Racing The Storm – The Cherokees Arrive at Oshkosh!
Shortly before this blog was written, it was announced in early May that Airventure 2020 was being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a huge disappointment to hundreds of thousands of aviators and spectators as the Mecca of private aviation will not be open this year. There are participants who plan their entire year around this fantastic event and the disappointment will be keen.
I will try to give a bit of the feel of the thrill of getting there in this blog. In RizAir Blog 15, the adventure of traveling from Farmington, NM to the Cherokees to Oshkosh meeting point (Waupaca, WI) was described. Having arrived after shooting the approach into a nearby airport and then a scud-run to nearby Waupaca, we retired to the hotel to prepare for the adventures to come the next day, Friday, when the practice run prior to the Saturday departure for Oshkosh would occur.
We awoke to a pleasant summer day in KPCZ, partly cloudy and warm, but not too humid in the morning. The morning gathering and safety briefing was scheduled for around 9 a.m. Saturday morning and Annette, Ed, Jeanne, and I were there early. As things geared up we were assigned our “flight” numbers and the people with whom we would be flying. The planes would take off in groups of three, and there were 39 aircraft.
Pre-flight briefing – a key to safety of the entire group – July, 2019.
I was assigned Mike 3. RizAir1 would be flying formation with two turbo-charged Saratogas – one owned by another attorney and one by a medical doctor. I would be the last plane in the formation other than “Tail end Charlie”, call sign “Cherokee Tail”, a Cherokee 6 flown by the one and only “Ferg.” I am sure that by putting me at the back they figured I could not do too much harm!
Actually, I was very fortunate because Chip and Dan were FAST (Formation and Safety Team) certified, which is unusual for guys flying Saratogas. Most civilian formation flying is done with smaller and lighter single engine aircraft, the Van’s RV-6 being one example. Chip and Dan’s extensive experience and advice were very helpful to this rookie.
As I have stated in previous blogs, safety is always the number one priority. We sat with our wingmates in our flight. The safety briefing was direct and thorough. The flight plan was laid out, and the “conga line” process to get the airplanes in order of departure was reviewed in detail and all questions answered. The briefing was concluded, and we were dispatched to our aircraft.
A brief aside to compliment the manager and staff of the Waupaca Airport. Bonnie was a gracious hostess and, visiting with her, one could hear joy and enthusiasm in her voice about hosting CTO once again. Her attitude and that of her staff are greatly appreciated because one could see staff being annoyed at the extra work that such events bring. CTO leadership makes certain to take care of Bonnie and clearly expresses our appreciation for what Waupaca does for us.
Back to the story: Everyone was coming along for the ride on the practice run. What a daring group of people! Ed Notson would be lending me his eagle eyes and keen observation skills up front. My wife, Annette, and Ed’s wife, Jeanne, were “ballast” in the backrow seats. Very soon it was time for engine start, everyone checked in by alphabetical order and number. The check-in went smoothly, and the conga line started. We were watching carefully for our wingmates, calculated our entry, and tried not to screw the whole thing up. I guess that was one good thing about being at the end of the line.
The conga line (a/k/a as the “baby elephant walk”) crossed the main ramp area near the fuel pumps, went behind a set of hangars to the departure end of Runway 31, taxied up that runway , and then onto the Runway 21.
The baby elephant walk to the runway – July 20, 2019
There is a lot of prop wash at the end of the line once everyone is lined up on the runway. Standard procedure is for the lead of a flight to roll about 15 seconds after the lead of the flight in front of him departs. Number 2 in the flight counts five seconds from lead’s take-off roll beginning, and 3 follows 2 by five seconds. The take-off can be a bit interesting following 37 other aircraft. Waupaca has a bit of wind shear because of a tree line, so the initial climb-out was a bit of a rodeo. Following take-off, our job was to hustle up and settle into our number 3 slot off our lead.
The flight was a lot of fun. Still need to work on those inside turns. The approach to landing was a bit of an adventure. Lots of wake turbulence. One grabbed us and tossed us to the right. I felt it coming and started putting in left aileron to counter, but with full left deflection the left wing was still rising and the right wing was dropping. As airspeed dropped, I released back pressure and hit the left rudder hard, and we straightened up. A deep breath and back on course. The short final and flare were bumpy due to wake turbulence and wind shear (mild) at the airport. It was not a pretty landing, but I was just wanting to get it on the ground.
Getting tossed hard right by wake turbulence on final on the practice run – July 19, 2019.
Back safely on the ground, we went to debrief. My first officer, Ed, a retired Air Force officer, commented he loved the debriefs because the comments were direct, issues frankly discussed, and no one got his feelings hurt. Everyone was just wanting to get better, and the way the debriefs worked proved that point. The flight was declared a success and a launch for Oshkosh proper was scheduled for the next morning.
Following a great banquet on Friday night, we arrived at the airport early on Saturday. A low overcast was overhead. The leadership was in fervent discussion regarding the weather and other matters. A storm was a’brewin’ to the west.
