airfield

My Favorite “Dinosaur”

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A dino made of drones.

WordPress offers up a daily prompt to encourage people to write more often. Since this is an aviation blog and the prompts typically have nothing to do with aviation, I usually don’t bother to look at them. But what if I try to provide an aviation response to a throroughly non-aviation question? Hmmm… sounds like a challenge! So here I go.

Prompt

Today’s prompt is: if you could bring back one dinosaur, which one would it be? First I think I need to define what an avaition dinosaur is. To honor the spirit of the prompt I think it must be an airplane type that is no longer flying anywhere. This cuts out planes I’d be tempted to name, like the Lockheed Constellation (there are at least a couple still flying) or the F-14 Tomcat (Iran still uses them, darn it!).

There are two of these flying so… not a dinosaur.

The prompt also states that I can bring back ONE dinosaur. That’s painful because there are several airplanes I’d like to bring back. I mean really – how on earth can I choose just one???

Honorable Mentions

OK, I’m going to cheat by listing some contenders before I tell you the ONE “dinosaur” that I’d bring back. These planes are all amazing and I just have to give them a mention!

PB2Y Coronado

This airplane takes the concept of a flying boat to a whole new level in that it is impossibly huge. (And you all know how much I love big planes!) The Coronado was used during WWII as both a patrol plane and a bomber. Frankly, they could have used it as an ark if they wanted to because you could easily fit a zoo inside. That’s probably why it was often also used as a military transport. At the end of the war most of them were decommissioned with many being scrapped and others being used for target practice. (Argh! Stop using beautiful old planes as target practice!) A few apparently found their was into civil service including one that went to Howard Hughes to use to practice water landings for flight of the Spruce Goose – another amazing plane that could be on this list… but isn’t.

XB-70 Valkyrie

Ah, the Valkyrie! Be still my beating heart! There’s just something about this plane. Not only is it a dino, but an incredibly rare one as only two were ever made and neither entered actual service. The point of the Valkyrie was to fly fast. Really, really fast. Over Mach 3. The theory being that you cannot be intercepted if you cannot be caught. But there were limitations to its capabilities and the advent of things like intercontinental ballistic missles made it less useful than expected. Plus the fuel bill had to be enormous. The planes continued to be used for supersonic test flights but then one of them had a mid-air collision with another plane during a photo shoot and was destroyed. So the decision was made to park the other at the USAF Museum, which is great for me because I get to visit regularly.

Drum roll, please! My one dinosaur is…

The SR-71 Blackbird!

Who doesn’t love the Blackbird? It (and its variants) were pretty much everything you want an airplane to be. It flew fast, was loud, and looked futuristic yet menacing at the same time. And it managed to be super stealthy. Like the Valkyrie, it could fly Mach 3+. It could also fly at high altitudes making it quite good for aerial reconnaissance. It was used in that role during the Vietnam War to keep an eye on North Vietnam. Later in life it was used to monitor Soviet activity. According to Wikipedia it was also used in the search for DB Cooper which, frankly, seems like a bit of overkill. The Blackbird was retired then reactivated a couple of times. It retired for good in 1999, after which the remaining planes and variants were dispersed aviation museums.

So there you have it – if I could bring back one dinosaur it would be the Blackbird. Yes, yes – I know! All those airplanes are military. Well it is MY list after all! Make up a list of your own and let me know what dino you’d bring back.

OSH25 – Fisk Arrival and a Hot Night

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Photo by Logan Lynch

My coverage of Airventure continues! The weather was nice… mostly. The airplanes are amazing… always! And adventure is everywhere.

Tuesday

The day began in the most awesome way possible – we went flying! Mike (Flying and Life Podcast) decided to take his airplane out for a spin and he took me and Logan (my intrepid photographer) along. This meant I had to get up early. And I had to skip donuts. But it was soooo worth it!

Aerial view of the South 40

Mike camped in vintage near the South 40 so I hopped a bus and met him near his plane. Logan helped push it out of its parking spot and we all hopped in. Taxiing at Osh is almost as fun as flying (at least from the passenger perspective). It is cool to see Boeing Plaza from the airfield point of view. Also, until you fly you may not appreciate all the marshallers and ATC personnel out on the field, moving things along.

