Airplanista Aviation Magazine Feature Story: Grillin’ at Oshkosh EAA AirVenture

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

Recipes to spice up your airport “tailgate” party with an abundance of flavors

By Chef Stuart Stein,
Author, The Sustainable Kitchen: Passionate Cooking Inspired by Farms, Forests, and Oceans thesustainablekitchen.com

Oshkosh maybe the ultimate combination of aviation camaraderie, fresh air and (hopefully) sunshine. The one missing piece is food. Nothing says summer like grilling, and somehow food always tastes better when cooked outdoors. With a little work completed ahead, the following menu is perfect for relaxing and stretching out next to your plane.

Suggested menu
- Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak
- Sauce Verte
- Roasted Whole Sweet Onions with
Toasted Barley & Sweet Pepper Filling

Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak

Filet gets all the glory; sirloin is the king of steak and ribeye is the cowboy’s favorite, but for flavor, nothing beats the chuck. And the best cut from the chuck to use for the grill is the flat iron steak. The flat iron steak (so called because the untrimmed cut looks like an old fashioned metal flat iron for ironing clothes) is a cut of steak from the blade of the shoulder under the seven bone (named because it’s shaped like a “7”). The tough, silvery membrane that runs on the top and through the center is removed and what’s left is a steak almost as tender as a tenderloin with the marbling and real beef taste of a bone-in ribeye.

FOR THE MARINADE:
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried green peppercorns, cracked
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, roughly chopped

FOR THE STEAK:
• 1 large beef flat iron, cleaned, approximately 2 pounds
• kosher salt, to taste
• 10 to 20-year-old aged balsamic vinegar, to taste or Sauce Verte (recipe follows)

TO PREPARE THE MARINADE: In a bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, both peppercorns, garlic, oregano, rosemary and parsley. Mix well, pour over the flat iron steak and turn the meat to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

TO PREPARE THE STEAK: Remove the steak from the marinade. Season with salt and grill or pan sear. While the meat is cooking, baste with the marinade.

TO SERVE: Make sure you allow the meat to rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Drizzle balsamic vinegar or Sauce Verte over meat. Roasted garlic mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables or a simple rice pilaf make a great accompaniment.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND OPTIONS: Flank steak, hanger steak or top sirloin can be substituted for the flat iron. Just make sure that whichever cut you choose, it’s from a pasture-raised, local ranch.

Look for an authentic aged Italian Balsamic Vinegar. A 20-year-old balsamic is expensive (~$50 per 250 ml) but it’s ambrosia in a bottle - naturally thick, aromatic and intense. A little goes a long way.

Makes 4 to 6 entrée servings

Sauce Verte
This version of Salsa Verte is not related to the Mexican tomatillo salsa of the same name. A rustic yet complex all-season sauce, it can be adapted to a variety of cuisines by simply varying the dominate herb. It’s easy to make, versatile, bright and refreshing. Sauce Verte can be used as a marinade, a sauce, a condiment or even a topping for pasta or bruschetta. It’s versatile enough to compliment grilled or barbecued beef, fish, chicken, vegetables or lamb; braised pork; or poached fish (traditionally salmon), shellfish or poultry.

INGREDIENT LIST
• ½ cup parsley leaves (Italian or curly variety)
• 1 ½ cups mixed herbs such as tarragon, basil, chives, summer savory, chervil marjoram or rocket, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon anchovies, roughly chopped (optional)
• ½ teaspoon cornichons (pickled sour gherkin cucumbers)
• 1 shallot or small white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons nonpareil capers drained
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

TO MAKE THE SAUCE: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the parsley, herbs, garlic, anchovies, cornichons, shallot and capers. Pulse until chopped but not pureed. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until it is thoroughly incorporated. Add the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

ADVANCED PREPARATIONS: The sauce will last several days if covered and refrigerated. Bring the sauce to room temperature and blend well before using.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND OPTIONS: Almost any green herb can be added or substituted but almost always includes parsley. Some chefs will blanch and shock the herbs before blending to set the bright green color and make a more “pesto-like” condiment. I prefer to either chop all the ingredients by hand or use a mortal and pestle rather than a food processor. Made this way, the sauce will be more rustic but brighter in color and flavor.

Mexican Salsa Verde is also extremely versatile and tasty and usually includes a combination of tomatillos, chiles, garlic, onion, and salt.

Makes approximately 2 cups

Roasted Whole Sweet Onions with Toasted Barley & Sweet Pepper Filling

A Candy Sweet onion is a storage variety of sweet onion that grows especially well in the volcanic soil of the Cascade mountain range of southern Oregon. Other sweet onions such as Walla Walla, Vidalia, Maui or Texas 1015 Supersweets may be substituted in this recipe. Roasting the onion caramelizes the sugars and turns its flavor into an irresistible nutty sweetness. The onion purée, taken from the center of the roasted onions, rounds out the earthiness of the barley filling.

FOR THE ROASTED WHOLE ONIONS:
• 4 Candy Sweet or other sweet onion variety, peeled but left whole
• 3 cups barley and sweet pepper filling
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

FOR THE SAVORY HERB SAUCE
• Reserved roasted onion rings
• ¼ cup white wine kosher salt and white pepper, to taste
• 1 cup vegetable stock or water
• 2 tablespoons savory fresh herbs
• Kosher salt and white pepper, to taste

FOR THE BARLEY AND SWEET PEPPER FILLING
• 3 cups toasted barley, cooked
• 1 red pepper, roasted, seeds removed and diced
• 1 yellow pepper, roasted, seeds removed and diced
• 1 green pepper, roasted, seeds removed and diced
• 2 tablespoons savory herbs, chopped
• Kosher salt and white pepper, to taste

TO ROAST THE ONIONS: Preheat oven to 375°F.
Place onions in a roasting pan; add enough water to cover the onions halfway up their sides. Bake in oven, turning every hour, for 3 to 3½ hours or until onions are tender. Alternatively, wrap the onions in aluminum foil and place on the coolest part of an outdoor grill. Cook 3 to 4 hours or until onions are tender.

TO COMPLETE THE ONION AND SERVE
Remove onions from their liquid and allow to cool. Remove the inner rings of the onions, leaving the two outer layers intact. Reserve inner rings for sauce. Fill each onion with some of the barley filling. Heat onions in oven for 10-15 minutes, until hot in the center.

TO PREPARE THE BARLEY AND SWEET PEPPER FILLING: Combine all ingredients in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Toss and season with salt and pepper.

TO PREPARE THE SAVORY HERB SAUCE: In a sauté pan, combine reserved inner onion rings and wine. Cook over medium heat and reduce wine until pan is almost dry. Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Purée the sauce in a blender until smooth. Add herbs, salt and pepper. Keep warm.

ADVANCE PREPARATION: The roasted onions, the sauce and the barley and pepper filling may be made several days ahead, but keep them separate. Fill the onions the day you will serve them.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine: Vincent Lambercy: Flying, Across the Pond: Airfields named after cheese and all - you - can - eat chocolate

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

By Vincent Lambercy

Vincent Lambercy is a Swiss private pilot now living in Germany. He holds a private pilot certificate with single-engine, multi-engine and instrument ratings and has logged more than 430 hours of flight. He blogs about general aviation on plasticpilot.net and is the founder of connectingpilots.com, a website helping pilots to find more aviation connections online

Dramatic mountains, tempting cheese, world-famous chocolate, a restaurant in a chalet and a medieval castle... this month’s destination is very cliché. But there’s much more to explore and discover and those making the effort to go beyond the simple cliché get rewarded. Even if flying to an airport named after cheese might sound odd at first sight.

The Gruyères airfield is named after the region that also gave its name to the Gruyère cheese. By the way, there are no holes in the Gruyère. The one with holes is Emmental cheese which originated from another part of Switzerland. It is possible to visit many cheese production sites around the area, and almost all restaurants have cheese fondue on their menu all year long even if this is normally a wintery speciality.

The airfield’s restaurant, installed in a large wooden chalet, is one of the best reasons to go to Gruyères. In summer, the chef also opens his barbecue. The typical dessert served in this area is a meringue with double Gruyère whipped cream. During the summer months, they come served with blueberries. If you’re a chocolate lover, it is also possible to visit the Cailler chocolate factory. This is where milk chocolate was created, making chocolate more sweet than bitter. You will learn more about chocolate production during the visit and see the production lines. But the best comes in the end: exclusive access to the “all you can eat” chocolate tasting room.

If you’re more inclined towards history and architecture, you’ll enjoy visiting the Gruyères Castle. You will see it first when flying the approach. The prescribed track for downwind, base and final to runway 35 forms a loop around the hill on which the castle is built. The airfield has a single grass runway which is approximately 2,900 feet long. Both thresholds are displaced because of obstacles on final. Landing in Gruyères is usually not a problem but you’ll have to be careful with the take-off performance. The turf can be rather high and lead to a 20% penalty on take-off roll. Gruyères is near a mountainous area but is not a mountain airfield itself. However the elevation is 2,257 feet and this also reduces the take-off and climb performance.