There were discussions about moving up the departure time, but after consultation between the powers that be, Air Traffic Control, FAA Safety Coordinators, OSH Tower, etc., the time remained the same. A very through safety briefing was held. We would be flying low, but safely above the obstacles along the route. The weather was expected to get worse later in the day.
Time to saddle the horses! Ed and I went to the airplane and did a very through pre-flight on the damp ramp. Mike 1 and Mike 2 informed us that they were going to perform a side by side take-off and would land the same way. I would follow in trail as originally planned, and Cherokee tail would be behind me.
Prepping the planes for engine start – Waupaca – July 2019
On cue, we started our engine and waited patiently as the call-in proceeded. Finally, the time to call “Mike-3” came and we made the call. With everyone up and running, the Baby Elephant Walk, modified from the day before, began.
Again, on signal, everyone turned 45 degrees to the center line and did a quick run-up to make sure the systems were running properly. Then 39 aircraft squeezed onto the runway for a coordinated take-off.
Cherokee Lead started his take-off roll, and every 5 to 6 seconds after that, another airplane started down the runway. Mike 1 and Mike 2 started rolling down the runway together, and my T-tailed turbo-Lance started chasing after the two turbo-Saratogas five seconds later. I was wheels up at 9:21 a.m.
Having learned from my experience the previous day, I was expecting a fair amount of buffeting and turbulence on the first few hundred feet of the climb out. As the nose dodged left and right, I followed Mike 2’s sage advice and used only the rudders to combat heading changes.
Once we were clear of the trees, with a positive rate, the gear was sucked up and the race to catch to catch the rest of Mike flight was on! The three of us were flying with flaps “one”, and we left them there for the duration of the flight, which was to be at 90 knots. So, I ran at 109 kts (on knot below maximum flap extension speed) to catch up to my teammates.
Photo courtesy of Ed and Jeannie Notson
Found them, caught them, and joined the formation! We were on the way to Oshkosh! The trip went well until we went into “trail” 3 miles from the airport. As Mike 1 and 2 were descending for the runway side by side, a slower Cherokee popped up out of the brush (so it appeared) at a very low altitude. Mike 1 and 2 executed an S turn to try to regain spacing. I held altitude and slowed as much as I dared.
As Mike 1 and 2 were beginning their flare, suddenly a wingtip vortex grabbed Mike 1’s right wing and he was pushed to his left towards Mike 2. Mike 2 recognized the problem, poured the coals to his plane and executed a go around. Quick thinking and excellent pilot skills saved the day there.
Like Mike 1, I was supposed to land on the right side of the runway, and Cherokee Tail was behind me. Since I was close behind the other two, I made the executive decision to move to the centerline just before I flared because I was concerned the same vortex might grab me as well. No problems with the flare, and we arrived safely at KOSH and rolled out to join our companions. What a thrill it was to land at the home of Airventure!
Another conga line to parking on the grass. Those of us with heavier singles were concerned about possibly sinking into the ground. That is a particular problem for a T-tail since the nose wheel cannot be lightened by back-pressure on the yoke and running power to put prop wash over the elevator. I knew that once I left the pavement I would have to keep moving. I let extra space build between me and the airplane ahead of me. When the turn came, extra power was applied, and we managed to get to the parking space.
The CTO taxi-in at KOSH – July, 2019
Pushing the airplanes back into their slots was a chore! It was hot, it was humid, we could look to the west and see a gigantic front coming towards us, and the grass was damp and the ground soft. After much heaving and grunting, with the help of our fellow aviators, we got the birds all lined up.
Gary Risley (left) Ed Notson (right) after getting RizAir1 into its tie-down spot- KOSH June 2019.
A quick debrief was held, a short follow-up with my wingmates, and we were turned loose to enjoy Oshkosh.
Post-arrival debrief. Photo credit to EAA photographers Andrew Zaback, Lewis Berghoff and Crystal Perez! (See more of their excellent photography on the Cherokees To Oshkosh Facebook page)
Between an hour and an hour and a half later, a frog-strangler storm hit that converted the 2019 event into “SploshKosh II” – a repeat of “SploshKosh” from 10 years previously. Cherokees To Oshkosh was the only mass-arrival group that got in on Saturday, and it was Monday before aircraft with tundra tires were allowed in, and Tuesday before things opened up for everyone else to arrive. We had placed RizAir1’s tires on large plastic pads used by RV’s on soft ground, driven in our “Claw” anchor points, and secured the flight controls. She survived the ordeal quite well and was anxiously awaiting our return for the departure home on Thursday of that week.
Screen capture from FlightAware.
Here is the link to my Garmin 360 video of the trip to OSH. It is edited from 40 minutes to 16 minutes, but it conveys the sense of the trip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1rr8YpSYsU&t=12s.
Enjoy, we hope to see you at Airventure 2021, and until next time,
Clear Skies and Tailwinds!
Gary Risley
RizAir Blog 16
©June 2020
RizAir - A Private Aviation Journey 