What a wind farm looks like from above.

We departed from 18R. The original plan had been to fly over Airventure but a layer of haze prevented that. So we flew around a bit then headed to Green Lake to get in line for the Fisk arrival. Mike got to “rock his wings” and then we headed in to land back on 18R. In case you were wondering, it’s quite a turn to final!

Flight path

After we landed we taxiied down to Mike’s campsite and parked the airplane back where it had been. I can now say I’ve flown the Fisk arrival as a passenger twice. Can confirm – it’s an amazing experience no matter how many times you do it.

A video overview of the flight!

The rest of the morning was spent in warbirds then back down to Mike’s plane to watch the air show. We were just off the end of the runway where we got some pretty great shots of the action – particularly of take-offs and landings.

Photo by Logan Lynch

Wednesday

The day kicked off with rain. I had hoped to get to the media center before it arrived but I was riding the struggle bus and just couldn’t get my act together. So… I was pretty wet by the time I got there. But I dried out quickly, helped along by donuts and coffee.

Photo by Victor Andrew Karrels – his first time using a “real” camera and taking pics at Osh. And he’s better than me already, dang it!

The rest of the morning was spent wandering through the Fly-Mart as well as the exhibit hangars. The Fly-Mart is an aviation-themed flea-market where you can find anything from aircraft parts to airline seats to memorabilia. They also have non-aviation items. I always check out the car-related booths to see if there is anything for my 1954 MG.

Photo by Victor Andrew Karrels

In the afternoon I attended a forum presented by the Airline Dispatchers Federation (ADF). Several of my friends were participating so I was pleased to see a large crowd in attendance. The rest of the day I spent dodging the heat – in the Lifetime Member Oasis (where there are free drinks and snacks plus AC and nice potties) and in the Media Center.

Drone tribute to Rob Holland.

The evening brought the first night air show of the week. In many ways it is the crown jewel event of Airventure. Even if you don’t care anything about aviation, you are going to love the night show. Every year I think EAA will not be able to outdo the prior year. And yet every year they manage. This year they added lasers to the already spectacular line-up of aircraft, drones and fireworks. If you can only visit Airventure for one full day, make that day Wednesday. I promise you won’t regret it.

The night show has it all!

That’s it for me for Osh 2025. I hope to be back next year and I really hope I see YOU there!

OSH 2025 – Mass Arrivals and Test Beds

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Planes and more planes and more planes.

Well here we are – day one of Airventure is in the books and things are truly under way. As is always the case, the fun actually starts before the show begins.

Saturday

If you read my last post then you may recall that I gave myself a “stretch goal” of getting to Osh early enough to see the Bonanza mass arrival, I was up and on the road early Saturday to get there before noon. As it turned out there was no need to hurry – the arrival was pushed back till later in the day. This was first really big mass arrival I’ve ever seen and it did NOT disappoint.

Many Bonanzas

I was watching from the North 40 so when they began to arrive they looked like specks in the sky. Many, many, many specks. And they just kept coming. A long line of Bonanzas was taxiing by to their camping area and still planes were landing – over 120 in all.

Sunday

Aren’t you a little short for a 747?

Osh is a marathon and not a sprint. As a result I wanted to take it easy and save my feet for all the walking I’d be doing during the week. I found a nice spot along the runway and spent the afternoon watching planes land and taxi by. Some of the more interesting planes to come in were the Lcokheed Constellation (one of very few still flying), the Boeing 747 SP Pratt and Whitney test platform and the Dragon Lady. That’s right – a U2 spy plane landed at Airventure. As you may know, a chase car is used to help the U2 pilot coordinate the landing. In this case they used a chase truck.

Connie!

Monday

The very first thing I did upon arrival on the grounds was get donuts and coffee. Hey – they are REALLY good donuts! But the next thing I did was tour the Boeing 747 SP. From the front it looks like a regular 747. From the side it looks oddly stunted. This is because it is much shorter than a regular 747. Apparently it was built in response to requests from airlines for a smaller plane. Makes sense. But looks strange. Adding to the strangeness is a bump just outside the cockpit where test engines can be fitted.

Where test engines are attached.
Computers.