Back in summer 2003, a Cessna 172 RG with four people on board failed to gain enough altitude to avoid obstacles. The temperature that afternoon was 32°C (89.6°F), that is 22.5 °C above the ISA temperature for that altitude. The wind was out of 250° and runway 17 was active. All conditions were met to considerably reduce the aircraft’s performance compared to a standard day at sea level. All four occupants died in the crash and ensuing fire. Do your performance homework before take-off, review your soft field procedures and stay on the safe side.

The castle was first built between 1270 and 1282 and is still in a great state of conservation. It can be visited daily and besides its historical aspect, it is also home for paintings and sculpture exhibitions. On a totally different note, there’s a museum in an other part of the castle dedicated to the works of H.R. Giger. Giger is a Swiss painter, sculptor and set designer and is best known for designing some of the creatures of the Alien movies, including the Alien itself. There’s also an “Alien bar” nearby and a shop where you can buy the Alien statues and other souvenirs.

The most admirable of all aviation activities in Gruyères takes place only every second year for a few days. A group of volunteers puts everything in place to grant cockpit access to people with disabilities. Pilots come from all parts of the world with specially fitted aircraft to share their experience. There’s a great video on this site showing the best moments of the last three editions of this event. There’s something very touching in the way these aviators transition from their wheelchairs to their cockpits. The next edition of the so-called handiflight meeting will take place in Gruyères from the 17th to the 24th of July 2011.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Feature Story: EAA Airventure Oshkosh means something different to each person who attends the air show

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

To many aviators, heading to the shores of Lake Winnebago each summer for “Oshkosh” is like going home. This event is so big, so cool and so important, we cannot imagine living through a summer without spending a few days of aviation bliss at KOSH. EAA’s AirVenture is many things, among them, it’s one giant party, a serious bash. Welcome to Oshbash, 2011!

It is hard to describe EAA’s annual convention, trade show and air show to someone who has never been lucky enough to spend a few fantastic hours in Airplane Heaven. I have tried, and it never is easy. For 51 weeks each year, Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s Wittman Regional Airport is a quiet place, much like airports across the nation. But for one glorious week in July, that all changes dramatically.

by Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Magazine Editor

Jill (Rutan) Hoffman
Over the years I’ve gone to OSH by any means possible. I’ve flown there in the baggage compartment of a Cessna, the back of a B-25, in the luxury of a G2, with Burt Rutan in many of his creations, in an airliner, and an automobile. I look forward to the time I’m able to fly my own airplane to OSH but it will not be this year. This year, I’m arriving in my least favorite mode of transportation, an airliner from Sacramento, CA. My husband on the other hand has the pleasure of flying to the show in one of the Air Force’s beautiful T-38s. As for where I’m staying this year, we plan to rent a few houses to host my entire family.

The thing I’m most excited about is seeing my family. EAA has planned a tribute to my Uncle, Burt, and my father, Dick Rutan this year. It seemed like an excellent reason to plan a Rutan family reunion. After that I’m most excited to be surrounded by airplanes and airplane people. There is no better place in the world then OSH!

AirVenture is a “can’t miss” event, and I always look forward to Dad’s talk about his world flight in the Voyager at the museum. I’ve listen to that talk for 25 years and I still hang on every word.
I’m a child of the military and I married a military man. Because of this, I’ve moved many times and really do not have a hometown. The closest thing I have is OSH. I’ve always felt that people of EAA are my extended family. So I socialize as much as I can. I never know who I’m are going to meet.

For anyone who is at the disadvantage of not knowing what EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is, I suggest they read my first book Oshkosh Memories. It is filled with stories about the greatest air show on earth. The best part is that all the proceeds go to help keep the spirit of aviation alive by helping a deserving young adult attend a Space or Aviation camp.

Tom Brusehaver
I am a pilot-builder planning on going to OSH this year. I may take my Cozy, but I also work for Southwest, so I may try the non-rev thing up there. This is one time when I get to meet face to face with the other builders of the Cozy. I also get to see some of my other aviation friends and airline co-workers.

This year being a salute to Burt Rutan, it is always great to hear his talks, but it will be great to see some of his airplanes that haven’t been around for a few years. I also love to see the vendor products and dream about what I could put in my airplane. I’m always looking for my next project too. I will probably go either Thursday evening, and stay through Saturday or Sunday depending on what vehicle I take.

Julie Vessigault
I’m planning to take the Greyhound to Oshkosh. I’ll be staying at a rented private residence with the Seaplane Pilots Association adjacent to the airport.

Primarily, I’m looking forward to seeing my air show family- air show performers and friends who are coming. I hope to also see/meet Bob Hoover. The #1 thing I want to see is Matt Younkin’s Twin Beech performance. Also can’t miss the Seaplane Pilot’s Association Splash-In and their Corn Roast.

To me, Socialization is key at Oshkosh. Outside of aviation, I’m a pretty strong introvert, but I’m at home with people who appreciate airplanes. If I had to describe AirVenture to non-pilots, I’d say it’s a lot like a trade show with airplanes, and it will change your life.

H. Michael Miley
I’ll be coming to Oshkosh in my RV...but not the type that flies. Once again, I’ll be bringing the RV to be the host of myTransponder’s activities in Camp Scholler. By the way, you can follow us on twitter as @myTransponder and the RV talks too as @HomeSweetRoad.

The pilot in me can’t wait to see all the Naval history. I want lots of thundering blue overhead! The number one thing I want to see? I want to see the people. Planes are the focus, but the people are what make the event. You can see a good example of this at the myTransponder party thursday night. Without socialization, it would be a show with 20,000 planes and nobody to tell the stories. I love seeing old friends and meeting new ones. That’s why I got involved in myTransponder.com since it is dedicated to the social side of aviation.

When I tell people about Oshkosh, to the kids, I talk about it like it’s the biggest, loudest air show they will ever see. For the military buff, I talk about the living history. To the gear heads, I invite them to come see what other builders have done to their experimental ships.

David Wallace
This is my first AirVenture and I’m flying commercially to the show. I’m looking forward to Podapolooza and the CNA airshow. I saw the Centennial of Naval Aviation show at NAS North Island, but was too far away to get decent photos of the aircraft. I am hoping to do better at Oshkosh. Also, since this is my first AirVenture and I’m solo, I don’t know of any parties or have friends attending. Am hoping something will pop up.

I tell others that AirVenture is like a business convention (booths, presentations and speakers) and car show (lots of shiny displays). I also mention that close to 20,000 airplanes fly in for the event and that KOSH is the busiest airport in the U.S. during AirVenture.

Trey Stoffregen
We’re flying in the aluminum can (AKA commercial airlines) from Texas into Milwaukee, then renting a car for the drive to Oshkosh. Flying GA didn’t make sense for me this year. I’m a relatively new private pilot, and I don’t want to deal with the traffic at OSH. I’m planning to stay at Camp Scholler.

I’m most excited about experiencing an event the size of OSH with my son (first time for both of us). The #1 thing we want to see? Airplanes (period). Also looking forward to the daily air shows and just hanging out with like-minded aviation enthusiasts.

Being a first timer, I don’t really know what to expect. I want to see the daily air shows, and I’m sure there will be other “can’t miss” events. I’m looking forward to meeting lots of new people (one of the reasons we’re staying in Camp Scholler instead of a hotel). Not sure about events or schedule yet, so no real plans to attend parties or after hours events at this time. Not hosting any events … very much an AirVenture newbie and just there to have fun. I am anticipating the coolest aviation event ever. More airplanes in one place than you can imagine.

David Vanderhoof
I am flying into Chicago and some how getting to #OSH probably by rental car. I will love to see Glacier Girl, the P-38E. She was in bits and pieces when I was there in 1992 and she was fresh from the glacier. For me its all about the warbirds! Allisons, Merlins and R-2800s. This time, I will have unlimited amounts of pictures. In ‘92, I went with 40 rolls of 36 exposure and that was a lot. I am sure I will be blowing through 8 gigs plus each day.

I definitely want to see the Centennial of Naval Aviation Interviews at night. I also want to go to the Author’s Corners, and of course want to make sure I see the show every day. This trip is all about social media for me. Air Venture always has been about the exchange of knowledge/reunion. In 1992, when I went I didn’t come back knowing really anymore people than when I left. I am expecting this year to be very different. I’m looking forward to tweetups and meetups and shaking a great number of hands. Last year, I watched jealously as people I interact with over the web were actually sitting down face to face with others.

Oshkosh is a seven-day geekfest. It’s a religious pilgrimage. If you love aviation, aviators, pilots and planes, you must once go to Mecca, otherwise known as Wittman Regional Airport. Once you are there you can realize you aren’t nuts and there are people just like you. Coming back you are changed. It’s overwhelming at first, then you realize you spend less time looking at planes and more time talking to people. I have, over time, always said it was the first air show to ever make me get sick of seeing airplanes.”

Yet I am dying to go back!

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Feature Story: Piper Aircraft EAA Airventure Oshkosh Show Prep

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

By Dan Pimentel,
Airplanista Editor

It takes a massive effort by a large team to bring Piper Aircraft’s traveling road show to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Once there, the team needs to be tenacious, flexible and excited about the product. This is not a job for amateurs.

As we stroll down the avenues and walkways that connect the many outdoor exhibits at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, it’s hard not to stop at least once and wonder how this gigantic circus celebration of aviation comes to life each summer.

