Your favorite AirVenture '09 moment?

A couple:

Seeing every kid that went through the Young Eagles Flight Education at KidVenture.  I was a supervisor in that area and I don't know what was more fun - watching the kids and the adults teaching them, or those few times I relieved one of my fellow CFI's on the PC-ATD's

Renewing old and making new friendships.  When a young person on the flight line asked me what the coolest airplane I've seen in 13 AirVentures, I thought "Well, they're all cool".  On reflection, I can see planes anywhere; as Tom Poberezney said at the dinner Tuesday night, the planes bring people together. 

And finally, having met and shaken hands with Colonel Borman and having a wonderful conversation with his wife, Susan.  Although he's a hero, I admire her beyond words (see Andrew Chaikin's A Man On The Moon for a better understanding of that statement).  BTW, I've now had the honor of meeting two of the Apollo 8 astronauts, Captain Lovell being a business associate of my brother's.

My GOSH!!  What a challenge. To pick out just ONE favorite moment from AirVenture 2009.  From the moment we began planning our trip approximately a month before we actually left for Oshkosh on Saturday, July 25th, until we left Camp Scholler Friday night, July 31st, our week was filled to capacity of "favorite moments".

But I think our numerous "favorite moments" began the moment we pulled off from Hwy 26, on to Poberezny Drive as we approached Camp Scholler.  It was then that the thrill of being at Oshkosh really sank in. From that moment on, those "favorite moments" just began piling up.

Seeing and hearing such greats as Jim Hill and Paul Poberezny at Warbirds in Review, were certainly a couple more highlights of our week. 

If I keep this up, I'm going to end up re-capping our entire week of highlights and make this the longest post ever. I had best quit now. 

 Just having the opportunity to be part of the world's greatest aviation event of the year

makes one hell of a moment don't you think?

The whole event was great and it is all memorable. I have special memories from the people I met.

I had enough stunningly memorable moments in a week to last most people a whole lifetime.

Meeting Hal Bryan, the manager of this august website, deserves a particular mention.  For without him, this forum may well not be here.

It was a pleasure meeting Hal for me as well.  If he reads this, I want to remind him that my griping about iPhones burying AT&T at the event wasn't directed at him, just trying to get the message to them. 

I do have another favorite moment.  My FAASTeam regional manager (I'm a Lead Rep) and some of her crew volunteered at KidVenture.  I have a friend that got his CFI last year that is an excellent speaker and I want him to get involved in the FAASTeam, so we all elected to grab a bite of lunch together. We met over at the lunch area near the AOPA tent (where Johnsonville had their trailer).  The place was crowded and strangers were sharing picnic benches to have a place to sit.  My manager got her lunch first and went to find a place to sit.  It took us a few minutes to get ours, then we went to find her.  My friend pointed out something interesting as we walked over:  every table was full with the exception of where the person with the blue FAA shirt was sitting - she way all by herself...

The best part for me was each evening, just after sundown, sitting around the campfire with my wife, 8yr old daughter, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and wife's nephew and campground neighbor Steve talking about all we had witnessed during the day.  We were all talking about aviation!  Awesome!

BTW- We introduced ourselves to Steve on Sunday evening when we were driving through Scholler looking for a campsite.  We pulled up front of his camp to see if the spot next to him was taken, later to find out that he is also from Georgia.

My favorite moment this year came when I met a few students from Wathen Aviation High School located in Flabob, California. Their group, which consisted of seven students, began fundraising for their trip to Oshkosh in 2008. I interviewed them for an article in the AirVenture Today newspaper and never before have I struggled to capture such excitement in a story. 

They couldn't believe they were ACTUALLY in Oshkosh. One of the girls said she had gone through five memory cards from taking so many pictures! That experience reminded me why I love what I do at EAA and it rejuvenated me for the second half of the week.

Of course flying my newly constructed RV-8A to OSH was definitely a highlight.  But for weeks at my office in SoCal

I had been sitting on a EAA mailer for books and such and was going to order "My Log Book" by Gunther Rall.  It

was offered as autographed.  On Monday in OSH my son and I were looking through the daily EAA newspaper

and to our supprise, General Rall was going to be there signing his book!  We weren't the first in line, but almost.

Definitely a highlight.  Things like this only happen as OSH.

Wow - so many moments to chose from: Col. McGee and all the Tuskegee heroes; a B-17 crew easily slipping into the repartee of their youth; the Corsair in all her determined glory; the DC-3's and their quiet, stunning elegance; the Patillo twins at their first Airventure; Col. Hal Weekley telling me the story of why he and Billie married. 

However, the most memorable moment (for me) will be unexpectedly watching Sir Richard Branson jump out of WhiteKnightTwo in just about the same spot on P(apa) 2 where I had been proposed to just two weeks earlier.  Rather surreal...  Richard was with his magic carpet in that fortuitous spot, as I had been with mine! 

My fiancé had flown me from Charleston, SC via Atlanta, GA (where he lives) for the sole purpose of proposing in AeroShell Square.  EAA got us as close as P2.  Cessna should pay him for the story he came up with to get me to Oshkosh two weeks early, without suspicion!  Ladies, if a man is not willing to propose with a ring AND his plane...  then again, I have formed an intense relationship with this particular T310R…

Oshkosh/Airventure is all about passion - for aircraft; for aviation; for history and the future; for shared experiences, and for unique ones, as well.  Vive Poberezny! 

There were a lot more than just one special moment. I have posted a summary of my Oshkosh trip on my web site http://www.caro-engineering.com  under "Stories".

Sonja

I’ve waited too long to reply to this thread, pausing to think each time I saw the title and wondering: “well, what was it?”

After much deliberation I realized the answer was painfully simple. Aside from our awesome camping experience (the first time for our family), nothing was fantastically different from any other year at for us: Amazing airplanes to look at, vendors to visit with, and old friends to reconnect with.

What was a big highlight for me though was being part of the female pilots photo on AeroShell Square.  It’s a little thing, gathering together and taking a photo, but it’s also a pretty big deal because I’m sure someday some young woman will look back at those photos and go “why did they take those – so many women fly, what’s the big deal?”

The truth is, that’s somewhat how I feel now, what IS the big deal about women who fly? … The reality is there aren’t many of them, and I feel extremely privileged to be one of the 40,000 or so women who are pilots. Plus, the women pilots I know are extremely charismatic and interesting people, so it is always fun to get together, even if it is just for a few minutes to snap a photo.

I wear my lavender shirt with pride, and will forever be proud to say that I was a face among the 600 that showed up that day.

Like Kelly, it's taken me a while to respond.  A highlight was meeting folks I gave a ride to on my cart.  Just stopping along a path and offering someone a ride allowed me to meet some very wonderful people.  They came from varied places, some here for the first time, others were veterans, all were enjoying themselves.  Meeting EAA member #26 was a thrill!  These folks are what AirVenture is all about and I'm fortunate to have met them.

It had to be fridays warbird show when all the warbirds were on take off roll. I just look at my mom and dad with a huge smile and tears in my eyes. Gives me goosebumbs now!

My favorite moment was in the 99's booth.  I talked to a lady named Virginia Harmer who is the International director of the 99's.  She told me that files of women pilots had been updated and that she worked for many years to include members of the 99's and non members.  I told Virginia about my aunt who was a pilot in the 30's.  I was told by the 99's headquarters that non members were not included in their files.  Ms. Harmer called the headquarters and told me to call when I got back home. 

Cynthia Florsheim

girlflyer33@gmail.com

This probably pretty much sums up my favorite moment at AirVenture 2009.  Our daughter asked Paul Poberezny if she could  have her picture taken with him, after we had watched and heard his presentation about his experience as an instructor pilot for the PT-23 during WWII, at a Warbirds in Review presentation.  

When she asked him, Paul reached out his arms towards her, and said "How about a hug?"  At that moment, this 87 or 88 year-old man, of whom I have the deepest admiration and utmost respect for, bent over and down to my daughter's level, at which time I snapped the picture.

This was my family's first time to accompany me to Oshkosh, though I have made the trip several times, as far back as about 1973.  Having affectionately referred to Paul (or Tom)  as "The Boss" at some point early in the week, our 3 children ages 8 and 9, spent the rest of the week excitedly reporting to us the words "There's the Boss!" when they would see one of them meandering their way around the convention site in Red 1 or Red 3.

Watching the A380 land and taxi in. I was able to be in the performer's tent with the EAA Air Academy for that part too.

My favourite moment(s) start about 2 months before, and finish a good week or so afterwards.  It is an incredible event.  This is the first year that I almost felt I was coming to grips with it.  The size, the variety, the overload on the senses of all things aviation.  We moved here in 2001, so that was our first AV, and its taken me this long to really be able to absorb sort of, almost, everything.   I love it.  By the time we get to Wednesday, I already have that "I don't want it to finish" feeling.  By Friday I'm knackered, and by Sunday I'm all ready for it to keep going for at least another week  

I love the "Spirit of Aviation" video - especially to watch in February or March, when the winter is really seeming too long, and July seems so far away.  It gives me goosebumps.  I think I'll add that video with the Killers music to that list too ...

Can't wait for next year

"This is the first year that I almost felt I was coming to grips with it"

Spoke to soon - I just found the post on the Beech 18 "Dirty Bird".... I didn't even know it was at AV until now.....  What a fantastic idea, I wish I'd seen it.  I'm rubbish at art, and rubbish at thinking up clever things to write, but it would have been fun all the same....