Most of the interior is taken up by computer servers and then rows of desks and monitors. A crew of 12 are capable of testing engines with up to 25,000 lbs of thrust. The plane can go up to 45,000 feet. I took pictures and texted them to my boss to tell her I found our new mobile office. She replied that only if we can get it cheap. Darn.

My desk! (I wish)

Oh More to come… Tuesday is looking great to far! A preview:

South 40 – from the air!

Osh Madness – 2025 Edition

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The view from the ATC tower during Osh week.

Well hello there, intrepid readers. If you are still lurking about on this blog I commend you! I’m sorry that I have been away so long. I was on a bit of a roll towards the end of last year. But then the holidays came. Then I got the flu. Then other life events happened. I woke up this morning to discover that somehow it is already July and Airventure Oshkosh is only a week away. Time to get a new post out! As usual there’s lots of interesting and exciting events scheduled for this year. Here are a few of the things I’m most looking forward to.

Pratt & Whitney Flying Test Bed (747SP)

You guys know how much I love big planes. (C-5!) You also know how much I love odd planes. (Super Guppy!) well the P&W Flying Test Bed is the best of both worlds. It’s a giant 747 with an odd growth on the side of its face. I cannot wait to see it!

Super Guppy

Goodyear’s Good Year

Goodyear is bringing not one but TWO blimps to Osh this year to celebrate 100 years of airships. I believe one of them will be in a retro livery. Hoping I can sneak a close-up look at some point during the week.

A Boatload of Bonanzas

OK, I don’t know what the official term is for a group of Bonanzas, but whatever it is I’m hoping to be there to see it in person when the Bonanza mass arrival happens on Saturday. This is a bit of a stretch goal. The arrival is scheduled for Saturday at 1:00pm and I’m going to have to hustle to get on location in time. Cross your fingers for me! My “phantastic” photographer Logan is back this year and participating in the arrival so even if I miss it, he’ll hopefully have pics to share.

Meow

Old Friends

The Connie is scheduled to return this year. So is the Flight of the Cats (Wildcat, Bearcat, Tigercat, Hellcat). And, as always, I hope to meet up with my dear friend Old Crow, the P-51 Mustang. I hope to meet up with many human friends too. Perhaps I’ll see YOU there!

Connie!

Keep an eye on this space during Osh week for updates. I plan to post lots of pics and video on social media as well so I hope you’ll check them out. I’m on:

Twitter (I refuse to call it “X”): @Jen_Niffer

Blue Sky: @Jen-Niffer

Instagram: @talesfromtheterminal

Stay tuned!

F-14 at the Sullenberger Aviation museum.

Airport News Review – 11/3-11/9 2024

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Since I spent many years working at an airport, I thought it might be fun to take a look at some recent airport news stories and provide some insider perspective. Here are a few items that caught my attention in the last week.

Oh, Laguardia!

Our first story features everyone’s favorite airport – LGA. Apparently a raccoon managed to get inside the terminal and came crashing through the ceiling, startling passengers. I would love to tell you that it is rare for animals to get into airport facilities but unfortunately it’s not. Granted, birds and mice are the usual culprits rather than a critter as large as a raccoon. Still, this incident doesn’t really surprise me much.

A hawk sitting on an airfield light in December 2018.

When an animal invades the airport, who deals with it? Well at my airport the custodial department would bring in exterminators for mice, but anything else would be the responsibility of Airport Operations. Most of the time they are focused on keeping birds and other critters away from the airfield. But when feathered or furry intruders get inside, Ops handles that too.

I was busily working away at my desk one day when I heard a suspicious sound in the air duct overhead. Before I had time to figure out what it was, my co-worker in the next cubicle shrieked – she heard it too. Something spent the better part of the morning scuttling around overhead. The department admin was convinced it was a raccoon or an opossum. Being a country girl myself I know that little animals can make big noises, so I thought it was a mouse. Or maybe a squirrel. Eventually someone from Ops showed up, removed some ceiling panels and looked around. Turns out our big scary creature was actually… a pigeon. Ops left the ceiling panels open and eventually it flew into a conference room where it was caught and escorted off the premises.

This bird is always welcome at the airport!

Oh Laguardia… Again!

