaks pretty good when in rain.  The last week of July, at least it was warm!

At Battle Mountain I was feeling fresh, the last couple of hours the weather was clear and sunny.  I decided to extend my first leg to Elko Nevada.  I announced to tower and got cleared to land after reporting left base.  A normal landing, until the bottom fell out from about 4 feet,THUD......  I had forgotten about the altitude (5140) and heat (only 7:45am but about 92 F.). After walking 1/2 mile from my parking spot I enjoyed my required potty break, fuel and a weather briefing.  The Elko airport was having new ramps and parking lot paved and the fuel parking was way far from the FBO. My next stop would pass the original Fort Bridger and stretch to Rawlins, Wyoming.  A nice flight over the Bonneville Salt Flats.  A bit monotonous but I flew over I-80 and had a race with a red truck.  I won! (truck didn't know I was racing it though). The Salt Lake of Utah and Salt Lake City were the last bit of civilization prior to the Rockies.

Rawlins was a welcome stop.  A bit of turbulence in the pattern but a fairly good wheel  landing with power on and 80mph over the numbers.  I wasn't going to repeat the Elko thud. While taxing to fuel, a dirt devil traveled right down the runway.  Again, a longer walk to the FBO due to construction of new taxiways and parking ramp. Rawlins was my lunch stop.  At 1:00pm I was ready for some food and the Rawlins FBO has a loaner car and good instructions to find lunch.  At 6810 ASL the runway is plenty long (7800ft).  It was 2:30pm when I got my weather briefing.  The temperature was 101F and the density altitude was 10,000 ft.  That was an interesting take off.  The briefer asked if I had experience flying Wyoming  turbulence.  I said no and he advised that turbulence, late in the afternoon would be normal with thunderclouds forming.  I decided to get some experience with turbulence.  The tail-wind was pretty strong and my ground speed was very good (135mph).  After a couple of hours of getting my kidneys punched and having vectors around large cloud formations, I decided to let down at Scotts Bluff Nebraska.  This would be my overnight stop.  The FBO had a couple of loaner cars supplied by a nearby motel.  For $60 I got a nice room, plenty of air-conditioning, a car to use until I checked out the next morning.  I had me a Nebraska steak, took a shower and set all my charts out so I could make changes for the next day.  I decided to close my eyes just a minute and the alarm clock sounded at 5:30am the next morning.  I guess I was a bit fatigued.

After an early morning take-off,  the little Citabria carried me into the new Sun, towards Fort Dodge Iowa.  I had left my sun glasses at the Motel and noticed right away that I would miss them.  Traveling at 9,500ft ASL, the tail winds again aided the flight and the ground speed was a pleasant if not awesome 137mph at times.  That is flat out moving in the 7ECA.  I should have taken more time looking at the charts because about 50 miles out of Fort Dodge I got a very close encounter with an F16.  The driver passed in front of me in a dive, showing me his best view.  I got my chart out, (my altitude and heading was changing quite dramatically and irregularly.  I was 1500ft inside the MOA and it was obviously active!  I lost 1500 feet in record time!!!!

Fort Dodge is a large regional airport, brand new!  New terminal for regional airlines, large FBO all very well done.  Alot of wind and a very crabby approach followed by a landing that only a stunt pilot would claim.  I survived and so did the airplane.   After the most expensive fuel of the trip (2.75) I got another weather briefing for the last leg into Osh Kosh.  The report advised winds and diminishing ceiling as the day progressed.  A front from the south was traveling in a circle and was headed towards the lakes.  I decided to proceed and not push too hard.  Approaching the Mississippi I reached for my camera bag to take some photos.  I discovered that I had left my camera bag at Fort Dodge.  I immediately did a 180 to find my ground speed to be just about 50 mph.  I would travel 3 hours to get back to Fort Dodge.  I did another 180 and radioed the flight service at Fort Dodge (through Green Bay Center) to have them ask the FBO to stow my cameras.  What a trip..... 

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The flight across Nebraska and South Dakota was uneventful.  Beautiful, green, symmetrical squares.  Miles and miles of flat land, all being farmed or pitted with little lakes.  Into Wisconsin and a lot more water.  Little lakes, green everywhere but not agricultural as much as trees, trees and trees.  Baraboo Wisconsin Dells was right on the way and I wanted to arrive at Osh Kosh with as much fuel as possible.  Everyone had advised me to load up before landing as fuel was expensive and a hassle to get during the Air-Venture week.  After refuel and calling Fort Dodge to check on my cameras, I headed north-east for Oshkosh.  Traveling along the published route to enter the crowded pattern of OSH, I passed over Ripon and railroad tracks to  FISK .  After radioing tower I was cleared to fly and report on base.  There were already a lot of airplanes in the pattern but we were ahead of the "controlled chaos" beginning the next day.  Landing at Osh Kosh and the long taxi to a nice spot in the northern 40 was anti-climactic.  I sat in the Citabria and ate a big chocolate macaroon that I had sat on the entire trip.  My reward for finding the place and surviving the 17 hours of flight.  I was buzzed!!!!!!

