Originally Posted by John Webster
The controllers at Oshkosh are volunteers.
Arriving aircraft circle over Ripon (several miles away) and are let into line there. After that they follow the controller's instructions without replying. Landing at Oshkosh the controller will instruct them to land short or long on the left or right side of the runway. It is typical during that week to see 4 aircraft landing at the same time on the same runway. The volunteer controllers are much more aware than most of the differences in airspeed of the various types they are dealing with and sort them into fast and slow lines on the way in from Ripon.
In spite of the apparent chaos Oshkosh has an excellent safety record.
The Experimental Aircraft Association is very strong on good citizenship and as a result there is no trash left on the grounds by the 1,000,000+ visitors, there are first aid stations all over the area, there are shuttle buses and wagons that will take you anywhere you want to go and all of the volunteers strive to be polite and helpful and if you have a problem with your airplane it will be fixed by volunteers at the onsite repair station.
On the other hand the Oshkosh city police tend to look the other way during that week while the local bars and restaraunts do a fantastic business and temporary "massage parlors" spring up.
If you have even a mild interest in aircraft you owe it to yourself to attend at least once.
Plus they shut down the airport for two hours every afternoon for the best airshow you will ever see which includes 50+ WW2 airplanes in the air.
No doubt about it, it's a blast to see. The sheer chaos is overwhelming & exciting!
The Fly-in does indeed have an excellent safety record though there usually is at least one crash per year somewhere. Plus, seemingly without fail, there will be one kick-butt thunderstorm that will occur over the grounds every year.
Do you attend every year, John?