It’s that time of year again. Time for THE aviation event of the season… that I’m not attending. That’s right. Normally I’d be on the road somewhere near Chicago. This year I’m sitting at my dining room table, sulking. A few weeks back I broke my ankle. It is healing up well. But Osh is a lot of walking – 20,000 steps a day (or more). Sadly my ankle is just not up to it.
Fear not, however. My intrepid photographer Logan Lynch is boots (tennis shoes?) on the ground so I will still have plenty of photos and details to share. (Even though it’s going to kill me to see all the amazing aviation stuff that I’m missing.)
I’ve been thinking back over my many years at Osh and it occurs to me that there’s one aspect of Airventure that I haven’t written about much… the parties!As you know, Osh is more than a fly-in, convention and air show. It’s an aviation family reunion. There are gatherings and events happening all over the grounds all the time. Some are small gatherings of friends and aquaintances and others are major corporate shindigs that require an invitation. Here’s a look at some of the parties I’ve attended over the years.
Flying Magazine
This event ended when the magazine was sold a few years back. But at one time they hosted a pretty fancy gathering at a marina overlooking the lake. I just happened to score an invite from a friend one year. (OK, he was mostly using me for my car, but whatever.) People discarded their grungy Osh-wear and donned nicer duds. The catering was pretty good. Lots of media folk in attendance. Being merely a humble blogger I remember feeling a bit like a fish out of water. Still the setting was lovely and it was nice to mingle away from the dust and noise of the Airventure grounds.
Pipstrel Podapalooza
This gathering, which was held on the grounds at the Pipistrel booth, also no longer happens. It was organized by the lovely Launchpad Marzari who passed away in a flying accident a few years ago. If you had a podcast or if you listened to them, you were welcome. There was pizza and prizes and it was a nice time spent gathering with like-minded avgeeks.
Hartzell Props and Hops
This is my favorite Osh party, hands-down. It requires an invite so I make sure I RSVP every year. The catered food is really good. There’s live music. The atmosphere is casual and fun. Everyone who attends gets a signature glass which you can then fill with beer or cider or water or whatever. Oh – and the desserts are delicious. And yeah, people duck out of the tents when cool planes fly in. Because it’s what aviation people do!
Piper
This one is also invitation only. Some years I attend. Some years I don’t. The food is always good. They typically have seafood included in the buffet (shrimp cocktail and the like) which is pretty tasty. They also have music – usually a live band. It’s a nice event but I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed so I like to check out the aiplanes around their booth, then tuck myself in a quiet spot to enjoy the atmosphere.
Boeing
This is a big shindig held at the large Boeing booth just off Boeing plaza. You definitely need an invite for this one as they have people at all the entrances, checking the guest list and turning everyone else away. (To be fair, their booth is right at show center so there are a lot of people passing through who don’t even realize an event is going on.) Somehow I ended up there last year. Don’t ask me – I don’t know. I was with a group and next thing I knew we were in. This is the only party I’ve attended that was indoors with air conditioning. Very nice! Lots of people, lots of food and a chance to take a look at all of the displays in the Boeing booth.
But Wait… There’s More!
There are a few other events that I’m aware of but have never attended. EAA hosts a fundraiser dinner at their aviation museum called The Gathering. It is semi-formal and includes a silent auction. If you want to attend you can buy tickets – $250+ per person. Cirrus has a big party on the Sunday night before Osh begins. Strictly invite-only. Doubt I’ll ever get on the list. The UCAP podcast usually hosts their “Tiedown Party” in the North 40 every year. Despite my best intentions, I never make it over there, but I believe it is open to anyone.
You may be wondering how to get invites to some of these events. There’s no magic formula – I just happen to know people who know people. The best advice I can offer is to make your own party. Gather with friends and family. Enjoy time with each other and with airplanes. That is really what Osh is all about. No RSVP necessary!
Stay tuned for more Osh26 goodness. You can follow Logan’s adventures on Instagram: @lynchdronephotography and on Facebook: @Lynch Drone Photography LLC. I’ll be sharing some of his pics on my socials also – Instagram: @Talesfromtheterminal and Blue Sky: @jen-niffer.