The fuel at OSH was $1.99 gal.  The cheapest fuel in the USA that week.  Oh well!  I purchased a cheap camera at K-Mart and planned to pick up all that I had misplaced on the way home. ( I will report my antics at the fly-in next newsletter),

The trip back began, again on Thursday.  Wednesday was a day of lightening and thunder.  This weird circling of large systems was pelting the area.  Wednesday evening the weather briefer advised that a hole would be opening at dawn on Thursday.  It would be clear towards the west for about 6 hours.  I got my stuff ready, checked out at the barracks at the Osh Kosh Christian High School and arrived at my airplane at 7:00am.  Osh had not begun their  ATIS transmissions so the airport was closed.  The Atis began at 7:50 and I was taxing at 8:00am.  Cleared to depart to the west at 500 feet, I sprang into the air and headed home.  A big head wind across South Dakota and into Nebraska slowed me down.  I got into Fort Dodge at 11:00am  My camera case was waiting for me and the FBO had put together a very nice lunch for pilots traveling to and from Osh Kosh.  All free!!! It almost took the sting of the gas price away, ALMOST. 

From Fort Dodge  flying low helped minimize the headwinds.  I was doing 100-110mph so the headwinds were 10-20mph or so down below 6,500ft.. I had to make a fuel stop at Ainsworth Neb. due to the slow progress.  Ainsworth is a good place to avoid.  Nothing but corn fields.  The last stop before making the gradual climb into the Rockies.  Delays and closed taxiways due to construction.  It seems like California is the only state without aviation growth.  Making Scotts Bluff by 4:00pm was a good day of flying and I decided to stay over, collect my sunglasses and get an early start on Friday.  I used the loaner car to travel into the bluffs to the SW of Scotts Bluff.  The sunset was dramatic with thunder clouds and lightening in the horizon.  The night was quite wet and windy.  I was glad the weather reports were so accurate.  I was understanding the advantage of traveling early and setting down before all the activity.

Friday morning at 5:00am, I set out to the west.  Passing over Rawlins ,Wyoming I headed to Fort Bridger.  At 7,038, this high Plaines airport is a lost outpost.  The 4,000ft runway is covered with weeds.  The landing was uneventful but the bushes on the runway got caught in the wheel fairings.  Pulling the debris out, I discovered the wheel pant was missing a bolt.  The loan person on the airport found a replacement for me and tried to refuse payment.  After fueling I continued retracing my original flight a week earlier.  My next fuel was to be Battle Mountain Nevada.  I made the long flight over Salt lake City and the Salt Flats.  The head winds were not a problem on this side of the Rockies.  I was again making 120mph at altitude and the trucks were no match on I-80.  They no doubt had heard of the race results from a week prior.

Battle Mountain was a delight.  The gals running the FBO were a site for a wayward traveler.  Nice swimsuit and good ground signals!  Great service, refreshments at a great price and an offer to give me a ride into town if the weather ahead was not favorable.  The Reno weather briefing was discouraging.  Truckee was reporting partly cloudy, Reno with Cumulous formations and cumulonimbus forming late afternoon.  It was 1:00pm and flight service was advising flight after 3:00pm would not be advisable.  I decided to fly down to Reno and land at Reno Intl if the weather closed in.  I made good time across Nevada, noticing clouds forming along the route and some pretty big clouds forming in my path.  The decision was no whether I would fly, it was where I would fly.

Reno had 10,000 ceilings, closing in, Cumulous forms and wind.  Over Reno the turbulence started getting pretty bad and the Pass towards Truckee was closing in.  I knew I had to make a dash for it but didn't want to get into it and having no way out.  I chose to proceed on, knowing that rain was one thing but visibility had to remain good.  I got wet, but I was always 1,000 feet above the mountains and away from MOST clouds.   Over the Northern edge of Tahoe, I could see the light of the sun over Truckee.  It was a nice feeling to have made it through before the real bad weather arrived.  Looking back,  I should have landed at Reno and taken in a Buffet!  I wouldn't have anything to write about!!!

My cell phone, which doesn't work, usually, at home, worked flawlessly at every stop and at Osh Kosh.  I landed at 4:30pm at Nut Tree, called my wife to announce my arrival.  She told me to get to a land phone, my phone was breaking up!

My first phone call was from one of my room-mates at the Christian High School Barracks.  He wanted me to know that he had found the camera that I had left there the day before.  What a trip..........

Flight time:  17 hours Eastward, 19 hours westward.
Fuel burned: 252.5 gal
More about the stay at Osh Kosh next time.