It was quite a treat to have a pair of F-22’s visit Oshkosh last week. They are still working at approving a full low-level airshow, so we were limited to impressive low passes, high-g turns and pull-ups, and a higher altitude demonstration of the F-22’s low-speed maneuvering prowess via vectored thrust. Besides our photo album, we put together 3 videos to better capture the power of seeing the F-22 up close.

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We put together a quick look at our photos from our AirVenture trip last week today. It was a great week despite hot tempertures. Highlights included fly-bys by the F-22 Raptor and Navy Blue Angels, the arrival of a Brittish Lancaster Bomber, and a wonderful stay out at the Oshkosh Seaplane Base.

Look for more detailed articles about our various Oshkosh adventures in the coming weeks as we have time to go through our notes and photos.

We got our 1st full day at AirVenture today. The 1st suprise was finding a picture of our Zenair CH-701 in the current issue of Sport Pilot magazine. It is a nice picture taken during lasts year’s Oshkosh with Sarah and Larry out for a ride.

One of the earliest CH-701 amphibians is parked in the homebuilt section this year. N701SR has a distinctive sunset paint scheme and sports a Continental O-200 engine. This CH-701 was completed prior to having the Rotax 912 series as a viable engine option.

One of only two flying Brittish Lanchaster bombers from WWII arrived just prior to the airshow.

The airshow was interupted by a 15 minute downpour which sent much of the crowd running for cover.

We spent the evening back at the seaplane base taking pictures of the action. Tomorrow we’re off for an early morning photo walk with the Canon EOS promotional team followed by another full day of airplanes and those that love them. We’ll get pictures posted to the gallery as soon as possible.

As reported at AvWeb and Garmin’s Website, the new Garmin GPSMAP 496 builds on the success of the recent GPSMAP 396. The 396 provided one of the first portable, single-box solutions to realtime aviation weather and terrain awareness in a mapping aviation GPS. GPSMAP 496 upgrades include taxiway charts, enhanced resolution of ground terrain, and a faster processor. Look for an upcoming report on the current GPSMAP 396 and its new sibling the GPSMAP 496 here on PlacePlaces.com

If your path to Oshkosh takes you over north central Indiana, consider KRCR Fulton County Indiana for a stop.  As of 14 July 06, their fuel was priced at $3.50/gallon for 100LL (Basler’s price at OSH was over $4.00 on the same day).

Looking for a nice stop in north central Indiana?  We have used KRCR, Fulton County, near Rochester Indiana on our way to Oshkosh the last two years.   Fulton  County’s fuel price has been one of the lowest in the area both trips - being only $3.50 per gallon yesterday.

The FBO has a nice new facility with DTN weather, internet, and a great lounge area upstairs for a quick nap.  A large lake is adjacent to the airport and a crew car is available to head out for a waterfront lunch.

I had the distinct pleasure of taking an abreviated version of Sean D Tucker’s Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety Upset Recovery Training this week. It’s not often one gets the opportunity to put an Extra 300L through its paces in the process of gaining practical experience in the safe recovery from stalls, spins, and inverted attitudes. Every pilot owes it to himself and his passengers to get this training!
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We’re looking forward to another great Oshkosh Airventure this year.  Weather permitting, we’ll have our Zenair CH-701 amphibian at the AirVenture Seaplane Base.  Anyone planning to fly into Oshkosh should get a copy of the current year NOTAM and read it carefully.  General information about the show, lodging, and schedule is available at www.AirVenture.org.

Hope to see you there! And check back here at PlanePlaces.com for full coverage after the show.

Last spring we tested the service ceiling of our Zenair CH-701 with the Rotax 912S. Solo climb to 10,000 feet took approximately 25 minutes. The aircraft was still climbing about 200ft per minute at 10,000 when it was decided to level off and head home.

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