It’s been a long time since I last visited the EAA Fly-In atOshkosh. Twenty-one years long, to be exact. Back then, I was visiting because myboyfriend at the time wanted to go see the airshow for a day. It was fun. I rememberpurchasing a visor and sunscreen because I forgot them, and I got a sunburn anyway.
In 21 years, sunscreen has improved a lot, the Fly-In has become AirVenture, and I’vestarted (and almost finished) my training for a private pilot’s certificate. It seemed awonderful time to re-visit Wisconsin and immerse myself in all things aviation. On thelast visit, I learned to bring sunscreen. On this visit, I learned a lot more.
I learned …
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… how to shower at 4 am.
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… how to spell Poberezny.
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… to put on sunscreen early.
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… how to navigate around the Oshkosh area in a car.
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… the rules for combining SCUBA diving and flying.
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… where in Oshkosh you can find a realistic 50’s drive-in complete with waitresses on roller skates.
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… what a Waco looks like on floats.
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… how to navigate around the airport in a golf cart.
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… a little bit about instrument approaches.
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… that black baseball caps are a bad idea.
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… to put on sunscreen often.
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… the best places at the show to catch a nap.
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… to take my own lunch.
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… to buy fresh squeezed lemonade to go with the lunch I brought.
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… that maybe I want to save my money for a taildragger, rather than looking for a 172 to buy.
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… that off-site camping is kinda cool.
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… that camping under your wing is way cool.
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… that my boots are really good.
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… that shorts really are a better idea than jeans.
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… that it doesn’t matter how cold the night was, the day can still be very hot.
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… that a huge majority of Oshkosh attendees are incredibly civilized people.
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… that even SPF 45 waterproof sunscreen is no match for the Oshkosh sun.