LGA had quite the week. If furry bandit invaders weren’t enough, they also had a bomb scare. Gate-crashing racoons are amusing. Bomb scares most certainly are not. Airports take them very, very seriously. There were at least two bomb scares during my time as an airport employee.

The airport police have two bomb-detecting K9s on staff. They mostly work behind the scenes where the checked bags are processed. They also screen cargo. One afternoon I got a notification that a K9 had alerted on a package in one of the cargo facilities. Thankfully these buildings are across the airfield from the terminal so there was no impact on flights. It took an hour or so to investigate before the cargo building was re-opened. To my knowledge, nothing suspicious was ever found.

Adler at his K9 retirement party. He was a very good boy!

We had another bomb scare which shut down one of the concourses, delayed flights and generally created a lot of mayhem. In this case it wasn’t a suspicious package, but a suspicious vehicle that caused the alarm. The car was involved im another security incident which had happened earlier that day. (A story I’ll share another time.) Fortunately the vehicle was cleared and operations returned to normal.

ARFF Down Under

SYD had a bit of excitement when a Qantas flight returned to the airport after an engine failure. Losing an engine can be a big deal, depending on the manner of failure and when it happens. However the pilots, Airport Ops and ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting) do a lot of training to make sure these types of events are as uneventful as possible. US airports are required to hold emergency drills every three years. The Authority operates three airports so there was a drill at one of them every year.

ARFF extinguishes a simulated aircraft fire during an emergency drill.

My desk looked out at the south runway so I saw a number of emergency landings. I always knew when an emergency flight was coming in because ARFF would station vehicles at various taxiways just off the runway so they could quickly get to the plane once it stopped. Fortunately every emergency landing I saw concluded uneventfully.

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Well that’s it for this week. I’m going to try to make this a semi-regular feature so if you come across any interesting airport news stories – feel free to toss them my way!

Sitting in one of the ARFF firetrucks.

Osh24 – Wrap-up

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A very small fraction of the night show

For me Osh 2024 ended Thursday morning as I packed up and headed home a couple days earlier than planned. My spirit really wanted to stay, but physically I just couldn’t. That said, I’m super glad I was able to attend for as long as I did.

Fireworks and Drones

One of the highlights of Airventure is the night air show. There are two of them, actually – one on Wednesday and one on Saturday. Every year the audience is left in awe by an amazing display of flying and fireworks. We walk away convinced that there’s no way EAA can possibly top it. And then somehow they do. This year they added drones. I envisioned extra twinkling lights in the sky perhaps forming some patterns. But this was so much more!

Rosie!

The drones created pictures which highlighted and complimented the spirit of Airventure. We saw Rosie the Riveter, an A-10, a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Air Force and a reenactment of a Coast Guard rescue. At the same time fireworks were going off and planes with more fireworks were circling above. It was mind-blowing – truly one of the coolest celebrations of aviation I have ever seen.

Drones and fireworks

My early departure meant that I didn’t get to see some things that I was really looking forward to. I didn’t get to see the Canadian F-18 or the full Snowbird performance. The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels did additional fly-bys, which I missed. Thankfully, I had a correspondent on the ground who stayed through the end of the day on Saturday and he was able to capture some of these things for me to share.

The Thunderbirds break over the B-52 on Boeing Plaza. Photo by Logan Lynch
The Blue Angels in formation. Photo by Logan Lynch
Canadian Heritage Flight! (Wow – that F-18 is GORGEOUS!!!) Photo by Logan Lynch
Wow. Just… wow! Photo by Logan Lynch
OK – that’s just showing off! And we love it! Photo by Logan Lynch
Harrier!!! So sorry I didn’t get to see this! Photo by Logan Lynch
Otto Pilot made an appearance! Photo by Logan Lynch
Cloud 9 indeed! Photo by Logan Lynch
Water cannon salute for the Honor Flight. Photo by Logan Lynch

We P In C

If you’ve been to Airventure before then you know that there are a lot of porta potties. I mean A LOT. Some are very basic. Some are fancy with running water. Not sure how EAA does it, but they manage to keep them all quite clean and not stinky. I usually go out of my way to avoid porta potties, but Osh is the one place I’m willing to use them. That said, if I can get to the real toilets with running water and sinks in Hangar C, I prefer to go there. Usually they are air conditioned as well, which makes them extra-enticing. (The AC was broken this year, sadly.) I’m not the only one with a preference for C so we decided it would be amusing to make t-shirts to celebrate our choice.

