The left flap started coming together just before I left for Wisconsin, but of course the project had to be put on hold until after AirVenture. This year was my fourth visit to Oshkosh, but it was the first year I was able to fly in. I managed to snag our flying club's newest 182 with the reasoning that the newly overhauled engine needed to be broken in anyway, so a long cross country would be the perfect opportunity to get it done.
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| We watched the Mooney mass arrival launch out of Madison, then we managed to get parked next to them in the North 40! |
This year was the first that I was attending as an airplane builder rather than as a prospective builder, so my perspective was a little different as I wandered around talking to exhibitors. I'm still not quite at the point where I'm ready to start ordering things like lights, avionics, an engine, et cetera, but it was nice seeing the latest stuff everyone has to offer. For avionics especially, I'll have a better selection the longer I wait.
At the Van's booth was the usual assortment of factory demonstrators, namely the RV-12iS, the RV-10 with its new panel, and the RV-14. The main attraction (for this year only!) was the newly restored RV-5, the only one of its kind.
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| We arrived on Sunday before most exhibitors had completely set things up. I managed to catch the crew unloading the RV-5 from its trailer. |
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| That cowling is definitely a custom fit for the two-stroke Rotax engine. |
This thing is kinda cool. Van's will never make kits for it, but it'll be nice to see it fly again.
This is another milestone - all of the control surfaces are done! Next it's onto the main wing spars. I'm about to have a LOT of countersinking and nutplates to deal with...
