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The National Association of State Aviation Officialsannounced the selection of Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.) for the 1998 NASAO NationalAward of Excellence during a luncheon held today in conjunction with the EAA AirVentureOshkosh. Oberstar, ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation andInfrastructure, was recognized for his tireless efforts in support of aviation throughouthis congressional career. The NASAO National Award of Excellence is the highest honorNASAO can bestow upon an individual

"In his two decades of honorable service in the U.S. House of Representatives,Rep. Oberstar has continiously demonstrated wise and visionary leadership in promoting asafe and efficient national airway system," said NASAO president Henry Ogrodzinski."...All Americans have benfited from his distinguished public service."

Ed Bolen, president of the General Aviation ManufacturersAssociation, announced that the Senate had passed an exemption for major aviationmanufacturers to the Fastener Quality Act requirements. This exemption comes only monthsafter an announcement that the Act would finally be implemented on all fasteners inOctober. The exemption will now go back to the House for passage, then signed into law bythe President sometime in August.

The Fastener Quality Act was legislated in the 1980s when there were a number ofnon-aviation accidents traced back to substandard fasteners. Congress passed the FastenerQuality Act which said that any fastener used in a critical application needs to beinspected to standards set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).There have been so many problems with the Act that it has not been implemented in overeight years.

Since aviation parts are subjected to more stringent testing than any other industry,shipping parts off to NIST for testing is redundant. "We have successfully fended offa very serious threat that would have delayed production and increased costs to theconsumer. It is another classic case of redundant legislation with no benefit to theconsumer," stated Bolen.

RAM Aircraft Corp. introduced their new "20Micron" oil filter at OSH. Initially the new filter is only available as a FAA-PMAapproved replacement for spin-on Champion filters on (what else?) Continental IO-520 andTSIO-520 engines. The new filter uses high-efficiency fiberglass media to reportedlyfilter 99% of 20 micron size particles compared with only 36% for the standard filter,based on independent test lab results. This latest "super-filter" attempt ispriced at $60.

A Merlin engine goes tofull power, the shattering sound crackling across the aircraft camping area at EAAAirVenture Oshkosh. Your head snaps over, you take a look at the airplane and say,"Oh, just another Mustang." At that point you realize it is OK to go home. RickDurden leaves OSH with little to complain about and a lot of great memories. Join him forone more trip around the OSH pattern as he reflects on another AirVenture in the logbook.

It's been a long time since Nancy Hattaway Miller last visited the EAA Fly-In atOshkosh. Twenty-one years long, to be exact. Back then, she visiting because her boyfriendwanted to go see the airshow. It was fun. She remembers purchasing sunscreen because sheforgot it, and getting a sunburn anyway. In 21 years, sunscreen has improved a lot, theFly-In has become AirVenture, and shes started (and almost finished) her flighttraining. On the last visit, she learned to bring sunscreen. On this visit, she learned alot more.

One of the many exciting parts of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is theopportunity to get a ride in a very special aircraft. Brent Blue had the good fortune tocatch a ride in the jump seat of Dick Thurmans P-51 Mustang, "Tender, Slender,and Tall." Even sitting in the back seat of this spectacular aircraft, you knowsomething is up when just spinning the starter shakes the whole aircraft. Once thepowerful Rolls Royce engine fires up, the ear splitting rumble is superb. The taxi out isfun because everyone on the flight line is watching *you* taxi by!

Walter Atkinson grabbed the OSH opportunity to fly the M-26Airwolf built by PZL Mielec in Poland. Mielec built MIGs as a government entity during theCold War and is now functioning as a private company in the newly capitalistic regime. TheAirwolf has a Lycoming AEIO-540 (aerobatic, inverted, injected opposed) which is fullycapable of sustained inverted flight. The airframe is capable of +9/-6 Gz. Want to betWalt had a good time?

For hundreds of EAA AirVenture devotees, their annualpilgrimage is more than just a week of air shows, vendor booths, and sunburns. It's aweek-long visit to their second home at one of several commercial campsites within drivingdistance of Oshkosh. Individuals and families that camp off-site return year after year tonot only the same campground, but the same campsite, setting up their fifth-wheels andtents next to the same folks they've had as neighbors for years. Nancy Hattaway Milleroffers up the off-site experience for your consideration.

Another of the exciting opportunities available only at EAA AirVenture is meeting someof the old-timers of experimental aviation such as Ken Flaglor. Flaglor, now 72, holds"court" at the communications building at Wittman Regional Airport and has doneso at all the EAA conventions except two. Brent Blue now owns the first aircraft Kenbuilt, the Flaglor High Tow, known by many as the Flaglor Fleet. Brent talks with therespected builder and youll enjoy his views on a variety of subjects.

One of the hits of the daily Oshkosh airshowsis pilot Delmar Benjamin and his GeeBee R-2 racer. The stumpy little red and white bird,that Benjamin calls "the snakiest taildragger ever built", gained a reputationas a pilot-eater, totally unforgiving of overconfidence or mistake. Within their first 33hours, the original R-2 and its higher horsepower brother, the R-1, crashed five times andkilled two pilots. Why then, would a seemingly sane man want to sell his soul to the SBAto build and fly another one? AVwebs Liz Swaine spent an Oshkosh afternoon withBenjamin and found out some things about him and his little racer that will surprise andastound you, GeeBee buff or not.

We saved some of the best for last. Our biggestPhoto Gallery yet. Over half a hundred images to close out our OSH '98experience, along with our occasionally witty, sometimes half-baked, but never dullcaptions.

We couldnt have brought you our extraordinary daily coverage of EAA AirVentureOshkosh 1998 without the hard work, sore feet, and sleep deprivation of the entire AVweb OSH 98 staff.