We P in C! Photo by David Abbey.

About Camping

Let me start by saying that I know people who stay in Camp Scholler every year and they love it. They enjoy the vibe and being near the Airventure grounds and with their friends. It’s an affordable option for those who enjoy camping. However, it just isn’t for me. I don’t mind sleeping in a tent/my car or schlepping to the showers, but being crowded in with so many people all around was not my cup of tea. That said, if I ever get a camper with a shower and toilet that can allow me to bring my bike then I might try it again. In the meantime, I hope I can get back into the dorms next year.

A small portion of Scholler.

Only at Osh

Airventure is filled with opportunities to see and do and learn things that you can’t anywhere else. I have to give a big shout-out to Logan for not only taking lots of pics for me, but for making the very most of his time at Osh. He spent an entire afternoon on a photo tower. He set up right in the middle of Boeing plaza to capture the night show, then ran over to capture pics of the fireworks over the Lancaster. His pics will be featured in the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s upcoming magazine. And he got a personal tour of the Lancaster from the Director of Marketing. Wow!

Inside the Lanc. Photo by Logan Lynch

Well, that’s it for this year. As always, I miss Airventure already and am looking forward to Osh25. Hope to see you there!

Photo by Logan Lynch

OSH24 – Mid-Week Report

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Conditions have been perfect for vapor! Photo by Logan Lynch

Confession time: I’ve been sleeping in my car. I folded the seats down, shoved my air mattress through the hatch and crawled in. On the down side it was a little cramped, but on the plus side I could not hear the guy behind me snoring all night. Another bonus is I didn’t have to worry about where to sleep when my tent broke during a brief bout of wind and rain on Tuesday.

Did I mention vapor? Photo by Logan Lynch

Monday started with a visit to the Textron media event. We found out that they have updated the panel in the Caravan, so Mike asked if he could take a look. In short order, Alex Hunt, Senior Technical Marketing Advisor introduced himself and walked us out to the airplane.

On the way he asked our names and where we are from. When I answed he said, Oh! I know you!” Apparently he’s seen some of my pics and he especially loves my 1954 MG. Needless to say I was quite surprised and very flattered. Aviation is a small world, my friends! The new panel on the Caravan is indeed quite lovely. The paint is nice too. So is the paint on the King Air that they brought with them.

Surprise visit from the Bone! Photo by Logan Lynch

The rest of Monday was spent watching the air show, spending time at the Lifetime Member Oasis, and checking out the planes on Boeing Plaza. The day wrapped up with the Props and Hops event hosted by Hartzell Propellor.

Love me some Corsair in the morning! And a movie star at that!

On Tuesday we began the day in the Warbid area where I found my friend Old Crow. The plane used to be based at the airport where I worked and it was always a highlight of my day to see it. I found out that it left the airport shortly before I did. It has been donated to an aviation museum in Florida.

Hawg vapor! Photo by Logan Lynch

We worked our way back to show center in time to see the Avro Lancasfer arrive. Belonging to the Canadian Heritage Museum, this is apparently the only flying Lancaster left in the world.

Photo by Logan Lynch

The absolute highlight of the day was watching the Italian Demo Team – the Frecce Tricolori – do a small demo for us before heading on to their next event. 11 jets flying together in formation with precision and grace. It was truly stunning. I am SO glad I got to see them. Truly an “Only at Osb” moment!

Photo by Logan Lynch

Wednesday kicked off with a Tram Tour of the Warbird area. I’ve always wanted to take the tour and let me tell you – it is worth the wait. Great way to see the amazing airplanes that have played such a pivital role in shaping our world today and learn a little bit about them.

Seen from the Warbird Tram

Tonight is the always-fabulous night air show. Details about that coming on the next post. Thanks again to Logan Lynch for all the amazing photos!

Seen from the campground last night – a preview of tonight’s show!

Osh24 pre-game: I almost didn’t make it!

