Oshkosh 2008

06-16-2008, 11:00 AM

seapilot1 | 3321

Anyone planning on going? I am.

06-18-2008, 11:02 AM

jar59nh | 3322

Hi Ron,

I will be there all week. Usually Keith Walljasper and Russ Kotlarek attend. Anyone else out there please let us know so we can maybe get together. There will NOT be a Splash-In IMMEDIATELY afterwards so it would be nice to get together in Oshkosh.

Ron, are you flying a Seawind out?

See you there, John

P.S. If we don´t see you in Oshkosh, we´ll see you at the Splash-In Fred Lohr is posting.

06-18-2008, 11:04 AM

seapilot1 | 3323

Hi John; Yes, I'll be in the 350 HP Seawind!We got rooms at the Univ. of Wisc. - 2 miles away @48.00 per nite single & $59 double. I can't make the East Coast Splash-In, unless I hit the jack-pot. I'll be using my cell phone there 415-793-7971, so we can connect.

06-19-2008, 11:05 AM

Mike | 3324

Where do u guys park the planes....What area...??

06-19-2008, 11:07 AM

seapilot | 3331

At one time Dick reserved a line for us, up near the arch gate. If we could contact him, he might know how to do that, or maybe someone else knows?

06-19-2008, 11:08 AM

jar59nh | 3328

Hi Mike,

My Seawind is not ready yet, but I hope to fly my Taylorcraft out there. Keith usually parks in the 'race plane' area as he usually competes. Are you considering competing? I am sure Keith would love the company.

Anyways, I hope to park in the antique/classic area. I camp in Camp Scholler, it is great!! Great social times for the whole week. I usually rent a pop-up camper, let me know if you need a camper or a place to stay, I might have info.

Look forward to seeing you in OSH, John

06-19-2008, 11:12 AM

seapilot1 | 3332

I'd be interested in the race info?

06-23-2008, 11:10 AM

keithw | 3337

Hi Seawinders I will be flying the Air Venture Race again this year. We always park in the area between the Arch and Aero Shell Square. I plan on being there all week. Will be camping in a tent. Location in the antique/vintage area just south of The Theater In The Woods. 309 530 3097 Keith Walljasper N80CC

08-08-2008, 05:54 AM

jar59nh | Oshkosh 2008

Hi All,

Well Oshkosh has come and gone. From my perspective it was busier than last year. I was quite proud of EAA's work in promoting Airventure in spite of high fuel prices. I was fortunate to fly to Oshkosh in an antique amphibian from New Hampshire. This is a true 4-seater but it's speed is about half that of the Seawind with almost TWICE the fuel burm. I guess I am glad they "don't build 'em like they used to". Also this project took 40 years and 40,000 hours of time. WOW! It is a beautiful, original Sikorsky. It is the oldest original flying Sikorsky in the world. Cool!

There were two Seawinds at the show, Keith Walljasper's and Ron Broyles' turbo'd 350hp. By the way, Ron Broyles' N123SE is for sale. At least according to the sign on the bow.

There were some fairly heated discussions regarding the proposed rule changes on the 51 percent rule. I think it would be wise for us to write the FAA concerning the proposed changes. In a nutshell, the FAA (and EAA) is concerned with the spirit of the law being broken concerning commercial assistance. It is difficult to discuss this all with a small forum post but I will get the discussion started.

Basically, with composites kits the level of completion is so high that the FAA says there is VERY little room for commercial assistance. I am not talking about the engine or avionics, but the basic airframe. Therefore WE must be very careful to document that we actually worked on the majority of the airframe construction. Even though our Seawind kits are grandfathered by the old rule, we must prove we did build the MAJOR portion of the aircraft. The FAA stated there will be more enforcement of the law and some airworthiness certificate will be denied until sufficient evidence is provided that you did build the MAJOR portion of the aircraft.

That should get the ball rolling.... please reply back to this post or email me directly (or call my cell) at (603)781-6572 if you want to discuss this further.

One important point is that the rule does not have to change for the FAA to enforce it as it was originally written.

Happy building and flying! John