Everywhere you look, evidence of months of planning and weeks of hands-on show prep are found. From a sleepy regional airport, KOSH explodes with life during late July, with trucks and crews building the exhibits that we enjoy dearly. But how does this all work, how does it all happen? What does it take to bring a large corporation’s wares to Oshkosh?

Recently, Airplanista sat down - virtually of course - with Rorie Ainbinder, Senior Manager on Piper Aircraft Company’s Marketing team. Ainbinder has been with Piper for 11 years, and has been involved in over 50+ big aviation tradeshows. The information she provided is an incredible testament to the hard work that her team puts into this event.

Airplanista Magazine: How long before the show does work begin on producing the booth concept and design?

Rorie Ainbinder: We begin working on a show approximately one year in advance. We start planning for the following year’s show during the current year’s show. We meet with the show organizers, the advertising, and sponsorship teams. Additionally, we coordinate and brainstorm with our exposition team on the display and layout for the following year.

Airplanista: What is the process to imagine the concept...how many staffers are involved, and what are the creative duties of those staffers?

Ainbinder: Our concept originates with our evolving Marketing Plan and current aircraft promotions. I then talk to our exposition team at Diversified Expo (DESI). Gary (from DESI) and I will toss around a few ideas and then I present them to the Marketing team for their review. It generally takes six to eight reiterations to come to a final decision keeping in mind that it could very easily (and usually does) changed once we get on site.

Airplanista: Once the concept of the booth designs have been finalized and goes into production, how much coordination is there to get everything to the show grounds? Please give specifics, how the move-in works, how many trucks and people are involved, how many days does it all take to set up.

Ainbinder: Nine months before the show, we negotiate and secure a hotel room block for our people at the show. Then, two months before the show, a show announcement and schedule along with an RSVP request is sent via email to our entire dealer network inquiring as to whether their team will attend, and if yes, how many, what work days and do they need show shirts. Also, about 60 days out, the graphics are designed, printed and shipped.

About 30 days before the show, merchandise for the Pilot Shop is selected based on the previous year’s sales as well as any new merchandise/apparel that we think might be appropriate. Additionally, we take into consideration the weather forecast (umbrellas, rain jackets, sweatshirts, LOTS OF HATS). Pilot Shop ships to DESI two weeks in advance of the show. Also about a month in advance, we start working with Piper’s Order & Delivery Team to acquire aircraft from dealers, Piper, and owners. We start talking about show aircraft, even though we won’t know exactly what aircraft we’ll have available until the week before.

Last, about 30 days out, we finalize travel arrangements, securing commercial air travel and rental cars. Typically we travel to Milwaukee (KMKE), and travel in teams to help control rental car expenses.

One week before the show, everything goes into high gear. Our trucks arrive on site, including the PiperJet Altaire Mobile Marketing Unit, a storage trailer, one motorhome and 5-7 aircraft. There are usually three trucks, four if we take the Meridian mock-up. They load a week before and arrive on the Wed/Thursday prior to Oshkosh and we begin the unload. We have three people from DESI as well as hired labor to help with set-up. Aircraft arrive the Friday before the show and sometimes we need to send our corporate pilots to dealerships around the country to pick up the aircraft.

On Friday before show opening, the first wave of Piper people travel to Wisconsin.

Airplanista: How many Piper employees attend Oshkosh, and what logistics are involved in housing, feeding and providing ground transportation to/from the show for the entire week?

Ainbinder: For the 2010 show, we had 46 staff members, made up of 19 Piper employees, 3 DESI employees, 22 dealer members, one University of North Dakota (UND) student and one Piper Financial member.

Regarding logistics, housing is coordinated one year in advance. We determine where we will stay based on price, location and number of rooms needed. We arrange to have a motor home on site for workers to take a break and get out from the weather. We also have beverages and food in the motor home for breakfast, lunch and snacks. Piper is a sponsor at EAA and advertises in Flying Magazine, so we are invited to eat lunch at their locations as well.

Because EAA is a long show including set up and tear down, I try to split the team. Half will arrive as part of the setup crew and work the beginning of the week and will go home on Thursday. The other half shows up on Wednesday and will be part of the teardown crew. Wednesday night we generally catch up so the first shift can debrief the second shift. Myself and two/three other team members are at EAA from beginning to end.

We all fly commercial airlines to the show. We secure several rental vans about 60 days in advance as they sell out quickly, and we’ve even left cars parked at the Milwaukee Airport as one team member leaves and another one arrives. We always encourage Piper team members to carpool for the week, and at the end of each show day, depending on who needs to attend what event, we coordinate transportation to the event or dinner and then back to the hotel.

Airplanista: Describe one nightmare story from a previous AirVenture and what it took to solve the problem so the show could go on.

Ainbinder: As you know at AirVenture you could experience heat, cold, rain or hail. On July 21, 2001, prior to the show while we were setting up, Oshkosh experienced a terrible rain storm with winds that were actually lifting our tent stakes out of the ground (We stood on the tent platforms so the tent wouldn’t blow away). Our tents were special dome shape tents and both tents ripped and tent poles bent. One in particular was beyond repair. To fix the tents and be show ready in time for opening day on July 24th, we sent one tent to a local Oshkosh sail maker. It took 1.5 days to repair the tent and we were ready to go.

The second tent was another story. The tent manufacturer was notified of the damage and was standing by. Stan Riker, Manager, Order & Delivery, is a Piper Corporate Pilot. The morning after the storm, around 6 AM, I drove Stan and another pilot to the airport. We loaded the ruined tent and poles into a Piper Meridian and they set off for Bangor, Maine and the tent manufacturer. Once in Maine they dropped off the tent and were told to wait a few hours. When the tent was show ready and new poles loaded into the Meridian, Stan and the other pilot flew back to Oshkosh, the team set up the tent and we were ready for opening day of Oshkosh. No one ever knew what happened.

Airplanista: Give my readers one fact about the whole process that they will find surprising.

Ainbinder: Generally, none of the aircraft on display belong to Piper Aircraft. Most of the aircraft are loaned to us by our Dealer Network, a university such as UND or a Piper Owner.

Airplanista: What coordination is involved in getting the airplanes there?

Ainbinder: The Marketing Department is 100% involved in the coordination in getting planes to AirVenture. We work heavily with our Order & Delivery Department. We begin planting the seed throughout our Dealer Network around May; however that is way too early to predict what aircraft will be available in July. Usually we have to wait up until a week before the show to finalize aircraft availability. Once finalized, we ask that the dealer, school or owner have the aircraft on site no later than the Friday before the show. If they are unable to ferry the aircraft to Oshkosh, we have one of our corporate pilots go commercial to the location and fly the aircraft to the show.

Airplanista: As each day of the show takes place, what efforts are made to keep all of the Piper booths staffed, up and running? What sort of problems inevitably develop, and how are they solved?

Ainbinder: Three weeks prior to the show, an extensive work schedule is designed. Each morning the work staff is responsible for checking in at the information desk for their assignment. We hold an “all-hands” briefing each morning before the show opens to go over the day’s schedule, meetings, press announcements, and any special guests. Additionally we talk about “what we are hearing in the market place” and the overall mood of the attendees. We stress the importance of leads and return on investment.

We don’t have very many problems – if they happen they are usually transparent and the public doesn’t ever see them. The team is so well-versed and experienced that we can manage through just about anything.

The biggest challenge but also the biggest opportunity is the fact that outdoor exhibits don’t actually close at a set time. The hangars close right at 5:00 p.m., but the air show continues. So we never have a set schedule - we stay open as long as there are customers. We have to keep the team fresh and energized. We make sure that they eat, take breaks, and if needed a little ice cream always helps!

Airplanista: Please offer up any other information about both the show prep and show presence that my readers will enjoy reading.

Ainbinder: EAA AirVenture is one of our favorite shows. We look forward to this event all year long. For those of us from Florida, we look forward to less humidity and cooler temperatures – while not always the case, we look forward to it nonetheless. We have certain restaurants that we plan to eat at, events that we look forward to attending, and old friends that we can’t wait to meet up with.

We have been at our current location at EAA AirVenture for two years. The team at AirVenture made it possible for us to move locations – our previous location was less visible and not optimal for displaying aircraft. We have contracted for this space for the next 5 years and LOVE IT!!! Prior to our relocation, another aircraft manufacturer had paid to have a concrete pad installed in a serpentine pattern – which is ideal for our aircraft static display.

The combined efforts of DESI, EAA, Piper and Piper’s Dealer network make this event possible - each team provides us with an immense amount of support.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine - Publisher Dan Pimentel’s Column: How do YOU describe an event as cool as Oshkosh?

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

By Dan Pimentel

Recently, I asked what a group of my Twitter followers would tell others about EAA AirVenture, that wonderful, magnificent, incredible event we all commonly refer to affectionately as “Oshkosh”.

How would they describe it, to pilots, and non-pilots. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to enjoy the show, you’ll know this is no easy task. It made me think about how I describe Oshkosh.

To non-pilots, I saw this: If you don’t have the passion to fly in your heart like the aviators that go to KOSH each July, you are incapable of imagining what this event is like. Yes, it’s a trade show, but it is THE trade show for general aviation. Sometimes I say it is like Woodstock for pilots, only thankfully without the weed. Or I say it is like the biggest amusement park you have ever been to...only way, way bigger and more exciting.

