After years of saying "I'll fly my Champ to Oshkosh someday", I finally did it! With the Bellanca still undergoing an avionics upgrade, it was the perfect year to go...well...once I got my work commitments straightened out. Despite not taking off until noon, (Hey! It was a long week and I had to pack/get gas Saturday morning!) I was off to a good start, with no issues on the way to my first planned fuel stop, Upshur County (W22). While on the ground there, a check of the weather showed the need to divert to the south to get around a front. Watching the radar in flight as I headed west, I had to divert farther south until I was heading towards Charleston, WV and hoping to beat the front there so I could hopefully grab a crew car and wait it out in comfort. I tuned into their frequency and headed for the airport. Then, I heard much larger and more capable (i.e. IFR-equipped) aircraft being diverted from Charleston, and decided that wasn't going to happen. From the ADS-B radar showing on my phone, I still had time to make it to the airport, but what I was hearing on the radio said otherwise. This was a great reminder that ADS-B data can have quite a large delay.
 |
| Weathering the storm at Summersville, WV (SXL) |
Turning due south, I headed for Summersville, WV (SXL). I tied down just in time as the sky quickly turned dark and huge wind gusts swept the airport. There was very little rain. Looking at the radar, the airport luckily ended up in a gap in the front, with a band of heavy rain on both sides of it. SXL has a double-wide trailer turned FBO that is open. When you walk in, it feels like walking into a house, not a business, like an apartment that comes partially furnished and is currently between renters. It is a nice homey airport though, with two red crew cars, the keys for which are in binders on the kitchen table. Once the worst of the storm passed, and I was assured of my airplane's survival, I took one of the cars and headed out to find some dinner while I waited for the ceilings to lift. As it turns out, SXL is in a beautiful location on a lake and seems to be a popular vacation destination. Hiking, camping, and the campground's "General Store" were all within walking distance of the airport gate. I made a mental note to come back and explore sometime!
 |
| Summersville Lake on departure from SXL |
I had time for one more leg before dark, so I made a beeline for Pickaway County Airport (CYO) in Ohio. The airport seemed to be deserted except for a large turbine Air Tractor. I tied down right at sunset, and settled in on the FBO couch for the night. Except for a helicopter that flew in for gas around 2 AM, I slept great!
 |
| Air Tractor at Pickaway (CYO) |
The crop dusters were up early, loading up the plane. I took off right after them, headed west. I had planned for my next stop to be on the southwest side of Fort Wayne, IN. While enroute though, I heard some familiar voices on the radio headed for Smith Field Airport (SMD) on the north side of the city. Since it appeared weather would have me spending some time in Ft. Wayne, I opted to change my plan and meet up with my buddies...even if they were flying Cubs. We ended up getting the crew car and grabbing brunch while we waited out some weather. Then, once the worst of it had passed, we launched into a light drizzle towards our next stop - Valparaiso, IN (VPZ).
 |
Two of the Cubs I met up with at Smith Field (SMD) (the Cirrus was not with us)
|
After VPZ came the most scenic part of the trip - flying up the Lake Michigan coast past Chicago. The sun was finally starting to peek out and the air over the lake was smooth. It was wonderful!
 |
| Cub over Chicago |
 |
| The Chicago skyline, low and slow |
We landed at Burlington, WI (BUU) for a very quick fuel stop for the shortest-legged Cub and then headed for Dodge County (UNU), hoping to fuel up and make it into Oshkosh that evening. Alas, it was not to be, as the "conga line" of aircraft to get into Oshkosh stretched over 40 NM southwest to Endeavor Bridge and then almost 30 NM south to the edge of the Madison Class C. So, we opted to stay overnight in Portage, WI (C47), about halfway between Endeavor Bridge and the Madison Class C, then head into Oshkosh first thing in the morning.
 |
| Departing Portage (C47) |
We were at our planes bright and early and back in the air before 7 AM headed for Oshkosh. Already, the traffic on the route was considerable. I was leading the way with the Legend Cubs bringing up the rear and the ADS-B-less "real" Cub in the center for safety. Having slowed to Cub speeds, we were getting passed on all sides. We weren't able to pick up the arrival ATIS before takeoff. The distance was too far for the radio, the phone line wouldn't connect, and the liveatc wasn't working. I was finally able to pick up OSH approach about 30 NM out (I never was able to get the ATIS) and was shuffling my NOTAM papers getting ready for arrival, when suddenly I was rocked by strong turbulence. I quickly glanced up to see that an aircraft had passed directly over me at what seemed to be about a 50 ft vertical offset! I am not sure he even saw me! Which brings up another good lesson about ADS-B: just because you have ADS-B out does NOT mean other aircraft will see you! Yikes! At this point, I was swearing off Oshkosh all together saying this was the last year I was going.
 |
| Oshkosh Runway 27 |
After the hairy approach, landing at OSH was smooth and uneventful. I made one booboo when ATC told the "yellow high wing" to "start your descent". Apparently there was another yellow high wing ahead of me in the pattern and I was yelled at for descending too early. Oops. Well...no harm done! I was given the green dot on Runway 27. My landing was definitely not a greaser, but I was RIGHT in the middle of that green dot! From there, since my beloved Rudy is a genuine L-16A, it was an easy taxi to the Warbird parking. We had finally arrived!
 |
| Parked in the L-bird area at Oshkosh! Finally! |
