I'm Current For The First Time In 18 Years! (Living The Cub Life In Hartford WI) 12 Pix

(click pic to enlarge)  Me in the back seat of a Cub... right where I belong!

 When I offered for sale the rare copy of The Long, Lonely Leap in mid-July to help me survive a week at Oshkosh 2014, I mentioned in the post that my plan was to take some of that money and make sure I finally got the flight review that I've been trying to accomplish the last two years. Seems every time I had some cash set aside for that it wound up having to be spent on something ultimately more important. Fortunately for me, the book sold in just a couple days, and I made good on my promise by scheduling a flight review for the Saturday right before Oshkosh began in one of the Cubs from Cub Air in Hartford Wisconsin. Hartford (HXF) is conveniently located about an hour south of OSH, so my trip to the world's greatest aviation event included the chance to finally be a current pilot after an 18 year hiatus.

 I'll admit that I had a pretty high confidence level going into the flight review after having done so well late last August with an hour of takeoffs and landings in a Pitts S2C with Billy Werth in Indianapolis. Prior to those 9 wheel landings in the Pitts, I had probably only had made 5 landings since 1996, and only one of those in a taildragger... but the training I got from my dad when I was just 13 years old in a 150hp Citabria 7KCAB on a narrow runway in Elgin IL burned the basics of 'taildragger' deep into my memory. It really makes no sense to me that I was actually completely comfortable doing takeoffs and landings in the Pitts (the first time I'd ever been in such a high performance airplane) and especially after such a long time away, but I like to point out that I don't think I'm special, I was just blessed to learn at a very young age in an airplane that demands you know how to use your feet. Thanks again dad!

(click pic to enlarge)  Flying a J-3 Cub with a new 'old' EAA logo shirt... Life is good!

 The upcoming flight review at Hartford was also low on the stress factor because I logged a boatload of hours in a clipped wing Cub back when I was 18 and 19. The view and the feel of life in the back seat of a Cub is something I was pretty familar with, even if it had been 34 years since I'd flown one. The clipped wing we had was powered by a 90hp Continental, and the Cubs at Hartford have either 85 or 90hp. A clipped wing J-3 demands more than the 65hp Cubs were built with to get any kind of decent climb out of it, and the full span airplanes benefit greatly from having the extra horsepower as well. I was curious to see if the full span Cub flew significantly different since I really didn't know what it would be like. The only time I'd ever been in a full span Cub was at Hartford two years ago during the 75th anniversary event on the weekend before OSH12, and I just went for a ride to be able to get some good pix of the field-full-of-Cubs from the air.

Check out these posts for some great pix and info on Cubs at Hartford:

Lots Of Cub Yellow At Hartford Wisconsin For 'Cubs 2 OSH'

75 Piper Cubs At Hartford Wisconsin! CoolPix 2Fer

 All of the pictures in this post are actually from Sunday August 3rd, the last day of OSH14. I stopped back by Hartford on the way home to take fellow CampBacon friend Adam Fast and his pilot friend Melinda for rides in a Cub. More info on the rides right after I detail some of the flight review from Saturday July 26th.

(click pic to enlarge) It's hard to beat a Cub with the door open on a summer day

Click to read more ...

OSH14: Thursday July 31 - See the Sea Of Airplanes! (CoolPix)

(click pic for hi-res)  This is the good life... this is Oshkosh!

 Well, I ran out of gas for keeping up with the 'same-day' posts at OSH14, and in fact between doing the Thursday bacon party, the general walk-your-butt-off-everyday fatigue, and a little detailed research on some airplane designs for my own personal purposes, I didn't get anything posted after late Wednesday night. So now that I'm back home, I'm playing catch up - (it's not helping that the hard drive on my laptop is currently freaking out, I'm posting with the ole beater laptop from two generations back)

 It was a fantastic Oshkosh 2014. More airplanes than I remember seeing in many years, more people than I remember seeing in many years, and as always it was just perfect hanging out with avgeek friends in the campground. That goes double for the friends at #CampBacon. There were 30 to 35 people staying in CampBacon this year, and the Wednesday Bacon Party was clearly the largest ever with at least 60 people chewing the fat.

