The 32-page document of official procedures, known as the Oshkosh 2024 Notice, is now available online and required reading for pilots intending to fly themselves to the Wisconsin event. 

According to the EAA, there are a few changes this year that are the result of “pilot feedback and FAA review of arrival procedure recommendations.”

The EAA said the notice is in effect from noon CDT on July 18 until noon CDT on July 29. The document outlines procedures for the many types of aircraft that fly to Oshkosh for the event, as well as aircraft that land at nearby airports.

New Procedures for 2024

This year there are TFRs in the Milwaukee area that have nothing to do with AirVenture.

• On July 15-18, the Republican National Convention will be held in the region, prompting a closure of airspace. On July 25-28, the Milwaukee Air & Water Show will be conducted with a TFR of its own.
• There is a new Fisk holding procedure. There are several pages on it in the notice that include drawings of landmarks and approved routes in addition to textual descriptions called out in boldface and boxes.
• No Fisk arrivals will be permitted before 8 a.m. CDT on Thursday, July 25.

In addition, the ATC assignable transition points located west of Oshkosh will be in effect again. They are designed to reduce holding time and air traffic congestion. The points are at Endeavor Bridge, Puckaway Lake, and Green Lake. According to the notice, they will be announced on the arrival ATIS when ATC activates during times of highest traffic flow.

This year’s AirVenture marks its 71st anniversary, and safety, as always, is paramount.

“The most essential information for any pilot flying to Oshkosh involves reading and thoroughly understanding the 2024 AirVenture Notice to ensure safe operations on arrival and departure,” said Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety. “This FAA notice document states the official requirements and expectations for pilots. We also urge all pilots to log appropriate cross-country time prior to their trip to Oshkosh so they have the proficiency and confidence to fly safely.”

Pilots are advised to study the notice in advance and plan their flights carefully. 

Pro Tips:

• Add an additional 30 minutes to your estimated time en route, and be prepared to divert to another airport if weather, traffic, or an accident creates a delay.
• In addition to having the notice in digital form on your iPad or tablet, print it out and have a hard copy with you in the cockpit as a backup.

Good luck, and we’ll see you at the show.

The complete Oshkosh 2024 Notice is below. For a free, printed copy, call EAA at 1-800-564-6322.

The post Oshkosh 2024 Notice Outlines Changes for Pilots Flying to AirVenture appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The mass arrivals in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, begin on Friday, July 19, at 11 a.m. CST with the Piper Cherokees. Later at 5 p.m., the Cessnas will make the scene. On Saturday, July 21, at 10 a.m., the Mooney contingent will arrive, followed at 1 p.m. by the Bonanzas. On Sunday, July 21, at 10 a.m., the Cirrus group arrives.

How to Get Involved

These group aircraft arrivals are organized by specific type clubs well in advance of the annual aviation convention. To participate, you need to be registered, as there are a limited number of spaces available in the mass arrivals. Move quickly on this since reservations fill up rapidly.

Pilots are also required to attend a flight clinic and to be very familiar with the multipage Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) issued each year for AirVenture.

• READ MORE: Dates for Next 4 EAA AirVenture Conventions Announced

The mass arrival aircraft stage from an airport near Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH).

For pilots who aren’t going to be part of the mass arrival, the times of these events are published in the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 NOTAM to help with planning. You do not want to cut in line and disrupt the mass arrival—that’s like cutting in on a funeral procession. Just don’t do it.

More information on EAA AirVenture can be found here.

The post AirVenture Announces Group Arrivals appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

On Thursday night, the council will vote on a resolution, but that doesn’t mean the Portage Municipal Airport (C47) will close, stressed city administrator Michael Bablick.

According to Bablick, the resolution as written directs city staff to contact the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics and the FAA to determine what steps would need to be taken to shut down the 106-acre, city-owned facility and potentially sell the property to a developer. 

Bablick, who has served in his role with the city for just a few months, said  the airport has been a topic of discussion for decades.

