Welcome to Oshkosh 2018!
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Welcome to Oshkosh 2018!

Welcome to Oshkosh 2018! Hard to believe that its Oshkosh time already. The year is flying by (pun intended) with Oshkosh marking the mid point in the airshow season. Over the years I’ve learned that the first few days of an event that runs for more than three days finds the organizers looking for performers. The management knows that the big names are the draw for airshow junkies (like us, right?) and wants to save them for later in the week. Now I mean no disrespect to any performer. As I’ve commented in previous years, this “ain’t an easy way to make a living.” With that being said the early days are a great source for new and different aircraft and performers. My first two stories fall into the new/different category.

What is one a pilot’s worst nightmares? I’m sure if you said an engine out you’d be in the majority opinion. Next question (this isn’t a test really), why do single engine pilots learn to fly a multi engine aircraft? For that answer, please refer back to the answer of the original question. Or, in simple pilot speak, the second engine provides redundancy.

Now for the trick question (hmmm, maybe this is a test). If an engine out is a bad thing solved, in theory, by having two engines, why would you deliberately shut both of those perfectly good engines down? I guess the answer to that is to show that aircraft don’t fall out of the sky without a power source. And, as Bob Hoover proved, it also gets the crowds attention. Today, David Martin took a stock Beechcraft Baron and did just that. Look closely and you can see that neither prop is spinning.

Oshkosh 2018

Speaking of twins, can you name the smallest twin-engine manned aircraft in the world without using Google or Siri?  (I promise, no more questions). If you said the Cri-Cri you win (and I’m also reasonably sure you cheated).  To add some interest (and possibly airspeed) the performance today started with the Cri-Cri being launched from the top of a Ford SUV. This home built Cri-Cri proves that size really doesn’t matter (at least in the world of aerodynamics)!

Oshkosh 2018

Mixed in were performances from Rob Holland in the MX2, Kyle Franklin in a Kitfox S7 and the Aeroshell team.  I’m sure we’ll see more of them during the week as they are all airshow regulars.

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The weather was variable today with lows clouds alternating with blue skies.  Not a perfect day for an airshow.  The forecast for the week shows temps on the warm side but there is no rain predicted.

 

As always, thanks for reading.  Looking forward to a great week.

Fly Safe

Ken Dono
Sales Manager

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