These non-pilots are never able to fully create a useable visual image of Oshkosh. I say “10,000 airplanes fly in to the show,’ and they say, “oh, you mean, like Cessnas?” It is a waste of time to try and tell them that yes, there ARE plenty of Cessnas, but also row after glorious row of every other model flying, from bizarro experimentals to flying museum pieces.

To pilots though, I take a different approach to describe Oshkosh: Think of the best fly-in you have ever been to, where cool airplanes - shiny new ones and perfectly-restored old ones - are everywhere you look. There are hundreds of pilots and aviation fans eating, drinking, chatting and gawking, and the atmosphere is jovial, uplifting and full of happy people celebrating our freedom to fly.

Now take that vision and multiply it by about 15 gazillion. So many airplanes, they stretch to the horizon. So many wonderful members of the aviation family, it is a non-stop reunion. So much to see and do, you never really know which way to turn for fear of missing something very, very cool. You will walk the exhibits and it will be Christmas morning, with the newest gear and exceptional swag coming at you from every booth. Not kidding about that part. You WILL spend money, it’s guaranteed.

I tell pilots that if they have seen aerobatic acts before, they will be nothing compared to the afternoon air shows at Oshkosh. You will see the best of the best in the air flying maneuvers that will blow your mind. You will see so many gigantic formations of warbirds fly overhead each afternoon, that the sight of 40 P-51 Mustangs wingtip-to-wingtip will seem almost normal. And it is...

Because it’s Oshkosh.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine feature story: FIFI to appear at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

First visit since 1995 for world’s only airworthy B-29 Superfortress

By EAA Communications staff

Flying again after a four-year renovation, the world’s only airworthy Boeing B-29 Superfortress, FIFI, plans a much-anticipated appearance at EAA AirVenture 2011. Part of the Commemorative Air Force’s B-29/B-24 Squadron based in Addison, Texas, FIFI will arrive at Wittman Regional Airport Tuesday, July 26, and stay for the duration, including flying in Friday’s air show, July 29, as part of the day-long veterans salute. This will be FIFI’s first appearance since 1995.

“The addition of the B-29 to the lineup at EAA AirVenture 2011 further solidifies Oshkosh as the greatest aviation gathering point in the world,” said Tom Poberezny, EAA and AirVenture chairman. “This legendary warbird represents the highest American bomber technology during World War II, and will be an integral piece of the festivities honoring those who served and sacrificed for the freedom we enjoy today.”

Joining FIFI will be country music star and pilot Aaron Tippin, who will perform on Saturday evening, July 30, as part of CAF’s “Red, White & Loud Tour.” The concert will precede the widely popular Night Air Show and Daher-Socata Fireworks, capping a day filled with memorable attractions.

“We are thrilled to bring the CAF’s ‘Red, White & Loud Tour’ to EAA AirVenture,” said Stephan Brown, CAF president/CEO. “Aaron Tippin is a great supporter of our American troops and veterans, as well as the CAF and what we stand for, honoring American military aviation through flight, exhibition, and remembrance. We are excited to celebrate America’s freedom through song and the roaring radial engines of the world’s only flying B-29 at one of the greatest aviation events.”

Over the past four years, FIFI was refitted with custom-built engines - combining Wright R-3350-95W and R-3350-26WD powerplants - to replace the Wright R-3350-57AM engines in place since the early 1970s. The refit required reworking the engine mounts and some of the engine cowling. Mechanical difficulties prevented FIFI from making scheduled visits to AirVenture in 2005 and 2006.

The B-29 first flew in 1942 and began active service in 1944. It is perhaps best known as the aircraft from which the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. It was designed as a replacement for B-17s and B-24s, capable of longer-range missions and greater bomb loads. The B-29 was also used in the Korean War in the early 1950s and was a staple of the U.S. Air Force until jet bombers began to appear in the late 1950s.

FIFI was rescued from use as a ground target for weapons tests in the 1960s and first flown by the CAF in 1971.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Feature Story: Oshbash Photography Gear

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

By Chris Batcheller, Special to Airplanista Magazine

If you’re headed out to the big show (AKA Oshkosh), you’re probably going to bring a camera. If you’re like me - you bring two, and enough gear to kill a pack mule from exhaustion.

Bringing the right gear is the key to getting great Oshkosh (or any airshow really) pictures without having to make a chiropractor appointment the Monday after the show.

The first question that you need to ask yourself is what kind of pictures do you want to take at the show? Are you just going to be taking pictures of things so you’ll remember them? Do you want to take pictures that you can enlarge to poster size and hang on the wall? Do you want something in between?

The “I Saw That” Photographer
If you’re not really worried about mega pixels and mega huge camera bags, then I would recommend just toting your smart phone (iPhone or Android) or maybe a simple point and shoot camera. Don’t discount your smart phones camera. It will take great pictures in the sun and if your shooting indoors, make sure you hold it as steady as you can, and leaning up against something solid will help. If you’re taking a picture of something close (say a flyer of the famed fish fry at the seaplane base), don’t forget to switch on the macro mode. A little google search should tell you how to do that with your phone. Most point and shoot cameras have a macro mode as well, it usually looks like a flower and will help the camera focus when you’re taking a picture of something less than 2-3 feet away.

The “Weekend Warrior”
Do you wield a camera sometime after your 9-5 boredom?

You’re going to want more than a point and shoot, and chances are you own a crop-frame DSLR. These include the Canon EOS Rebel cameras as well as the 50D, 60D, T1i, T2i, T3i and 7D. For the Nikon these include the D60, D90, D300 and D7000. If you own a Canon 5D or 5D MkII or Nikon D700 or D3 these are called full-frame cameras and the discussion about magnification below doesn’t apply to these cameras.

DSLR’s are great cameras that take nice pictures on the green square mode and fantastic pictures if you venture off a little into some of the other modes such as aperture priority and shutter priority. I recommend you learn to use your camera in full manual mode first! If you used an old manual film camera back in the day, don’t worry - shutter speed and aperture still have the same effect on the digital sensor.

Before I get into the fun stuff like lenses, don’t forget you need to carry all this crap around for a week. Your first investment should be a GOOD camera bag. Buy one that can hold whatever you plan on carrying and then some. Spend some money on it. A cheap camera bag will make your life miserable. Just remember there is a balance between carrying enough gear for a National Geographic expedition, and having just enough to get the job done.

I upgraded my bag this past year to an APE Case ACPRO2000. I can’t tell you how much I love this bag. One of the great features is that it has a rain cover that hides in a pouch on the bottom. It has lots of space and tons of places to strap stuff too. It’s tough and I’m sure it will be in use many years from now. I like that I can carry my gear and my laptop/iPad together.

Along with my camera bag, I like to have a small hard case that I can throw things into. I use a small Pelican case that’s waterproof and nearly indestructible. Into it I put my memory cards and radio triggers for using the flashes off the camera.

No matter what camera you have - and no matter what you want to shoot, you will be in the bright sun trying to see what’s on your LCD screen. I carry a Hoodman Loupe with me. This little gadget presses against the back of the camera and lets you see the LCD screen clearly in the brightest sun. It has optics that let you focus on the screen to meet your eye.

One of the challenges of airshow photography is that there are so many different types of subjects! It would be easy to tell you to bring a good telephoto, but then you would miss out on a host of great people and cockpit shots. With a telephoto, forget using this lens in the display areas. But if you have to bring one lens, and you want to shoot pictures of the airshow performances - bring a telephoto.

So to cover the bases, you’re going to want to go from wide to telephoto. You should have something that goes out to 18mm and something that goes up to 200 or 300 mm. It’s a good bet your camera came with a “kit lens” like an 18-55 for the Canons and Nikons, so that covers you on the wide end. If you wanted to go with more professional lenses, I would recommend the f2.8 16-35mm L series or the f2.8 24-70mm L Series for Canon, or the f2.8 24-70mm for Nikon.
Adding a telephoto like the lower cost Canon 55-250 or Nikon 55-200 is a good choice, or a better lens is the Canon f2.8 70-200 L Series or Nikon f2.8 70-200. The down side is the f2.8 lenses will set you back about $1000 or more than their less expensive counterparts.

Let’s talk a minute about sensor size. The consumer grade cameras all have a sensor that is smaller than the size of a frame of 35mm film - they are called “crop frame”. The next step up, or “professional” cameras have “full frame” sensors. This simply means that the sensor is the same size as a single frame of a piece of old 35mm film.

What does this mean to you? Well, crop frame cameras have a “magnification factor” usually of 1.5x to 1.6x. This simply means that with a 100mm lens on the camera, the sensor is actually seeing 150mm or 160mm effective focal length. Basically, you get free zoom out of the deal. Well, almost - there are a few tradeoffs but I won’t detail those here.

One thing that I also like to throw in my bag is a telephoto extender. You can generally get these in 1.4x and 2.0x powers. What does that mean? A 200mm lens would be a 400mm lens with a 2.0x extender. Remember that crop frame thing? That get’s added on to the the magnification of the extender. So a 2.0x extender on a camera with a 1.6x magnification factor would be 3.6x! In that case your 200mm lens goes to over 600mm!

