Airventure 2024 | Day 6

July 22 | Another day is going by and I’m sitting here in my camp chair under the wing of my airplane, my laptop computer on my lap where it’s supposed to be, listening to Django Reinhardt again. The airshow is going so the noise of the airplanes sometimes drowns out the music, but I soldier on.

The weather is warmer today and somewhat humid, but nothing like past Oshkosh Airventures when you couldn’t walk a hundred yards without stopping to catch your breath and rehydrate. There are the usual scattered cumulous clouds that sometime block the sun, making the distinct lines of shadow disappear.

A special treat Sunday occurred when I was at the vintage volunteer booth signing up to work the flight line. Who should appear at my elbow were Luis Membrilla and James Kurniawan. Chapter 1268 had sponsored James to the Air Academy last year and had given Luis one of out two annual matching funds Ray scholarships. Luis and James were both at the Vintage Ops shack for flight line training when I was. This is James’s second year volunteering and Luis’s first, so hopefully I’ll be with them on the flight line parking airplanes at some point this week.

I was up before six again and had a delicious, big breakfast at the Tall Pines Café in the Vintage area. The Tall Pines is the place to go for those in the know at Airventure. I finished breakfast and went to Ops for about a four-hour shift on the flight line. I try to give at least twelve hours of my time volunteering during the week. Some of these EAA volunteers have been here since July 1, and some come to work on projects throughout the year.

Orlo gave the briefing, which he was well qualified for, having volunteered at Oshkosh for 52 years. Orlo like to wear Hawaiian shirts, so the tradition of all the volunteers wearing Hawaiian shirts on Thursday, Orlo Day, started and continues. Mine is packed and will come out Thursday morning.

After finishing my shift at 11:30, I continued my errands. I first hopped the Blue tram to exhibition building B, then the yellow one to building A, where I dropped off my oxygen bottle so I could fly home at the altitude required by an IFR flight plan. Then it was off to the EAA Chapters Blue Barn, where I put up the Sonoma Skycrafters EAA Chapter 1268 road sign pointing west to Sonoma, 1562 miles away as the crow flies.

Chris Gauger, the Ray Scholarship coordinator and Chapter liaison helped me mount it to a sign post, then took a few photos of me in front. I had cut out the sign and painted the background and my son-in-law Zac did all the lettering, much more painstakingly than I would have. He has a fine arts degree and I’m an electrician. It turned out very nice.

I then went to the EAA Wearhouse, gift and clothing store, to have my great-granddaughter Norah’s name embroidered on my extra flight line vest. Surprise! EAA doesn’t do that anymore. Fortunately, Patty Dorlac, one of the flight line directors, had found someone else to do them, so that was another thing off my to-do list.

I had also planned on buying t-shirts for the grand and great-grandkids, but evidently so did everyone else. I put that item further down my list for later in the week, probably during the airshow when the public will be out behind the flight line.

The shower last night felt wonderful, but had washed all the bug spray off, so the mosquitos and other bloodthirsty creatures had a feast on me while I hurried back through the dark to my tent. To my credit, I only tripped over one tent rope, but I was long gone before the occupant could see me. I think Bram Stoker came up with the Dracula story because he had spent time in Wisconsin in the summer. I felt as if a vampire had gotten to me.

The Chapter leader corn roast is at 5, so I think I’ll wrap this up for the day and continue the story tomorrow. Time to catch the Blue Tram to the north end of the airport.