**Author’s note: All my posts including this one were written by myself (and occasional guests) without using any artifical means. **
For the first time in a long time (and possibly ever) my airport celebrated National Aviation Day! I used to bring in cupcakes and host a little celebration just for my department. This year, however, the suggestion was made to scale it up and involve the entire airport. A team of employees planned the event, which included music, popcorn, a paper airplane contest, historical artifacts and more. I can’t begin to tell you how awesome it was to see so many people celebrating our industry and our history.
Can you believe I’ve been working at the airport three years now? Three years! Three years of stalking airplanes. Three years of fighting the urge to ride around on the baggage carousel. And three years of being taunted by several sets of mobile stairs which have been parked outside the department window the ENTIRE time!
But work has become a bit challenging in recent months. There have been some changes which have resulted in an increased workload, just as we head into the busiest time of year. Change isn’t a bad thing, but it can be stressful. And as the amount of work increases, the stress does too.
Then my plane spotting began to suffer. I found myself unable to get away from my desk, even skipping lunch sometimes. After work I was tired and just wanted to get home. It came to a head one day when a plane spotter friend texted me that there were two C-130s on the airfield. Two C-130s! Sweet! I really wanted to go see them, but my task list was a mile long and felt like I just didn’t have the time.
At that moment it hit me. The whole reason I work for an airport is because there are airplanes outside the window. Am I really going to turn down the chance to go see a couple of C-130? Oh. Hell. NO! So I threw on a jacket and up top I went. I saw the Hercs and they were every bit as fantastic as I knew they would be. I thought about all the other amazing planes I have seen this year and I vowed right then and there not to let the work ruin the love. No matter how stressed or busy I am, I will ALWAYS make time for the airplanes. And you know what? Spending my 30 minute lunch break away from my desk doing something I enjoy makes me so much happier and more productive when I get back. The truth is, being stressed at work at an airport is a THOUSAND times better than being stressed at any other job.
So what’s ahead for the next year? Well, I have an FBO visit coming up. And I’m hearing rumors that we might be visiting the ATC tower in the spring. Plus I’m already dreaming about a return trip to Oshkosh. Who knows what other adventures will come my way. If there is one thing I’ve learned in the last three years, it’s that sometimes the best moments happen totally unexpectedly, and sometimes the ordinary things are the most special.
EAA’s Airventure runs for a full seven days. I was there for five of them. This sounds like it should be plenty of time to see everything, but it isn’t. Not even close! However, I can say with full confidence that I made the most of the time that I had.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not the holiday season. I’m talking about Airventure 2017 in Oshkosh, of course! I am super excited to be returning to one of my favorite places. As you may recall, in years past I’ve “dragged” a couple of non-avgeek friends along with me. They’ve been tremendous good sports and we’ve had lots of fun. However, this year I’ll be sharing the Osh experience with my avgeek friends, several of whom will be attending for the first time. In addition to enjoying the displays and air shows, I’m planning to participate a number of events, including:
Stalking Stairs Trucks
It may not feel like it yet, but the calendar says that spring has arrived. You know what that means? Yes, warmer temperatures and pretty flowers are coming. But more importantly, air show season is just around the corner! Hooray! I cannot wait! I’m planning to attend two big events this year.
As you may recall, I have been training to help the Ops Department manage the deice pad on frosty mornings. This process involves driving around in an ops vehicle, giving taxi instructions on the radio, keeping a log of all the traffic through the deice pad and acting as a follow-me when needed. If that sounds like a lot to learn, it is! At this point I’ve gotten pretty good at telling the different RJs apart, I’ve memorized the call signs and ICAO codes for each airline and I can successfully manage the log. I’ve ridden along and watched the deice pad management process enough times now that I have a decent understanding of how it works. So what’s the next step? Talking on the radio.
Say What???
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first. 2016 began with the passing of my father in early January. He had been ill for a couple of years so it wasn’t unexpected, but it definitely started the year on a down note. Then in June and again in December I had to deal with health issues. The first put me in the hospital for several days and kept me away from work for another week after that. The second didn’t keep me from working, but the three weeks it took me to recover were incredibly trying and discouraging. Yeah, in some ways this was a rough year. But thankfully there were many good things that happened too.
First and foremost, in April 
In July I made the 
I am so truly blessed to work at a place and in an industry I love so much, and to have connected with so many wonderful people. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this such an amazing year. A special shout-out to 
Tales from the Terminal 