Extensions have another bonus. Most lenses are sharpest around f8. If your shooting airplanes up in the sky on a sunny day, the camera will need to be well above f8 with shutter speeds slow enough to blur propellers (usually 1/125 to 1/250). One of the trade offs with the extension is that it takes a few stops of light - but this works to our advantage. So with the extension installed, you can shoot with slower shutter speeds and at or around f8 where the lens will perform better.
Be careful when shooting at long focal lengths (200mm and up). Remember the rule of thumb - your shutter speed should be 1 over the focal length. So 600mm would be 1/600 shutter speed! Pay extra attention to your shutter speeds when shooting uber extended! Bump up the ISO if you have to. You can’t fix blurry.

Make sure you throw in your bag at least one flash. My bag now has 5, but I’ve never been considered normal.

Using a good external flash (not the crappy pop-up one that comes installed on the camera) will really make the difference, especially in the direct sun found in most places during an airshow. If shooting a person, put their back to the sun and let the flash fill in the dark areas. If you shoot with the flash connected to the camera in TTL mode, it should figure out how much flash power you need to fill in your subject automatically.

Flashes make a huge difference when shooting cockpits because the inside of the cockpit is dark and the outside is super bright. If you can, try and bounce the flash by pointing it up or at a 45 degree angle so the head of the flash isn’t directly pointed at the instruments. That will give you less glare and softer light.

With every external flash I would recommend at least 2 sets of batteries and a diffuser or three. Diffusers come in several forms, but the type you should start with is a little piece of plastic that slips over the head, making the light from the flash a tad less ugly. A better diffuser is a small soft box sold by Lumiquest and they come in several sizes. I personally use the Softbox II and Softbox III most of the time.

I highly recommend a gel kit (the “Strobist” kit from ROSCO is a great place to start). You can use gels to balance the color of the light from the flash. In other words, you can make the color of the light match the color of the ambient sunlight or fluorescent lights to make it less obvious that your image is lit with a flash. To learn how to use gels, check out my favorite blog Strobist.com.
Far down on the list is a monopod (ok) or a tripod (better). If you’re going to do any time lapse stuff or video you will definately need a tripod. Monopods are generally useless when trying to shoot moving objects like airplanes, but can be helpful when shooting non-moving objects in low light. If you plan on shooting video with your DSLR a tripod (and a good one) is a requirement.
With digital SLR’s, it goes without saying that you will need memory cards. You will either need lots of them, or some way to store the images to a computer or iPad so you can reuse them. I generally bring a laptop and dump the cards at lunch and in the evening.

DSLR’s love batteries too. That’s why both my cameras have battery grips. Not only does the grip have an extra shutter button to make it easier to take vertical pictures, they also come with some extra battery options. The grips hold two batteries for that extra battery time when you’re shooting video. The grips hold two batteries, but will run on either one or two batteries. They also come with battery tray that takes AA batteries in case you get caught in a pinch. And don’t forget the chargers for your camera and the AA’s!

Another handy thing to have is some way to take notes. An iPhone or notepad will do the trick. Sometimes you will want to write down names or emails and other times you will want to make notes about an image like an N number or other details.

Don’t forget the non-photo essentials like sunscreen or sunblock! The sun is brutal at the end of July and its important that you stay protected so you can enjoy the show. Also a water bottle is critical to staying hydrated.

By following these tips, I hope you come away from your 2011 visit to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh with many great memories, and of course, many stunning photographs to enjoy for years to come.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Feature Story: Rutan’s Catbird coming to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

Catbird won the 1988 CAFE 400 race for airframe efficiency, fuel consumption, speed, and payload performance, and still holds two FAI world speed records.

By EAA Communications staff

If a cat has nine lives, maybe a Catbird has at least two. For the past 15 years or so, Scaled Composites Model 81 aircraft, better known as the Rutan Catbird, could be seen hanging - inverted - from the ceiling between Scaled’s offices and the flight center in Mojave, California. These days it’s back in the shop, being restored to airworthiness by volunteers so it can be flown to AirVenture Oshkosh this summer and take part in EAA’s Tribute to Burt Rutan on Thursday, July 28.

Catbird is a high-efficiency, all-composite, five-place, single-engine GA aircraft designed by Rutan when Scaled was owned by Beechcraft in the 1980s. Originally a potential replacement for the Bonanza, Catbird was one of the designs included when Scaled was sold back to Rutan and partner the Wyman-Gordon Company in 1988. Catbird replaced the Defiant I as Burt’s personal aircraft and itself was later replaced by Boomerang.

When Rutan announced plans to retire last year, Zach Reeder, project engineer at Scaled, recalls mentioning to him, “You know, we need to drag that airplane down,” pointing to the Catbird hanging from the rafters. “Burt’s response to me was, ‘You can get it down if you can get it to Oshkosh.’” That lit the spark, and this past January, after talking with some others about it, steps were taken to tackle the challenge. If everything goes as planned, the aircraft will make test flights in early July, and be all ready for the flight to Oshkosh.

Other volunteers working on the airplane include Jim Reed, an A&P mechanic with the spaceship company, and other folks from the Scaled and Mojave neighborhood. The volunteer group is sponsored by Burt and Tonya Rutan, Mike Melvill, Aircraft Spruce, Lycon, Airflow Performance, Hartzell Propeller, and Weldon. (Those wanting to contribute to the project can contact Jim Reed via e-mail.)

Catbird, which has appeared at two previous EAA conventions including its 1988 debut, is the first aircraft in which Rutan used forward-swept, all trimmable T-stabs. The same design was used on later aircraft including the first White Knight.

Scaled Composites Model 81 is a fairly low-time airplane, with a total of 340 flight hours. When Scaled employees threw Rutan a retirement party earlier this year, Catbird was on display, sitting on its gear with a borrowed prop from a Long-EZ.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Feature Story: Book Review: Rutan’s Race to Space

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

A “must read” for fans of Burt Rutan’s innovative designs

By Dan Pimentel, Airplanista Editor

I receive so many requests to review books these days, I generally pass simply because I have neither the time nor staff to read books. Occasionally, a publisher will just try their luck and ship a hard cover edition to me, hoping it might catch some of Airplanista’s virtual ink.
When that happens, most often I glance at the book, set it down and move on to something pressing. So when I opened up the package sent to me by John Wurm of Quayside Publishing Group, I expected yet another book to be enjoyed later.

Thankfully, I was wrong this time.

Inside the package was a copy of Dan Linehan’s work entitled Burt Rutan’s Race to Space; The Magician of Mojave and his Flying Innovations (Zenith Press, 160 pages). Being a hardcore fan of everything Rutan has done in his stellar and legendary career, this book immediately earned my full attention.

This beautiful work is well-illustrated throughout with page after page of images, drawings, sketches and illustrations, many donated to the project “Courtesy of Burt Rutan.” The art compliments Linehan’s words, which tells the story extremely well.

After a great forward by “first commercial astronaut” Mike Melvill that sets the scene eloquantly, Linehan starts by telling of Rutan’s boyhood dreams. But it quickly gets right into the history of his designs in chapter 1, explaining in great detail Rutan’s early designs, including VariViggen and the VariEze homebuilt.

Chapter two is equally entertaining, as Linehan takes the reader through the history of some amazing designs, from the Quickie to the Boomerang.

After telling the Scaled Composites story in full in chapter 3, Linehan goes full-tilt into the space age in chapter 4, talking about SpaceShipOne and White Knight with plenty of backstory on the Ansari X Prize and the ascension of commercial space travel.

And in chapter 5, the author verbally paints a vivid picture of the “next generation” of aviation, describing everything you need to know to understand the concepts, theories and vehicles that are pushing commercial space travel forward. One notable side bar: Linehan asks the question of whether Rutan will be the first designer to offer homebuilt spacecraft. While the inquiry goes unanswered, it does succeed in pushing the reader to imagine the possibilities.

Unless you are a scholar of everything Rutan, I promise there will be many, many surprises in this book. And you will come away from it with a much more profound respect for a man who, in my opinion, is modern aviation’s most innovative aerospace engineer.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Feature Story: A local’s guide to Oshkosh eats for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

Everyone loves a brat served hot off Johnsonville’s 18-wheeler grill. But for restaurant recommendations off the show grounds, Airplanista Magazine called on EAA’s Chief Photographer, Jim Koepnick, who lives in Oshkosh, to give us proper direction.

Photos and story by Jim Koepnick, for Airplanista Magazine

While EAA AirVenture offers a wide variety of food vendors to satisfy your appetite while on the convention grounds, visitors to AirVenture each have their favorite local favorites. Including me.

The top two places that come to mind seem to be favorites with all my AirVenture friends. When in Oshkosh, you have to visit Ardy and Ed’s and Leon’s. Both are drive-ins...both with a 50s theme. Ardy and Ed’s drive-in, on the corner of South Main and 24th Avenue, is a classic with roller-skating car hops. Leon’s, just off North Main at the intersection with Murdock doesn’t feature the roller skates, but does have car hops dressed in Poodle Skirts. Which to choose? The decisions only get more difficult..Ardy and Ed’s has hand-packed ice cream while Leon’s has soft-serve custard. The best answer, of course, is to try both and decide for yourself.

