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AirVenture Trip Log

Wayne Clevenger, Andy Garrett, and Bill Bailey have been left at the Selby Aerodrome to defend it against the Huns.  Paul Fiebich is on a 3-week + vacation. It may be a month before his AirBike is back on the defense line.

While on the driving trip portion en route to Minnesota, I  had lunch in Clear Lake, Iowa with Brian Ouversen and Chris Duncan at "The Other Place" restaurant. We then went to the airport where Chris works as an A & P.  He showed us his beautiful Cessna 172.  The photo illustrates his justifiable pride.

Then as I traveled north, I passed the three displayed jets at the Owatonna, Minnesota. airport.

I hope all is well at the home airfield and trust that the other pilots will continue to handle the Huns.

The final leg of my trip will be AirVenture 2014, more later.

Paul Fiebich

Leg #2

My travels have now taken me to the Mecca of aviation all fliers should plan to visit sometime in our lifetime---the birthplace of aviation: The Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Visiting these hallowed sands has been on my bucket list for many years, now, with great satisfaction, it can be checked off.

If you have been there, I hope the photos below will rekindle your memories.  If you haven't been there, please consider going.  Like being at other significant locations, I was struck with emotion to be actually standing where history had taken place. My grandson was more into visualizing his flying from the memorial to the "runway" where the flights occurred.

Paul Fiebich

Did you get any of those burrs on your shoes??????

Burrs?  You bet. stay on the concrete walkways!  Those things seem to just jump out of the ground and tangle up your shoelaces. They are pointy and sharp, it hurt my fingers to remove them.  Obviously, you have been there Harless.

Paul Fiebich

I've been there 4 times. twice on the highway and twice flying,,

Those burrs are more persistent than "THE HUNS IN KANSAS" I was covered up before I realized they were there..

Leg #3

I have been at AirVenture since Sunday, unfortunately, my computer went on the fritz and quit working the same day.  But today, it worked!!!?? Haven't loaded any photos yet and may have to wait until I return home or maybe while enroute someplace where I overnight.  Beatuiful weather, cool and in the mid to low 80's, rainstorms have dampened things a bit but not much of a hindrance, just delays. I have met several of my "air show friends" and continue to make new ones.  Conversations quickly lead to the Powered Sport Flying magazine and my AirBike.  I have business cards for both.  Hope people pick up or subscribe to the magazine and go to my webite to learn more about my flying activities.

Forums are interesting, so are the presentations by individuals in the museum theaters: WASP, DC-3, WWII ace _______ Olds, and lots of activities at KidVenture.

Tomorow is a chapter leaders breakfast, more interviewing for magazine articles, and a Beatles tribute band in the evening.  Lots to do and see here even though I have returned many times.  I hope all is well with each of you as your pursue your individual flying activities.

Paul D. Fiebich

Final Entry


Tuesday, I completed the last leg of my trip, arriving home at 6:00 PM.  

What an adventure this has been!  As promised, my last group of photos would be of AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Camping on the indoor, air-conditioned,YMCA soccer field is the best bet going for a low-budget visitor. We had access to all the Y's facilities including swimming pool, hot tub, showers and hot breakfasts. Tenting expenses worked out to about $25 per person per night, meals were extra.  

A quick way to experience AirVenture is to click on this link. the first 4-minute video showcases a highly condensed version of EAA's 2014 AirVenture  http://www.eaa.org/en/airventure/eaa-airventure-news-and-multimedia/airventure-2014-videos . Other short videos below this one may interest you also.

AirVenture is about airplanes: static display, Warbirds, private GA, Experimental, seaplanes, all manner of LSA, Ultralights and of course the daily air show and two night air shows with fireworks.  But equally important, it is about the people who love aviation and throughout their lives have contributed so much to it. You just have to hear their stories and connect with their thoughts to gain the full experience.

All the forums I attended dealt with those individual contributors, either presented by themselves or a relative.  From WW II Aces through the Korean conflict, to Afghanistan, and Desert Storm.

Equally represented were those in the private sector who made personal individual contributions such as Dick and Burt Rutan and Jeanna Yeager (Voyager around the world flight), Jeff Skiles (landing on the Hudson). Young Eagle Chairmen, the WASP pilots, and others who told personal stories of their lives which are intended to memorialize them and inspire others. These all bring one's emotions to the surface. My eyes weren't the only wet ones in the auditoriums.

Additionally, it is the people one meets sitting next to in a forum, at an air show or on a tram. It is amazing how far and wide the attendees come from. I met people from around the country, near home, and I connected with my one of my three Australian friends and one from Lethbridge, Canada. In addition to making three new AirBike friends, I met TJSpindler from Greenbush, MN, a contributor to this board.

Exponentially exciting and ego satisfying are those who recognize me when I wear some AirBike identifying clothing. These contacts are either from correspondence, my website or the articles I write.  Wow! Resulting from this AirVenture experience, several more stories are underway for Powered Sport Flying magazine. Subscribing to this magazine will broaden the scope of knowing other light plane aviators out there.

Pick up the July-August issue, my flight to Ponca City, Oklahoma is included.

It is nice to be home and I look forward to getting some more air under my own AirBike.

Paul D. Fiebich

Continued:

One exhibit that was very meaningful to me was the restored Piper PA 11(?) that was used in the original cross-continent flight by brothers Rinker and Kern Buck.  A young fellow and his wife bought the aged plane and restored it.  Then they flew almost the same route that the brothers did!  If you haven't read the book "Flight of Passage"  you ought to.  It is about flying, working hard, working together, and working around their taskmaster father.

Yes, that is me with a couple thousand of my closest aviation friends in the last photo: I am older, have more white hair, am heavier but still have aviation fuel runing through my veins and I love aviation---especially when I can fly my AirBike.


Paul D. Fiebich

Thanks for the pics and story.  

Thanks for the story and photos Paul....especially YOUR right of Passage photo however .....I wonder where that dam water bag is...!!!

certainly a great read.

Yup thank you Paul!

I have read "Right of Passage". Thanks for sharing. The plane looks great.

Arthur, obviously you have read the book to have caught that bit of detail. You are a sharp man, never mind what people have written about you on the toilet stall walls, LOL.   Look closely at the photo below for your answer to the water bag.  I have posted the story board a bit larger than normal, hopefully, it can be read.

Be sure to check out the blogs posted on the story board below.

Paul

Thanks Paul...gottcha...LOL....it really is a wonderful story about 2 young men learning all about flying, building and living the dream...hard to not appreciate their efforts

For those who havent read the book..the two young lads planning the trip were focussed on many things however their father insisted on a bag of water...for safety reasons...which was if I remember correctly was fixed to the Undercarriage bungee on the port side...completely empty..!! LOL

Thanks Paul for the great Photos.

cheers Arthur

Thank you, Paul, for the story of your trip and the great pictures.

Interesting that in most of the pictures of Paul there always seems to be a pretty lady close by. Hmmm, maybe he's not as old as the text would leave one to believe. If his airbike was a two seater I would take bets on who most of the passengers would be.  lol   Hope you had a great time.

P.S. good article in PSF