 Since I'm dealing with ongoing fatigue and and a failing hard drive on the primary computer, I'm keeping it simple with this CoolPix post. Just one nice big pic to share showing off a very diverse sea of Oshkosh airplanes in the Vintage camping area. There's just nothing like Oshkosh!

 In case you haven't figured this out yet, I don't post this stuff so you can see what you missed... I post it so you'll get serious about making plans to get to the next OSH. I mean it. If you're a genuine avgeek (and you don't have overshadowing political reasons to be anti-EAA) then please start working on a way to carve out the time and a little pile of cash to make OSH15 the highlight of next summer. I promise to give you some free bacon if you do!

 Like this post? Tell your friends... use the 'share' or 'email' article links below - thanx : )

OSH14: Wednesday July 30 - It's A Wonderful Life! (QED CoolPix)

(click pic for hi-res)  The big and beautiful beast... Gee Bee QED replica!

 After a busy but perfect day of sunshine and very comfortable temperatures followed by an evening with a very successful Bacon Party (about 60 people attending, including the guys from glass.aero) and then some quality #CampBacon time around the fire pit with s'mores, I only have enough energy left to post one wonderful CoolPix.

 I hope you enjoy this great pic of the Gee Bee QED on takeoff for its flight demo today.

 This is Oshkosh!

Like this post? Tell your friends... use the 'share' or 'email' article links below - thanx : )

Oshkosh 2014 And The AirPigz Bacon Parties! (Hog Heaven : )

AirPigz OSH14 Bacon Parties:
Wednesday (7-30) and Thursday (7-31) from 6pm to 8pm

#CampBacon location map (pdf)

 Oshkosh 2014 is almost here! That means the widest variety of airplanes, the coolest collection of aviators, and of course... a side order of bacon! The Bacon Parties are on different days this year so take note that you can swing by CampBacon between 6pm and 8pm on either Wednesday or Thursday this year (link to location map above) to chew some free crunch pig AND talk airplanes. And hey, you can definitely talk with your mouth full at CampBacon : )

B-25 Lady Luck at OSH11

 I'm bringing a full size household oven this year to cook the bacon, and I'm expecting this will increase my output significantly, so please spread the word about free bacon from AirPigz at CampBacon. Attendance has been growing the last few years, and I'd love to see 75 or 100 people at each party, so be sure to tell your friends.

Beautiful Wittman Tailwind from OSH13

 Download the CampBacon location map and then mark your schedule for either Wednesday evening or Thursday evening (or both) from 6pm until 8pm for great airplane chat and free bacon. And thanx for being part of the crazy AirPigz world!

North American FJ-4B at OSH13

AirPigz #CampBacon Gets Some Love From AOPA And Av8rdan : )

Me with fresh bacon at an OSH13 bacon party at #CampBacon!  (photo: Ron Klutts)

 Avgeeks and social media seem to go together very well... kinda like how bacon and mmmm go together! In the five years since I started AirPigz I've found that connecting with people who love aviation is pretty easy and has led to lots of great friendships. That same kind of friendly spirit spills over into those of us who make up some of the new media that use the internet to educate and entertain about the wide world of flying. A good example of that is how @Av8rdan (Dan Pimentel) has just posted a story about AirPigz #CampBacon (at Oshkosh) on the AOPA Opinion Leaders blog page.

 Since I've not done a very good job of showing what the bacon parties look like at #CampBacon during OSH, it's great to see Dan doing that for me. Special thanks to fellow #CampBaconer Ron Klutts (@Captain_Ron) for sharing a few of his pix from one one of the bacon parties this year... I've included one of them here showing me with a fresh pan of crunch pig. And a big thanx goes out to my friend @larryoverstreet for helping me plan and pull #CampBacon together these last several years... I'm looking forward to many more : )

 So please go checkout the #CampBacon post on the AOPA blog, and then make some plans right now to stop by at one of the AirPigz bacon parties (most likely Tuesday and Saturday evening at OSH14) to chew the fat avgeek style!