Now that we’ve eaten dessert first, on to the main course. What else tops my list of Oshkosh favorites? One place has to be the Roxy Supper Club (571 N. Main Street). It’s been around since I was a kid and has been a mainstay for dining in downtown. If you want to accent your meal with a true Wisconsin delicacy, ask for a “side o’ Perch” as our friends from Canon do each time they visit. You can’t get more Wisconsin than that. Want a little more ambience with your meal?

Fratello’s (1501 Arboretum Drive) and Becket’s (1 City Center), both along the Fox River, are favorites for an upscale meal with great atmosphere. Fratello’s is a wonderful place to get together at the outdoor tiki bar, and I love the homemade potato chips. When at Becket’s, forget the french fries...go for the potato croquettes when you order another Wisconsin tasty treat like Walleye Pike.

Another favorite on the west side of town is Kodiak Jack’s (2059 Witzel Avenue). Huge bar, great salad bar, and more stuffed animals on the wall than you can imagine in one spot!

Looking for something a little more casual., and a little less “fast food”? The Chalice (1741 N. Main St.) started out being a popular “secret” in Oshkosh. I say secret because for years there wasn’t even a sign telling you it where it was. It’s fame spread only by word of mouth. There is a sign outside now so you can’t miss it. My favorite is the omelette sandwich, but all the sandwiches are not only great, but huge. It’s sister restaurant, Pilora’s (910 N. Main) is a quiet little haven from the hustle of a day at AirVenture. They also have some of the best salads in town (chicken salad with grapes!).

Bar menus are also a popular way to enjoy the taste of Oshkosh, as they serve up some trademark specialties. The chili dogs at the Trail’s End bar on Merritt and Broad are legendary. People have been known to have them shipped home so they can enjoy them long after AirVenture is over. Another favorite, within walking distance from the North 40 camping area on AirVenture grounds, is Friar Tucks. It’s dark, quiet and friendly...and serves up huge hamburgers as well as another Wisconsin favorite...fried cheese curds.

Lara’s Tortilla Flats (715 N. Main Street) is always a favorite for Mexican food. It started as a little “hole in the wall” restaurant in the 80’s and has grown into a new building with great food and ambience. South of the Border (800 Oregon Street) is another favorite, as is Durango’s (2070 S. Koeller Street).

A quest for great food in Oshkosh would not be complete without pizza. Just north of the airport is West End Pizza (1414 West 20th Avenue), another year-round favorite of the EAA crowd. Like your pizza with really thin crust? Then Cranky Pat’s (100 N. Main Street) has the best in town.

These are only a few of my favorite Oshkosh eateries. Each unique and each sharing a little bit of Wisconsin and Oshkosh to air show visitors. When you ask about favorite Oshkosh restaurants, everyone has an opinion. “Don’t forget Robbins...or Brooklyn...or Vitales...or Primo”. And that’s just in Oshkosh. There’s also Horan’s in Omro, the Fin and Feather in Winneconne and Bill and Stell’s, where you can get the best Wisconsin fish fry in the little town of Eureka. Part of the fun is exploring the local places and finding your own favorite.

While all of these are favorites, I will also add that you can usually find me, along with a special group of local photographers, enjoying the soup and sandwiches at Planet Perk (100 City Center). Perk offers not only great coffee but great sandwiches and a quiet place to talk or read...just in case you need a short break from the sound of airplanes.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Monthly Column: Dick Knapinski: The Countdown Clock

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

By Dick Knapinski

Dick is a private pilot who flies a 1967 Piper Cherokee 140. He currently is Communications Director for EAA, a position reached after a long, winding road through broadcast and print journalism, not to mention a passion for gluing airplane model parts to his parents’ kitchen table as a boy.

Here in the EAA offices in Oshkosh, there’s one guy who keeps a little hall monitor on the wall outside his office. The monitor never says anything to us who pass by it every day. It doesn’t have to. One look says it all.

The hall monitor is a digital EAA AirVenture countdown clock. In August, its owner resets it after the fly-in finishes, at about 355 days or so. Each day when we walk by his office, the number diminishes. It doesn’t seem so bad when it reads 300, or even 200. When that clock gets inside 100 days remaining, though, our mental motors switch on. We also swear at the clock’s owner. It’s time to kick prep work into high gear.

As you read this, we’re inside four weeks to opening day at Oshkosh. The campgrounds have officially opened and volunteers are coming in greater numbers each day. Even after 20 years, it’s still exciting to watch the AirVenture grounds grow, but it’s more than a little anxiety-inducing as well.

There are all the unanswered questions: Did we miss anything? … Didn’t we say last year we were going to replace that part before next year’s event? … Ah, heck, it’ll be OK for one more year … Did the supplies come in yet? … What does the weather forecast say?

Anyone who has planned anything from a church card party to a mega-event the size of AirVenture knows that feeling. If you sit still, it’s time lost. There’s always one more thing to get done. And something will not go the way you planned.

There are well-meaning people who start their phone calls to you with, “Hey, I know you’re really, really busy, but…” This statement is an ill wind and usually bodes no good. Something is about to be added to your list.

A lot us of make lists. Then we compare lists. Then we make more lists to track the combined lists. Plus one more list to tell us where we put all the lists and who to call in case you lose the list.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not complaining. I’m a person who has worked in a newsroom or something like it for nearly 30 years. The adrenaline rush of a deadline lets me know I’m alive. Just after July 4th, however, the task at hand here in Oshkosh as opening day rushes toward reality always seems more enormous than what could ever be accomplished.

Somehow things just start to mesh. I wish I could say there are magic pixies who drop in on, say, July 17, and put everything into order, make the flowers bloom and the port-a-potties clean. The reality is that it’s a tremendous amount of hard work by EAA volunteers, staff, contractors, suppliers, local folks, and lots of others. AirVenture is an example of what can happen when people say as a group and individually, “I’m not going to be the one who will let this fall short.”

As July ticks by, there are Oshkosh milestones that tell us show time is near. More campers appear in Camp Scholler. The exhibit tents begin to get roofs and walls. Truckloads of golf carts arrive. Boxes and crates and pallets of programs, schedules, signs, chairs and a zillion other items are dropped off. The guy on our receiving dock has probably signed more autographs than Brett Favre.

Then, one day the week before opening day, a single airplane lands and taxis into the North 40. The pilot and sometimes a passenger pull out a tent and pop it into place. They’re not here to work. They’re here to watch everyone else come in. Our own aviation Brigadoon is about to become real again.

I know each of the airplanes that lands at Wittman Regional Airport carries people who have their own dreams and goals for their personal Oshkosh experiences. Each of those hopes is different, but I see the work everyone has put in to make each of those experiences a great one. I hope you take a moment to appreciate what they do.

It also launches my own personal set of superstitions. I’ve got a few that I get kidded about. One of them is that I never wear the current year’s AirVenture cap until opening day. I don’t know where I picked up that habit – probably because one year I forgot about the hat until the first official day and the routine stuck. For me, there’s something about arriving on the grounds at oh-dark-thirty A.M. on opening day, reaching across the truck seat, and putting that brand new cap on my head. It’s the start of a great adventure for that hat and me, a journey where we don’t know what will happen over the coming seven days, but that it will be memorable for its own reasons.

So, it’s nearly time to put on the new cap. It’s show time at Oshkosh. I can’t wait, and I hope to meet you there.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Monthly Column: Joe Clark: Racing history and the wind

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

By Joe Clark

In 1929, Amelia Earhart and 19 other women pilots competed in the First Women’s Air Derby when they raced from Santa Monica, CA to Cleveland, OH. It was the start of something big; at the end of the race, Earhart and the other racers banded together in camaraderie. The meeting of this assembly of women flyers eventually evolved into the famous group, The Ninety Nines.

Throughout the 1930s, the women pilots raced around the continent in an event covering different cities and areas of the nation. The races ceased during the war, but started again after the war as the All Women’s Transcontinental Air Race, or the AWTAR. Most from around the United States and in the aviation industry knew of this race by its alternate name, The Powder Puff Derby.
Officials have since renamed the race as the Air Race Classic. Indeed, as with the races of yesteryear, the event is just as exciting and important in promoting general aviation today as it was in 1929. Two women from Embry-Riddle will compete in this year’s race.

The race covers a route of approximately 2,400 miles over a four-day period. The pilots are restricted to day VFR flying and they are also issued their handicap for the race. The pilots do not compete against one another, rather they fly to the best of their ability to attain the highest groundspeed possible over their handicap speed.

This results in the race being one of “flying the best possible cross country,” rather racing in the typical sense of the word. As such, the winner remains undeclared until the last crew has crossed the finish line and race officials evaluate the numbers. As officials and racers have noted, the winner could very well be the last airplane to land at the finish.

This year, Embry-Riddle will field two of the contestants, Rachel Petersen and Taylor McWilliams. Petersen is a flight instructor who graduated from the Aeronautical Science degree program and has been working as a CFI for two years. She originally hails from Vancouver, but moved to Tampa, FL with her mother when she was twelve. She is presently working on her master’s degree in airport operations. McWilliams, a senior at the university, is also in the Aero Sci program. Both are very excited about the race.

