THE OFFICIAL DAILY NEWSPAPER OF EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Frost-kosh!
www.AirVenture.org
Hot for cold By J. Mac McClellan
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PHOTO BY BRADY LANE
Cessnas to Oshkosh taxi in after arriving on a chilly Saturday afternoon.
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By Dave Higdon
irVenture 2013 is at last here, and you’ll forgive the 61-yearold event for not acting its age. Aviation’s signature event has progressed with the times on the 60th anniversary of the first EAA fly-in in 1953, and the level of action and activity is enough to tax the most energetic, supported by the technology of today. As in the beginning, EAA’s signature event draws thousands of aviators, fans, and airplane nuts to its vast assortment of aircraft and aviation innovations. The annual gathering connects flying’s origins in fragile, open-structure craft to today’s broad spectrum of sport, personal, business, and military machines. “We’re as ready as we can make it, even as we continue to work through the setup,” said EAA Chairman Jack Pelton Friday.
After a year of organizational challenges, leadership changes, and unexpected logistical hurdles, the grounds are as ready as they can be, the volunteers in place, and controllers on the job ready for the thousands of aircraft that swell into the thousands to make Oshkosh the largest gathering of its kind. “We think the people who come will find plenty to see, and we’re working to make some new things part of the experience and to shake up some of the familiar,” Pelton said. Now that you’ve picked up the always informative pre-show edition of AirVenture Today, take a look around the program listings and grounds for the many subtle and substantive changes made since the last gathering of EAA’s faithful. CONT. P3
obody could remember when the high temperature for late July barely topped 60 degrees. Add the chill of a stiff northwesterly wind and early arrivals at Oshkosh were searching their luggage for warmer clothes. By late afternoon the temperature had sunk into the 50s, and clouds blocked radiant warmth from the sun. Not many arrived prepared for the surprising chill after several recent years in which heat stroke posed a greater threat than goose bumps. The forecast for the Oshkosh week is actually very pleasant after we get past an expected cold Sunday with highs again expected to top out in the low 60s. Highs later in the week are forecast to be in the 70s with only a small chance of precipitation. Old-timers may remember a similarly cold Oshkosh in the late 1970s. But since then it is the heat, not chill, that people have been talking about. Just a week ago the Oshkosh area was sweltering under 90-plus degree temperatures with extreme humidity. It looked like we were in for another hot AirVenture when Mother Nature threw the switch last Thursday and temperatures plunged. Average highs for the Oshkosh area in late July are in the low 80s. AVT
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