Oshkosh preparations

When I start pulling the camping gear down from the garage storage, it's officially Oshkosh preparation time. Bright and early this morning, me and my airport dog in training hit the garage and did just that. Out came the step ladder and down came the camping gear. Airport dog in training was more interested in chewing on sticks in the front yard. He has no idea that his world is about to change when I disappear for 11 days.

Today was a banner day in the Oshkosh related mail department. The last of the ordered charts arrived in the mail...one more thing to check off the "to-do" list. All I need now is a North Central AFD and I'm set. Well, that and print out a bunch of NOS approach plates for a bunch of airports. Last year I ordered and hauled way too many bound NOS charts. This year, I plan to print out whatever I think I'd need based on planned gas and overnight stops. Not only do I kill less trees this way, I haul probably 6-7 less pounds on the 3000 nm journey.

Even better in the package receiving department, my Aircraft Spruce order showed up today. The main component of which is a new Concorde RG battery for the Arrow. Our old battery is on its way out and I really don't want to get stuck somewhere on the way to/from the Left Coast to Oshkosh with a dead battery.

It's time for some serious hangar rat duty. Battery replacement, mounting a fire extinguisher, replacing wing tip screws/washers with new stainless steel hardware, troubleshooting the copilot side PTT switch not working, and gluing on the pilot side right rudder pedal rubber pad. Oh yeah, tonight may be a late one at the hangar but that's ok, I'm long overdue in the hangar rat department.

Another item checked off the Oshkosh to-do list was updating the W&B spreadsheet I've perfected over the last couple of years. I still have to plug in a couple of final numbers but, for the moment anyway, we're approximately 100 lbs under gross with full fuel. Life is good :-)

T-minus 13 days until launch. If I can, I'm thinking about adding blog entires along the route.