“We will be flying a Cessna 172 Nav III model,” Petersen said when asked about their craft. “The tail number will be November 392 Echo Romeo.” She went on to say that the airplane will be equipped with an autopilot and that 127.5 is their handicap speed this year. “We don’t usually do that, even at 2500 rpm, so we will have to use tailwinds to get above 127.5.”

McWilliams, originally from Cambridge, MD, is very excited about being in the race. She is looking forward to the experience of flying through the Midwestern states as they zigzag their way from Iowa, to South Dakota, to North Dakata, and back into to South Dakota. From there, the race travels to Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Louisana, Arkansas, and then to the final landing in Mobile, AL.

“I have never done anything like that,” she said, sitting in the offices on the flight line at the university. “I have done a cross country from Maryland to Fort Lauderdale, which was about nine hours in one day, but uh, nothing really out west.”

Both pilots underwent a rigorous selection process for the flight. The committee chose them based on their experience, their enthusiasm, and their compatibility. As Petersen put it, they try to choose pilots who will work together to build on each other’s personalities in order to excel in the race.

The flight instructor went on to say they would have their own website on which they would post a blog about their race experience. It would include their daily triumphs, as well as photos along the way. “The website is.” Petersen added the race organization also has a website for more information.

As the two young women talked about their upcoming race, they displayed the enthusiasm and eagerness, which was part of the reason the committee chose them for the race.

As with many of the students at Embry-Riddle, both racers knew they were going to be professional pilots at a young age. McWilliams when she was 13 as a result of getting the ride of a lifetime in an L-39 training jet; and Petersen at age 12 following a school assignment in aviation. Both indicated that ever since those life-changing events, they always knew they were agoing to be aviators.

By the time this goes live on the web, the race will be over. The scheduled race dates are June 21 – 24. Here’s wishing success to the ERAU racers and a safe journey for all.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Feature Story: Book excerpt: A Silver Ring by Nathan Carriker

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

By Nathan Carriker

After successfully handling a “two-bottle” engine fire shortly after takeoff, second-generation pilot and regional airline captain Paul Prator is “debriefing” with his copilot in the hotel bar when he strikes up a game of foosball with a beguiling young lady. The first woman ever on Cleveland’s Fire Department and only granddaughter of its haughty old Chief, headstrong Christina Lawton puts the shy pilot with a chip on his shoulder instantly, oddly, at ease.

“Cut me some slack, I’ve had kind of a rough day,” Paul said while trying to nonchalantly rise to the oddly formidable challenge of getting two quarters into the foosball table’s coin slots.

“Oh, yeah? So what exactly do you do anyway, if you don’t really repair dartboards?”
“Nothing quite so important, really. I’m a pilot.”

“You mean, like, airplanes?” Christina burst out laughing at what she’d call the ‘bimbosity’ of her question, covering her mouth and closing her eyes as she hung and shook her head. After a moment, she looked back at him, uncovered her mouth and held up the hand that had been covering it, saying, “Ok, now you’re probably wondering if I’m drunk—or secretly blonde!”

“I can think of one way to prove that one,” he mumbled with a ventriloquist’s smirk.

“No, that’s a fair question, really. There’s balloon pilots, helicopter pilots, even guys who drive boats call themselves pilots, but we fight that when we can. You ready?”

She nodded, and Paul dropped the ball through the chute in the middle of the table.

“So, who do you fly for? Are you one of those guys that fly executives around in Learjets, or in the Air Force, or what?” Christy had the ball well into his side of the table, and was maneuvering for a shot.

“I fly for a commuter airline, you might have heard of them, BlueSky Airlines.” Paul’s right hand was making his goalkeeper pace in his box, his defense still in their positions under his left, awaiting a chance to steal the ball.

“I’ve heard of them, but I thought you had to be older to do that, I mean, no offense or anything, but how did you get that job at your age, or are you way older than you look?” She flicked her left hand, and one of her attack figures slammed the ball to Paul’s goal, but it glanced off the side of his goalkeeper’s foot.

“How old do I look?” His defense passed to his midfield.

“I’m not answering that.” She smiled, coy again. “But am I wrong about thinking you’re young for an airline pilot?” Christy’s own midfield tipped Paul’s wayward pass, and she passed it to her attack.

“No, I am young, but I’ve had a few breaks, and I knew what I wanted to do since I was a little kid.” Paul’s defense and goalkeeper were getting fidgety as Christy’s attack maneuvered for another shot.

“Were you ever in the Air Force, or Navy or something, because, I mean, well there I go again.”
She started to lose the ball again, realized it, and fired off a quick and dirty kick that her relatives even heard hit the back of the goal box. She’d taken an early lead.

“You don’t have to join the military to become a pilot, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
She could have been stone deaf and still known—she’d hit a nerve.

“I would have loved to, but I started wearing glasses in 4th grade, so obviously I could never handle an F-14.” He pointed at his eyes, “Contacts. I’m ‘living a lie’.” Sarcasm ran like blood down his chin.

“So I did the next best thing, and now I’m kind of glad I did, because I’ll get hired at a big airline like Universal years earlier this way and be a captain by the time they can even hire a guy my age who’s in the military now. Then we’ll see who can fly and who can’t.

He finally noticed how Christy was hunkered down, waiting for the storm to pass.
“
I’m 23, by the way.”

Paul wasn’t a habitual liar, and it surprised him that he was would stoop to exaggerating his dim career prospects to her, just to help his case. What the hell was he so ashamed of? He’d just saved almost two dozen lives in his little “puddlejumper.”

“Wow. Well, that’s cool. But, you might want to stop talking so much and concentrate on your game, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

“Really? Ok, why don’t you serve, smart-ass, and tell me your life story while I tie this thing up, unless you don’t think you’ll have time.”

She held the ball up before serving it, chiding him, “Oh, I think I’ll have pllllenty of time.”
Paul made a face he usually reserved for his sister and hadn’t used since junior high.

“Well, I’m a firefighter, like them. Only, hopefully, not much like them.” Christina dropped the ball into the chute, and fought to gain control of it, but it angled quickly to Paul’s midfield, and he swung hard for a goal immediately but was stopped by one of Christy’s unattended defense.

“I tooold you,” she almost sang. Paul thought he’d never heard those three words sound so damned good.

“So, you’re a pilot. I always wondered how people get started doing that.” Christy dribbled the ball between two of her defense, waiting for Paul to start talking again.

“I hear that a lot. In my case, I think I was just made for it. Except for the nearsightedness, anyway. That was a pretty short life story, by the way. It’s almost as if you need me to do all the talking to score on me.”

Christy passed the ball straight from her defense to her attack, saying nothing in response.
“I don’t remember ever not loving airplanes, which is what my dad says, too. I think it’s just in our blood.”

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Monthly Column: Paul Tocknell: Ask a CFI

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

Paul Tocknell is a flight instructor and corporate pilot from Dayton, Ohio. Paul has been an active flight instructor for over 10 years and holds numerous jet type ratings on his ATP certificate. Paul enjoys helping pilots answer their flight training related questions on his website at askacfi.com

Here are some of the questions recently submitted to askacfi.com. One of the nice things about askacfi.com is the fact that your answers don’t come from one instructor but from a TEAM of instructors! Some of these answers were provided by other instructors. Do you have a flight training question? Ask a Flight Instructor! Find us on the web at: http://www.askacfi.com.

Adarsh asks: Is there a limitation on how long an IFR ground school endorsement is good for (i.e., do you have to take the knowledge exam within a certain time period after you finish ground school)?

Instructor Wes Beard answers: There is no time limitation on the knowledge test endorsement. Theoretically, you can receive the endorsement 10 years before you actually take the test. I wouldn’t recommend it though. The questions are updated all the time and if you wait long enough, the knowledge test area could change as well.

Dan asks: I have been hearing many discouraging and negative comments about becoming a pilot. I have read that pilots are underpaid, overworked and have bad job security. Is it true?

Instructor Paul Tocknell answers: The truth is that right now many Americans, in all kinds of fields, are feeling underpaid, overworked and worried about their job security; not just pilots! That being said, I’m proud to say that as a corporate pilot, I definitely think I have a wonderful job. I can’t imagine doing anything else for a living and looking back, I would not change a thing. At times, it has been very rough and I questioned what I was thinking on career day, but overall, I have enjoyed the journey.

Unionized airlines pilots, in particular, have been especially hard hit by the recent economic developments. I hate to draw assumptions, but I would guess that might be where some of your “discouraging and negative comments” have originated from. The good news is the pay and benefits at the airlines is cyclical and although we may never see the pay and benefits return to pre-2001 levels, as the pilot population shrinks and general population increases, “pilot” will still be a necessary and sought after occupation. This may not happen in the immediate future, but 10-15 years down the road, a pilot shortage will occur and in my opinion, increased pay and benefits will follow.

Generally, the people who are successful in this field are PASSIONATE about aviation. If you have a real passion for aviation and know how to network with other passionate aviators, I believe that in any economy you will be able to find a good paying job that can provide for your family.

Dan also asks: What is the best degree to get alongside your experience and time at flight school? Is aeronautical engineering the best option or will any degree be considered ok?