Leif Gregerson, president of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 371 based at the airport,  pointed out that what makes the airport property so valuable is its field elevation of 824 feet, which puts the land above the floodplain for the Fox and Wisconsin rivers. 

“There have been grumblings about closure of the airport for years,” Gregorson said. “It is in the city limits, one of the few spots considered prime building location because most of the city is located on wetlands.”

According to Airnav.com, there are 21 single-engine aircraft based at the airport. Most of the traffic is transient, as the airport is a popular destination for cross-country flights.

Gregerson said that during EAA AirVenture, the aviation convention that attracts pilots from all over the world, the airport gets very busy as a popular fuel stop or a divert airport when Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) in Oshkosh is closed because of the air show or field capacity—or when the weather turns sour.

“We’re just 50 miles away from Oshkosh,” Gregorson said, “which makes the airport very convenient for pilots. Our EAA chapter sells food during that time, so the pilots don’t have to walk down the street to the convenience store.”

Other EAA activities held year-round include Young Eagles rallies and pancake breakfasts, which Gregerson said are usually well attended.

Airport History

Portage Municipal Airport was privately constructed by the Mael family in the early 1940s. The airport has two runways: 18/36, measuring 3,770 by 60 feet, and 4/22 ( 2,688 by 40). At the time, the property was a flat spot outside of town.

“In 1961 the Mael family donated the airport to the city,” said Bablick, adding that it costs the city approximately $100,000 a year to operate the facility, representing about 1.25 percent of its annual budget.

Over the decades, the city grew to a population of approximately 10,500, and the airport is surrounded by light industry and housing developments. In addition, it is hemmed in by infrastructure.

“Interstate 39 is extraordinarily close to the airport on the north, and on the south end are high tension wires, cutting off the ability to expand the north-south runway,” Bablick said.

“The high tension wires shouldn’t have been put there,” Gregerson said. “The city didn’t have the foresight to create ordinances and setbacks to protect the airport. The city did not establish any ordinances that would have protected the airport against encroachment by businesses and residential development or height restrictions.”

As an example, Gregerson, a 20-year pilot, mentioned that at one point the city was using land off the extended centerline of the runway as a dumping ground for brush and weeds cleaned up from different parts of the city. The pile grew so tall that it became a hazard for air traffic, forcing the airport manager to take the issue to public works to get it relocated so it was not situated off the end of the runway.

“The city is not anti-airport,” said Bablick, noting the idea of building a new airport in a different location has been discussed since 1965. “When there was a development plan for the airport, [it] noted deficiencies of the current property, which included the inability to extend the runway. People have been saying ‘we’re 20 years away from a new airport’ for 30 years. Twenty years ago, the city purchased farmland to the north to build a new airport, but it didn’t work out, and that resulted in bad blood with the FAA.”

Bablick said the city has never accepted funds from either the state bureau of aeronautics or the FAA for airport improvements, although the airport could benefit from infrastructure enhancements like new pavement. When an airport sponsor accepts state or federal grant funds, it often comes with the caveat that the facility must stay open and  for a specific amount of time, perhaps as long as 20 years, depending on the size of the grant.

The airport is part of the FAA National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021-2025 as a general aviation facility, even though the city has never accepted funds from the FAA or the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics.

The state bureau referred questions from FLYING to the city of Portage, and the FAA did not respond to queries by press time.

The Pilots React

When the aviation community learned of the resolution to explore the closure process, it was quick to sound the alarm. Portage city hall has been flooded with emails and phone calls urging the council to vote against the resolution to keep the airport open.

The resolution is expected to be heard at the August 24 meeting at the municipal building council chambers, located at 115 West Pleasant Street in Portage. The meeting, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CDT, will also be broadcast on YouTube at the following link:

The post Future Looks Questionable for Portage Airport in Wisconsin appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Even before the last aircraft had left the hallowed ground of Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH),

many visitors to the world’s largest general aviation event knew they had been part of something massive and unprecedented.

Dick Knapinski, EAA’s director of communications, validated this by supplying the numbers that marked this year’s fly-in convention.