(check out future Opinion Leader posts by going to aopa.org and then hover over the "News & Video" tab at the far left of the nav bar... Opinion Leaders is then found under the "Videos & Blogs" heading)

Chew The Fat At OSH13: AirPigz Bacon Parties At CampBacon!

AirPigz Bacon Parties at CampBacon - sponsored by Fill Holdings LLC

Tuesday, July 30 and Saturday, August 3 (6-8pm)

click here for location map

 CampBacon for Oshkosh 2013 is indeed in the same location as the last two years. This little avgeek compound within EAA's Camp Scholler is bigger than it's ever been, but don't get too excited, it's only about 90 feet by 75 feet. But it's definitely a beautiful place to talk airplanes and eat a little bacon!

 Click here for a pdf file with a map showing the exact location of where the Bacon Parties will take place. You can show up anytime between 6pm and 8pm on either Tuesday July 30th or Saturday August 3 to chew the fat on the grounds of the world's greatest aviation event.

 I've even got a sponsor for the Bacon Parties this year! Fill Holdings LLC (Aircraft Acquisition and Brokerage Services) is making sure that there'll be plenty of bacon to go around : ) Please take a minute and click their link to check out their website. 

 And remember, it's hard to beat the combo of airplanes, bacon and Oshkosh! #crunchpig

Some Cub Yellow at OSH12

Warbirds with big props at OSH12

Rutan Boomerang at OSH12

Free Bacon! #OSH12 AirPigz Bacon Parties At #CampBacon

AirPigz Bacon Parties on Wed 7-25 & Sat 7-28 (6-8pm) at #CampBacon (map) OSH12!

 I sure hope you can stop by to chew the fat and talk airplanes at CampBacon in the EAA's Camp Scholler at Oshkosh 2012... it's the official AirPigz Bacon Parties - one on Wednesday 7-25 and the second one on Saturday 7-28, with both running from 6pm until 8pm.

 It's also where any winners of the Caption Contest or Name The Plane game need to come to consume their bacon sandwich prize for stellar avgeek performance. 

 Check out this map of the campground to see exactly where CampBacon is located, and then get yourself over there either Wednesday in the middle of the event or Saturday near the end between 6pm and 8pm to say hi and chew some fat : )

AirPigz Oshkosh Bacon Parties - Chew The Fat! #CampBacon #OSH11

AirPigz Bacon Parties - Tue, Wed, Thur (6-8pm) at #CampBacon (map) - Oshkosh 2011!

 You're officially invited to stop by #CampBacon (the Oshkosh 2011 home for AirPigz in the EAA campgrounds) for free bacon strips and good avgeek times. I've planned three delicious bacon parties with sweet sizzling swine strips! Tuesday July 26th, Wednesday July 27, and Thursday July 28th... and each day they'll run from 6pm until 8pm. Check out this map for the exact location in Camp Scholler.

 You don't have to let me know you're coming, however, if you use OSHplanner to schedule your forums and others events at Oshkosh, and you add any or all of the Bacon Parties to your schedule, I'll at least have a rough idea of how many people might be stopping by.

 And, if you've won a 'bacon sandwich at Oshkosh 2011' in either the Caption Contest or a Name The Plane game, then these bacon parties are where you claim your prize. Just show up, I'll check my winners list, and then I'll grill you up a nifty meat candy meal : )

 I may have some other surprises for you as well. Check back to this post for updates... and make plans now to stop by and chew the fat!

 I made the trip to Oshkosh (and then back home) last Sunday to meet up with @larryoverstreet so we could register for camping and mark out the site. This spot is gonna be great! It's just down the road (Lindbergh Ave) a little to the east from where I was last year. (pix by Larry)

 The campsite takes up all the space between two of the north-south roads; 48th Street and Forest Home. And it's on the south side of the east-west running Lindbergh Ave. Basically, if you're at the Big Red Barn in the EAA campground and you look south to the end of the fairly long block, you'd see the site. To make it simple tho, it's at the intersection of Lindbergh Ave and 48th street. To make it even easier, check out the big map.

Click to read more ...