Instructor (and airline pilot) Patrick Flannigan answers: Generally, all you need in aviation is a degree – the type does not matter. Think of your degree as a backup. If you get furloughed, lose your medical or a flying career just doesn’t work out for whatever reason, you need to have something to fall back on.

If you’re looking for something that might indirectly help, you could look at engineering, math or science paths. It won’t help you land a flying job any better, but you will probably develop better insight into the how and why of flight planning and aerodynamics.

There’s no need to get too technical either. Now that I write so much on my blog-www.aviationchatter.com- I wish that I had more formal training. A journalism or mass-communications degree might have been more helpful with that. Follow your interests with the degree – it’s your plan B.

Airplanista Aviation Magazine Feature Story: Mike Goulian: Focus + Drive = Perfection

This aviation magazine article was originally published in the July, 2011 issue of Airplanista Magazine. You can view the original story in our digital aviation magazine here.

By Dan Pimentel, Airplanista Magazine Editor

Among aerobatic pilots entertaining us at air shows around the world, only a tiny handful have earned the reputation to be known as “rock stars” in their field. Mike Goulian is one of those stars. When the announcer says he’s diving the Whelen EXTRA 330SC into “the box” to begin his routine, it’s a call that immediately moves everyone a few steps closer to the flight line, their eyes glued to the sky.

Those who have been lucky enough to have seen Mike Goulian perform an aerobatic routine know his show is always solid, and as far as we mere mortals can tell, the picture of perfection. He commands maximum performance from his airplane, and delivers ridiculously fast snap rolls, inverted maneuvers and other “high G-load” extreme stunts that no human body should be capable of enduring.

Yet, we see Goulian do this week after week during air show season. Many of us watching certainly must wonder what is life like for a major-league aerobatic pilot, asking ourselves how they can accomplish such a high stress, physically-demanding routine while making it look so easy.

To get inside this story, I asked Goulian to stop rolling his EXTRA 330 long enough to provide the backstory of his life to Airplanista Magazine. After reading his notes, the main point that pops out is what you don’t often think about...the business end of a professional aerobatic team. Without the help of dedicated team members, a long list of loyal sponsors, some hot mechanics and team players, and his wife Karin, Goulian might be kicking back next to you on the flight line watching the other acts.

“Make no mistake about it,” says Goulian, “if you’re part of a professional air show team, you’re a marketing company that just happens to use an airplane and the air show as marketing vehicles. The flying performance becomes the smallest part of the job every week. For Goulian Aerosports, I’m guessing our staff of four spends approximately 80% of our time doing things relating to marketing and sponsorship. We focus hard on flying but we focus just as hard on all of the other aspects of our business. That’s probably the biggest misconception about what we do. Remember, we’re at the air show for five days and usually spend just 12 minutes in the air on a performance day.”

But WOW, what a thrilling 12 minutes they are! If you have ever gone through IFR training and did a few unusual attitudes sessions, you might have a microscopic idea of the physiological challenges Goulian faces during a routine. To teach unusual attitudes recovery, the CFI made you close your eyes, look in your lap with the hood on while he/she cranks and banks the plane. When asked to look back up, open your eyes and determine from your instruments - quickly - what the plane is doing, that moment of vertigo and uneasiness throws your situational awareness completely out of whack. So multiply that times about a million and you might understand what it’s like inside Goulian’s head when pulling out of yet another series of crazy maneuvers that should have his inner ear crying for mercy. It is here that conditioning is literally the key to survival.

“For me, the biggest thing is trying to stay oriented with the amount of very high speed multiple rotations I do during my air show,” Goulian explained. “In a modern air show, the pilots are pulling around 11 positive and 6 negative Gs, so when asked the question, do I get dizzy? The answer is YES!! That’s why you see me do a lot of rolls in one direction and then stop and do a couple in the opposite direction. I unwind myself.”

To stay in prime shape for this kind of flying, Goulian stays extremely active, knowing that he is every bit an athlete, and his entire body needs to be toned, fit and healthy. On the road, he says, keeping that level of fitness is sometimes a challenge.

“I think the physical conditioning is more important in the modern aerobatic planes than it was twenty years ago,” say Goulian. “For an exercise program, I’m really looking for overall fitness, which is incredibly important when you’re trying to stay physically fit over a nine-month period of living on the road. The hours in the air show industry are long. Most days are 12 – 15 hours of walking, talking, smiling, and flying. It’s not too bad for a day or two but over a period of time, it wears you down. My workouts usually consist of 30 minutes of cardio on a stationary bike or elliptical machine. As for weight training, I rely on machines more than free weights and try to get in as many reps as I have time for, given my schedule. In the winter, I spend a lot of time in a swimming pool with a very unique professional who trains athletes ranging from ballet dancers to Olympic skiers to the New England Patriots. The water is amazing for keeping my total body muscle strength where it needs to be.”

He needs this level of conditioning because on a regular basis, Goulian pummels his body in ways the average pilot cannot imagine. “Over the last couple of seasons, I have had recurring neck strains from trying to turn my head when under a lot of Gs. It’s been difficult to deal with, as the biggest thing an acro pilot needs to be great in an air show is mobility in the cockpit as it relates to your head and neck. Needless to say, I have spent many hours on the massage table and in the chiropractors office.”

Anyone who has spent time on the road even for a few days knows it can throw your body clock and mental sharpness into a tailspin. So when you spend nine months on the road and your job is to fly airplanes in dangerous ways, what secrets would you need to employ to be able to put your game face on when it’s time to drop into the box at show center? The main thing to strive for is focus.

“Living on the road is more difficult than people think,” explains Goulian. “How you pack, what you pack, what you eat, where you eat etc. are all the little things that keep you “comfortable” on the road. Comfort is key. Everything I do is totally the same and planned at each venue I go to. My team laughs at me because I totally unpack and put all of my clothes in certain piles etc. It all leads to repetition and being in the zone. That’s the key. So when you talk about being focused, it gets as nitty gritty as where I put my shoes each day. Also, proper nutrition is important. I have my own blender that I bring on the road to make my breakfast shakes each morning, and I always have a cooler with me so I can eat the right food each day.”

Being in the zone, staying sharp and making no mistakes are all key elements to Goulain’s life as a professional air show pilot. It helps to have a mind as well conditioned as your body. “Mental preparation for air show flying is really about focus,” he says. “There are a ton of distractions that can be harmful to your performance. I get ready for each flight by taking at least an hour and putting on my iPod to get away from it all. For me, I never “shut off” the mental part of my life. Really, every day as an aerobatic performer, you must think about flying if you want to be at the top levels of this profession. Performance is everything to me so I think about it morning, noon, and night.”

This life might seem like one not suited for everyone, but for this pilot, there was never any question that aerobatics would be his destiny. “I was sure I would love aerobatic flying before ever stepping into that Bellanca Decathlon in 1984 to try my first roll with my first aerobatic instructor, Donald Dutton. In fact, I was taking aerobatic lessons while still just a student pilot. I do not recommend that today, but I was so intent on getting started flying ‘acro’, that I was training to get my private and training in aerobatics at the same time,” Goulian said.

Today, Goulian has about 8,000 hours, holds ATP, SEL & MEL ratings, is type-rated in Lear Jet & Citation 500 series, and owns an A36 Bonanza to fly when not upside-down in the show plane. While the world’s airspace might be his stage and he might be the most visible face of Goulian Aerosports, it takes a tremendous effort all year to keep this show relevant, exciting and financially solvent.

“We are lucky to have a great team, and do a lot with a little,” Goulian said. “My wife Karin really is the GM of the entire operation. She does almost all of the logistics, which is a huge task. She also does a lot for the planning with sponsors etc. We all joke that Karin is “The Boss” but we say that because I think we all know it’s true. Matt Chapman is our Crew Chief and he takes care of the Whelen EXTRA 330 which is no easy task. I spend all summer trying to break it and Matt tries to keep it together. And David Kicklight has a pretty difficult job as well. He actually flies the show plane from show site to show site. Remember, we need good VFR to fly with nothing but a GPS for navigation. We don’t push weather at all. The plane is pretty unstable – it’s like trying to fly a helicopter in turbulence while trying to fold a map. David will do many days of approximately 1,000NM in the air trying to reach a show site.”

As an aerobatics star, we know about Goulian’s job, but personally, he is very much just like everyone watching his act from below. “I am totally blessed to have the greatest family in the world. My wife is so supportive of my flying and our business, and we have a beautiful little four-year-old girl named Emily. She is the light of our life and keeps us on our toes. But when I’m not working, I try and play a lot of golf, and maybe take it a little too seriously for the game to be considered a hobby. I practice like crazy and spend a lot of time with a great coach back in Boston. I guess it’s the Type A in me, but I don’t really want to play golf unless I am competitive in it.” And being competitive is what Mike Goulian is all about.

Throughout his season, one show stands out above the rest, and we all know what that is. “AirVenture is the one place where you want to “rock it” each year. So you had better bring your ‘A’ game to EAA,” he said.

As spectators, we respect the hard work that goes into an air show act like Goulian’s. But as his red-and-white Whelen EXTRA 330 rockets towards you, know this: Its pilot has mutual respect for every set of eyes in the crowd. “The spectators at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh are smart fans, and they know a good routine when they see one. I absolutely HAVE to fly everything to perfection, because they deserve nothing less!”