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Photo by Logan Lynch

Back in mid June I crawled into bed one night and realized that I was freezing. Which was strange because it had been a very warm day. It only took a moment for me to realize that I had a fever. My very first thought was, thank goodness this is happening now! I’ll have plenty of time to recover before heading to Airventure.

Wrong!

I felt kinda lousy for about a week and a half, but by July 4th I felt good and was relieved to have recovered well before Osh. Then a week before I was to leave I started feeling poorly again. I told myself it was just allergies, but then I felt worse. I realized my trip to Airventure was in serious jeopardy so I booked an appointment at Urgent Care. The doc diagnosed me with bronchitis, prescribed antibiotics and told me not to worry – I’d make it to my vacation.

Sunday afternoon plane spotting.

Don’t pack with a fever

I started the meds right away but I have to tell you, that night I felt worse than ever. I tried to do some packing but I had no energy and ended up on the couch. It really looked like my Osh trip would have to be canceled. I went to bed early and prayed I’d wake up feeling better. Friday I called off work and slept in. By the afternoon I started feeling human again. I double-checked the stuff I had packed the night before (don’t ever pack when you have a fever – I had shoved some very strange items into my suitcase) then I loaded up the car and headed to Lafayette IN where I stopped for the night.

Saturday afternoon plane spotting

Camping

I woke up Saturday feeling tired but better so I decided to continue on to Osh – and here I am! I met up with friends, spent some time at the North 40, then met up with Mike Karrels and went to find a camping spot at Camp Scholler. That was… an adventure. I’ve been in the campground before and I knew it was huge. But it is more than huge – it is ginormous and it was already really full. We drove around a good 15 minutes before finally finding a spot to pitch our tents. If you are also camping and would like to find us… actually, don’t bother trying. We’re practically at the Seaplane base. Or as Mike likes to say, we’re at the corner of 24th and really far away. LOL!

Photo by Logan Lynch

I’ve been feeling a little better every day. My tent has been up over 24 hours and it hasn’t collapsed yet! Yay! On the down side, I’ve developed sun sensitivity from the antibiotics and am having to be really careful about sun exposure. Not an easy task at a large outdoor event.

Photo by Logan Lynch

Pre-game

Sunday afternoon was spent watching arrivals. As always we saw a lot of really cool planes. It is impossible to come to Osh and NOT see cool planes. Even though this is my 10th year, I’m still surprised by the variety.

My favorite moment was when the B-52 arrived. I’ve seen them on the ground many times, but I have never seen one in flight, nor have I ever seen one land. And I had no idea about the parachute! (Please don’t take away my avgeek creds!)

Parachute deploying… Photo by Logan Lynch

This will probably be a short week for me, but I intend to pack in as much avgeek goodness as I can while I’m here. Stay tuned!

Parachute deployed!

Changes

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When I walked in the door of the airport nine years ago, I was sure that this was the last job I’d ever have. I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to work anywhere else. There were airplanes outside the office – what more could an avgeek like me want?

But I’ve learned that what happens inside the office has a huge impact on how I experience what happens outside the office… or if I experience it at all. Eventually it reached the point where I barely noticed the airport around me. Finally I made the difficult decision to move on.

I could go into the gritty details of all the things that led to this decision. However, I think it would be a lot more fun to look back at some of the amazing adventures I got to have. It is hard to rank them, but I’m going to try. Cue the countdown theme music!

5. Visiting ARFF

Back in 2019 my deparment took an afternoon off to head next door and visit our friends over at the ARFF station. For those who don’t know, ARFF stands for Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting. They are the crews tasked with responding to emergencies on the airfield. We got to tour the station, see where they sleep, eat and train. We also got to sit in the fire trucks. Your inner three-year-old is absolutely correct: fire trucks are cool! The ARFF team did a demonstration for us, including how they are able to penetrate the skin of an aircraft to spray foam or retardent on the inside.

4. Time on the Taxiway

Photo by Andrew Stricker

In late 2017 Delta began to recieve the first A350s into their fleet. The plane itself was still fairly new having entered service only a couple of years before. Designed primarily for long-haul flights, it isn’t the sort of plane that would be used at my airport. However, Delta decided to fly in as part of a series of acceptance and training flights. I, of course, had plans to be on the garage so I could get plenty of pics. Imagine my surprise when one of the Operations Managers appeared at my desk and asked if I’d like to ride out onto the airfield and watch from there instead. Would I? Are you kidding me? We parked on a taxiway and I got to watch the plane land right in front of me. It was amazing! And then when it was time to depart we parked on a different taxiway off the end of the runway so the plane took off right over us. Again, amazing.