• READ MORE: Oshkosh 2023 In Pictures

Number of visitors: 677,000

That’s a record total, up from the previous mark of 650,000 set in 2022.

Total aircraft: More than 10,000 arrived at Wittman and other airports in east-central Wisconsin.

According to EAA, there were 21,883 aircraft operations from July 20 through 30 at KOSH alone.

To break it down further, that’s approximately 148 takeoffs and landings per hour during the airport’s hours of operation.

Showplanes for Viewing

A total of 3,365 aircraft made the scene, including:

• 1,497 vintage aircraft
• 1,067 homebuilt aircraft
• 194 ultralights
• 134 seaplanes and amphibians
• 52 aerobatic aircraft
• 41 rotorcraft
• 380 warbirds

The People Numbers

More than 13,000 campsites, both the drive-in and fly-in variety, were booked, housing an estimated 40,000 visitors.

It is well known that AirVenture could not run without its army of volunteers. This year more than 5,500 helped out, contributing in excess of 250,000 hours.

The display hangars and showgrounds were stuffed with commercial exhibits, 848 in all.

Learning took place with more than 1,400 forums, information sessions, and presentations hosted throughout the week.

For 2023, international visitors returned in a big way, with 2,372 attendees registering at the International Visitors Tent from a record-tying 93 countries outside the U.S.

EAA officials were left impressed by the numbers. 

“We had record-setting totals of campers, exhibitors, volunteers, and more,” said EAA CEO and chairman Jack Pelton. “It was also a challenging year at times with weather, logistics, and other factors, which makes me even more proud of the efforts by our volunteers and staff to organize an outstanding event.”

AirVenture is a popular platform for product and aircraft introduction, two aspects that would be lost were it not for the vast media presence on site. This year there were 863 media representatives in attendance, representing six continents.

Virtual Visitors

Those who couldn’t make the actual trek to Oshkosh did so virtually, as social media and internet and mobile traffic registered that more than 18.3 million people tapped into EAA’s social media channels. That’s a whopping 78 percent increase from 2022.

The Gathering Shines

It was a good year for the EAA Aviation Foundation’s Gathering of Eagles, the annual event that raises funds to support aviation education programs. More than 1,000 people attended, raising more than $2 million that will be focused on EAA’s mission of growing participation in aviation.

It is well known that AirVenture is an economic engine for Oshkosh and the surrounding communities. According to a 2017 economic study from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the economic impact was estimated to be $170 million for the five counties in the Oshkosh region: Winnebago, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Brown.

According to Pelton, planning begins soon for AirVenture 2024.

“We are already looking at a number of big activities, including the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force,” he said. “Plenty of ideas have also been forwarded to us from EAA members and others that will be part of the planning for 2024.”

The dates for the 2024 EAA AirVenture are July 22 through 28.

The post AirVenture 2023 by the Numbers appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

While nearly all of us have received “the talk” regarding risk mitigation, we do not necessarily apply that wisdom as readily as we should. I was on my way to Oshkosh last week when I came to terms with my tendency to push ahead when the conditions are clearly telling me to end the endeavor.

The ingredients were familiar: a late start, slowly worsening weather, and a strong desire to reach the destination. Having never flown GA to the EAA’s AirVenture gathering, I looked forward to rocking Annie’s red wings at the controller’s command. I wondered if ATC would recognize my airplane as a Commander or simply call it a “low wing.” After several rounds of practice, touching down on imaginary dots on the 6,300-foot runway at Sullivan County International Airport (KMSV) in New York, I felt prepared to “fly down the runway” to whichever spot they offered.

• READ MORE: Active Aviation Communities Make Owning ‘Orphan’ Aircraft Easier

The weather had different plans. As I crossed Ohio, a gaggle of distant clouds gradually formed a skirmish line, cutting off the clear paths I had planned to take. The clouds didn’t look all that high, so I began a gentle cruise climb, figuring I’d be comfortably above by the time I reached them. Heck, earlier, I had squeezed between a couple of rain showers that appeared on the navigation screen, so how was this next move any different? The sun shone brightly just beyond this cloud formation. You can see where this is going.

