5 August 08 - Row 147 at Oshkosh Will Never Be the Same

[djpacro]

I’m on my way home from the fly-in at Oshkosh, which, for those of you reading this in lower Slobania or the outback of Tanzania who don’t know, is the largest annual outdoor event in the world. It’s airplanes, good friends and a seemingly endless supply of porta-potties. Unfortunately, as I was driving around the far south parking area, there were none close enough to solve a pressing urinary issue. So, I solved it as only a farm kid would and right there, in front of God and everybody, I pee’d on row 147. A personal first.

 

Relax, it’s not as bad as it sounds: this was the day after the show shut down and row 147 was an easy half mile away from civilization so, I offended no one.

 

The same could not be said of my performance at the welding forum. I stood up there for an hour and a half excitedly pontificating about the glories of welding and how zen-like the skill could be. As I finished up, the large crowd applauded, I stepped down off the stage with a triumphal feeling within and someone came up to me and whispered in my ear, “Your pants are unzipped.†Ah, Man! How stupid can one person be?

 

And then there is the most classic line from the entire fly-in. I had just stepped into a porta-pottie when I heard a loud voice from the one next door. It was a woman scolding her young child. “No, don’t look down in the potty! Don’t look down!â€

 

Listen to your mom, kid. It’s good advice. And it put me in mind of the time I saw a guy coming out of a porta-potty holding his wallet by a corner as he shook it off. My mind refused to let the image of the wallet-recovery process play itself on my mental screen. Yeeeeech!

 

The possible high point of the fly-in, however, was discovering free WiFi at Arbys. It became such an after-fly-in evening ritual for me, that, if anyone was looking for me, they drove over to Arbys. How many office locations have Diet Dr. Pepper on tap, fries and apple turnovers?

 

Still, being on the road is getting really old. In July I spent 22 days on the road, and flew 23 hours of Pitts dual in six days during the short time I was home. I’m pooped! In a good sort of way, of course.

 

PS

 

Now you see why I write this blog: what legitimate magazine is going to let me write this kind of drivel? :-)

 

PPS

 

The aerial high points of Oshkosh included a B-52 making a 200 foot, pedal-to-the-metal pass, the majestic Boeing 40A, the similarly configured Zenith and a WACO ZPF (single-place WACO with a sliding canopy) that I’d love to own. I’m certain that when ("if"actually) my brain finally shows up from Oshkosh and I’m no longer in my current zombie-mode, I’ll have other, less biologically-oriented observations to offer.

 

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This is from Budd Davisson's blog at Thinking Out Loud: Budd's Blog

 

 

[Guest Brett Campany]

Nice work, flying low for the summer.....Thats a good read mate. One of these I'll make it to Oshkosh. Crikey, I might do something really crazy and fly there, would probably drag a few people from here over there as well.

 

Now that'd be fun! :thumb_up: