1988 Oshkosh Tour Report

After departure from Sydney on July 25th the United Airlines Boeing 747 stopped briefly at Auckland and Honolulu before arriving at Los Angeles. Here our hotel for the next few days was the famous cruise ship, the Queen Mary, now moored at Long Beach a few hundred feet from the remarkable Howard Hughes Spruce Goose aircraft display. On the QM our group revered in the gracious 1930’s style of travelling accommodation what with portholes, original dark wood panelling and brass fittings.

Our introduction to the USA commenced with a day long visit to Disneyland and if seeing is believing, adults have more fun here than the kids. Next day included a tour of the McDonnell Douglas Long Beach facility followed by a visit to the Spruce Goose and an in depth tour of the QM. At McDonnell Douglas, the group had a conducted tour of the production lines where the successful MD-80 series and the last of the DC-10s are assembled. The MD-11 will replace the DC-10 with the first of the new generation trijets flying around next Easter. By a stroke of fate our tour guides for the day were James and Jamie Douglas, the son and grandson of Donald Douglas, a fact not lost on our group.

From Los Angeles we flew across to Tucson, Arizona, where the good people of the Tucson Airport Holiday Inn turned on a convivial welcoming party that tour members fondly remembered even weeks later.

At Tucson an inspection was made of the huge Davis Monthan Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Centre. Davis Monthan is many things – it is an active Air Force base in addition to being an aircraft storage and reclamation depot. Chosen because of the favourable climate, OM is an eye opener that the best book or magazine article cannot prepare one for. As far as the eye can see there are rows and rows of aircraft. Grouped in type lots, the machines are sealed against the elements. Some can be put in the air in a few days while others would take weeks. Other aircraft are used as a source of valuable spare parts to support still active machines. Looking around one sees a multitude of types including hundreds of B-52s, Hercules, Kiowas, Phantoms, etc, and even early model AV-8A Harriers. After the bus tour the group visited ‘Celebrity Row’ where, for about half a mile, both sides of the road have examples of the individual types currently held at DM. Perhaps the most interesting were a MiG killer F-4 Phantom and the Piper Enforcer, better known as a 1970s grandchild of the legendary Mustang.

That afternoon the tour group visited the Pima Air Museum which is situated a short distance from DM. Here the Museum had on display more than 100 aircraft, a fascinating cross-section of most types operated by the US Military since late in WWII. A few examples on display were the B-17, B-25, B-24, B-52, 8-47, Super Connie, Curtiss Commando, Aircobra DC-7C, DC-6, C- 121, C-124, F-107, X-15, KC-97 and Lockheed Lightning to name but a few.

Next day it was across the USA by air and on to the main event; Oshkosh.

There is only one place in the world where 15,000 plus aircraft visit in the space of a week and that place is Wittman Field, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA. This year was no exception even though the number of homebuilts was reported as being slightly down. As usual good numbers of antiques and ultralights attended and to a visitor it was hard to know which way to turn next. In the homebuilt department there seemed to be a trend towards kits and fibreglass kits at that.

As always the warbirds produced some eye openers with both civil registered F-104 and MiG-15. Kermit Weeks’ Mosquito attracted much attention as did the BA Concorde, 8-18 bomber, AV-88 Harrier and Spitfire:

The spectacle of more than a dozen Mustangs was impressive but for sheer numbers imagine the sound of the 30 odd T-6/SNJs.

Other interesting aircraft in the warbirds contingent included a Catalina, Douglas 8-26 Invader, P-2 Neptune and a rare Grumman Tigercat. In the homebuilt department much attention was centred around the Mach Buster 1 a prop driven homebuilt, 80% completed two seater that is proposed to exceed Mach 1 using a modified automobile V8 engine!

Our group saw a lot during the four days at Oshkosh. For those who could find the time there were numerous trade exhibits and many forums about various aspects of aviation. In our group several members purchased hardware at better than home prices for use in their own aircraft. One member even bought a new engine for his aircraft. By the end of our stay at Oshkosh our bags had become somewhat heavier. There was also the opportunity to get a US endorsement on your Aussie PPL each day at Oshkosh.

One of the joys of travelling with a tour group is that you have a common interest and so it was that there was much discussion as we departed Oshkosh south bound for Orlando, Florida.

Here we stayed several days allowing time to visit the nearby Kennedy Space Centre and learn more about the marvels of space flight. Next it was off to the EPCOT Centre or if you will, Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a Disney concept that explores the American fascination with both the past and the future.

Orlando to Washington DC the capital of the USA. A tour of the city included the Congress building, the haunting Vietnam Memorial wall and the Arlington National Cemetery where brothers Robert and John Kennedy lie only a short distance from each other.

Next day the group visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. By special arrangement we were fortunate to obtain early entry and have author R E G Davies commence our Smithsonian visit with a conducted tour. A full day at the Smith’ is a must to be able to see, photograph and appreciate the many historic and unique aircraft and space vehicles on display. The best known of these of course are the Wright Flyer and the Lindberg Ryan Monoplane. An additional facility is now being planned to be sited at Dulles Airport for the large aircraft exhibits.

The Paul Garber Facility, previously known as Silver Hill, was the next stop. The Garber is the restoration and storage complex for the Smith’ and here we managed to spend a morning seeing a selection of the best of the collection, some of which may not be displayed for many years. Our group was stunned by being able to see ‘Enola Gay’ the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Japan to bring a close to WWII and usher in the nuclear age.

Next up, Seattle, in the far NW State of Washington. Here Boeing is the single largest employer with most people in one way or another being involved with the aerospace industry. At the Everett, just north of Seattle, the group had a conducted tour of the Boeing plant where the 747 and 767 are assembled in what is said to be the largest factory in the world, so big in fact that a light plane could easily fly around inside it.

Next day was a free day and some of the group drove to Canada, some went floatplane flying and others visited the new Museum of Flight at King County airport where as an extra they could see the prototype 747, the so called ‘Star Wars’ 767 and also the prototype Lear Fan which was under restoration for the Museum.

On to Hawaii and some R&R. Our hotel was the Outrigger Village right in the Waikiki tourist belt and only a few hundred yards from the beach. Here we had four days to unwind, do some shopping and enjoy the sunshine, the only organised activity being a tour to the USS Arizona, the battleship that was sunk by the Japanese in their attack on Pearl Harbour. The ship was never raised and still contains the remains of over 1,000 seamen killed before they ever knew who their enemy was. Today a beautiful memorial straddles the sunken ship which even after all these years still emits traces of fuel oil.

Not content with all the flying that they had done most of the tour group took in an island hopping trip either by DHC7 airliner or trusty radial engined Beech 18.

All too soon it was over and we boarded United flight 817 bound for Australia and home. Our tour group visited six states plus the capital of the US and saw a real wealth of America and aviation. Indeed it was hard to believe that we saw so much during our visit.

This year’s successful tour will be the basis for the 1989 tour, planning for which is already underway. For those who went this year, they will always have a few special photographs, a multitude of good memories and will no doubt think of the tour in one word, Fabulous!