3. Time on the Runway

The first time I ever went on one of the runways as an airport employee I was in a passenger shuttle. Someone from airfield maintenance was driving around trying to find one of the pavement sensors. Since then I’ve been on the runway many times. I worked at the water station during the Runway 5Ks which was located about half-way down Runway 28 Right. I was even allowed to drive a shuttle up and down that runway. (What on earth were they thinking?!) The runways are the heart of any airport. They are central to the airport’s existence. As a non-pilot who doesn’t travel that much, being able to be on the runway and get close to the lights, the markings and yes, the pavement sensors, was a real treat for me.

2. Four ATC Towers and a Tracon

The Airport Authority manages three airports which have four towers between them. I had the pleasure of visiting all four. Two are contract towers – one at the cargo airport and one at the general aviation airport. One is a former ATC tower, now used as a base of operations during snow events. And one is an FAA tower with a tracon. Being able to visit these facilities and see the controlers at work was quite an adventure. Seeing several types of towers at multiple airports with different levels of traffic gave me a much better understanding of the ATC system. And let’s face it – ATC towers are cool. I could never get tired of the view.

1. Working on the De-ice Pad

Of all the amazing avgeek things I got to see and do while working at the airport, this was hands-down the most exciting and unexpected. In the fall of 2016 I was approached about whether I’d like to train to assist on the de-ice pad. Uh… are you serious? Heck yes!!! At the passenger airport the Operations Department is responsible for managing the flow of traffic into and out of the pad on frosty mornings and during snow events. This is done by driving an airport vehicle around the pad and communicating with pilots, ATC and others via the radio. As a humble accountant I never in my wildest imaginings ever thought I’d get to do something like this. I got to tell pilots what to do. And they listened to me! I got to drive around on the ramp. And somehow everyone survived!

So, what’s next for me? That’s a good question. I’m taking some time to decompress. Then I’ll be doing some part-time freelance bookkeeping work for a friend while I look for my next big adventure. If you know anyone who is looking for an accountant with avgeek tendencies (or an avgeek with accounting tendencies), let me know.

And what about the blog? The blog will definitely continue. You can take me out of the airport, but you’ll never take the airport out of me. Interesting things are going on at airports everywhere and I have nearly a decade of experience that will allow me to bring them to you with a critical eye. Plus I have stories still to tell and plenty of aviation adventures ahead. Stay tuned!

I’ve left the airport, but my Spirit remains! Seriously. I left this plane at my desk. No idea what my co-workers have done with it. If you fly out of gate 21 let me know if it is still in the window.

Corsairs and Connie

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Over the years you’ve heard me mention “only at Osh” moments. This refers to things that can only happen at Airventure. Every year there are at least one or two of these moments. This year’s “only at Osh” moment involved Corsairs and a Connie. And oh my goodness was it amazing!

I love the Corsair. It is easily my favorite WWII Navy aircraft. There’s just something about that bent wing. And the deep, throaty sound of the engine. While many of the remaining Corsairs are museum pieces, there are still a few that are flying, although it is unusual to see more than one or two at any given time. But then there’s Osh.

At Airventure this year there are at least nine of them here. NINE. All in flying condition. Six of them flew in the Thursday afternoon air show. It was AMAZING. There was an F-18 flying around too, but trust me – the Corsairs were the stars of the show.

But there was one party crasher who sneaked in to steal some of the limelight. Normally I’d be annoyed. But in this case I was thrilled because the party crasher happened to be a Connie. The Lockheed Constellation made its debut in the early 1940s. It was the first pressurised aircraft to enjoy widespread use commercially.

Today they, like the Corsair, are mostly museum pieces. In fact, I believe there are only a couple of them that are still airworthy. Never in a million years did I ever think I’d get to see one in flight. And then today I did. Only at Osh.

Do you love airplanes? Do you appreciate history? Do you believe in magic? See you at Airventure 2024.