These were cumulus clouds on their way to blossoming into thunderstorms. As such, they had no trouble out-climbing Annie, who did her normally-aspirated best to scale their ever-increasing heights. We crested 11,000 feet, with the clouds still rising above, just as the time arrived to contact Cleveland Approach for an advisory. I switched frequencies and was about to key the mic when I realized the controller might wonder what I was doing there, flying toward clouds I could not get over or around.

I had allowed my tendency toward stubbornness to take over. I recalled acting similarly decades ago while driving to Boston to visit my girlfriend, now my wife. I noticed a few snow flurries as I shoved off that February morning. By the time I neared Hartford, roughly the halfway mark, blizzard conditions prevailed, my tiny Mazda was caked with snow, and other drivers occasionally spun off the road around me. I pushed on and made it to Boston in nine hours, almost three times as long as it usually took. Definitely my most ill-advised drive. Was I doing it again, thousands of feet above the earth? What happened to getting smarter with age?

At that point, I thought about how inviting Youngstown International (KYNG) had looked several miles back. I turned around and made a beeline descent in their direction. ATIS mentioned “towering cumulus” and reports of lightning. Numerous bright spots flickered on Annie’s Strikefinder screen, which I had turned on earlier because I was not sure it worked. The clouds had turned dark and clearly were moving east, right on our tail. ATC kindly gave me the option of a straight-in approach despite a slight crosswind, which I accepted, ready to quit flying for the day. From the tower, Annie, against a backdrop of angry clouds, must have looked like a fox pursued by 1,000 hounds.

• READ MORE: Instrument Rating Can Expand Your Travel Horizons

During the last part of this episode, as I recall, I heard no other pilots on the radio. Rolling toward the FBO on the long taxiway, I passed a row of dormant C-130s. Even the Air National Guard unit based at Youngstown, it seemed, had the sense to write the afternoon off as no time for flying. While I came to the same conclusion, I should have done so earlier.

With a persistent overcast and more storms along our planned route, Annie and I decided to scrub the mission, head home to New Jersey and begin planning next year’s trip to Oshkosh. We will start with an earlier departure, allowing time to wait out the storms instead of trying to climb over them. I will also be sure to leave my stubbornness in the hangar.  

The post Flying to Oshkosh in Your Ideal Aircraft, or Not appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Answer: 

Practice reading notice to air missions (NOTAMs) because for  EAA AirVenture, there is a huge one. The NOTAM is released a month or so in advance. It comes in PDF form, and it’s often more than 30 pages long. The NOTAM contains all the information a pilot flying into and out of AirVenture needs. There are arrival and departure procedures, radio frequencies, details about Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH), notes on parking, and so on. The NOTAM is updated yearly. Study it and print it out in a hard copy and have it in the cockpit just in case your tablet—if you are an e-document pilot—fails.

• READ MORE: How Do I Report Braking Action?

Pay special attention to communications procedures. Because there are so many pilots and aircraft in the area during the event you need to keep your radio calls brief and to the point—the NOTAM has pointers on that too—and expect to rock your wings.

As far as flying techniques go, practice that wing rock—and staying coordinated—because it’s easy to get squirrely doing that. Also, practice your spot landings, because at AirVenture it’s all about landing on the green dot, the red dot, etc. You don’t want to be the pilot who messes it up for everyone else.

• READ MORE: Should You Add Flaps Mid-Takeoff on a Short Runway?

As an added layer of protection, you may want to find another pilot to fly in with, perhaps even a CFI who is experienced with going into these big airshows. Have them come along as a second set of eyes during the great adventure.

Do you have a question about aviation that’s been bugging you? Ask us anything you’ve ever wanted to know about aviation. Our experts in general aviation, flight training, aircraft, avionics, and more may attempt to answer your question in a future article.

The post How to Fly Into a Big Airshow With Confidence appeared first on FLYING Magazine.