As EAA AirVenture Oshkosh opens July 26, 2021, here’s a look back at a rather unusual arrival to Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) in Oshkosh a few years ago for the big show:
“You are mentioned on page 20 of the new VAA magazine.” This enigmatic text from a friend sent me online for the May/June 2020 issue of “Vintage Airplane” from the Vintage Aircraft Association and, sure enough, smack in the middle of an article about a rare Luscombe Model 4, was owner Ron Price’s account of his flight to AirVenture Oshkosh in 2019:
“They had terrible rains at Oshkosh and weren’t letting any more airplanes in unless they had a dry place to park them, but we got a phone call saying they’d like to have the Model 4 to put in front of the Vintage Red Barn,” Ron said. “We, of course, didn’t have a radio, which was going to complicate us getting in up there because the ceilings were fairly low and we couldn’t contact anyone as we were inbound. So one of our friends at Brodhead, Jim Roberts, volunteered to lead us up there in his Swift and he’d handle all the radio work.”
Reading this, I flashed back to that Sunday in July 2019 and the planets that aligned to make our flight happen.
This happy chain of events can be summed up in four popular maxims:
1: “80% of success is showing up.”
Attributed to comedian and film maker Woody Allen, you have to appreciate the wisdom of this saying. Had I not shown up at Brodhead Airport (C27), this story wouldn’t exist.
My annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh almost always includes a visit to Brodhead in southern Wisconsin, to catch up with friends and enjoy the annual Pietenpol aircraft owners’ reunion the Saturday before AirVenture. This time I seriously considered scrubbing that stopover and leaving home a day or two early to beat the heavy rains forecast that weekend at Oshkosh. But what’s the fun in that?
Friday morning I launched for Brodhead, reasoning that if the monsoon did materialize, what better place to be grounded than a friendly small-town airfield? If push came to shove, on Sunday I could join my friends on their drive to AirVenture.
So, after a pleasant flight from Tennessee, the Swift settled onto 2,400 feet of smooth Wisconsin grass. The stage was now set for our adventure.
2. “A friend in need is a friend indeed!”
Enter Ron Price, aforementioned owner of the Luscombe Model 4, and a good friend of more than 15 years. Ron has ties to Brodhead and always visits the weekend before AirVenture. This year he arrived with his beautiful Model 4 Luscombe, fresh from a restoration by Bill Bradford in Kansas City.
The Model 4 is a two-seat, closed-cabin taildragger, powered by a 90-horsepower Warner radial engine. Built in 1938, it was the bridge between the Luscombe Phantom and the very popular Model 8 Silvaire.
Upon inspecting the Luscombe, I congratulated Ron and assured him that he would certainly depart AirVenture with a major award.
Later that evening, while the Brodhead airport crowd was enjoying an old-fashioned Wisconsin fish boil, the second of two storm systems plowed through Oshkosh. When the rains finally subsided on Saturday, Wittman field had seen nearly three and a half inches of rain since Wednesday.
Sunday morning, friends at Oshkosh (who had landed Thursday) reported that their grass parking spots were “lakefront property.” Aircraft arrivals were closed except for those with parking reservations in paved areas.
Despite the grim report, I packed my bags, fueled, and loaded the aircraft. Next stop was Ron Price’s hangar, where we could discuss our options.
Spying the Model 4 sleeping under the rafters, I thought: “This would be a great story for Sparky.”
Enter friend number two. “Sparky,” as you may know, is Sparky Barnes, a talented and prolific writer specializing in vintage aircraft and their caretakers who writes often for General Aviation News. I count her as a friend and mentor, and was eager to give her a “scoop” on the Model 4.
On site at KOSH, Sparky answered her phone and revealed she was aware the Model 4 was destined for AirVenture, but another writer already had “first dibs” on the story. We chatted a while, then she wished me good luck on the last leg of the journey. This call was to prove providential.
3. “Timing is everything.”
While reviewing driving options, Ron and I were interrupted by my phone ringing. The caller was Ray Johnson, a director of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Vintage Aircraft Association. He had gotten my number from Sparky, as a possible contact with the Luscombe Model 4.
Ray explained he had arranged for the Model 4 to be displayed at the Red Barn, the headquarters of Vintage Aircraft at AirVenture. He’d also coordinated an arrival window and parking reservation.
Hearing this, the proverbial light bulb went off. I asked Ron if he could use an escort, since the Luscombe had no radio and the weather was less than ideal. Ron thought this was a capital idea, and asked Ray if the Red Barn could accommodate a Globe Swift alongside the Luscombe. By now you can guess the answer.
With the arrival window rapidly approaching, we briefed the hour-long formation flight, with the Luscombe in the lead. When we were 10 miles from Oshkosh, I’d pull abeam, rock the wings, and assume lead. Ron would know we were cleared to land when the Swift’s gear came down.
Since I had fueled, packed, and pre-flighted after breakfast (“Timing is everything”), we were airborne with ample time to make the arrival slot.
4: “I’d rather be lucky than good.”
As the Luscombe and Swift advanced toward Oshkosh, lady luck smiled all the way. The clouds dissipated abeam Madison, while smooth clear air carried our two silver birds northward.
Ray had advised us to contact Oshkosh Tower 10 miles south, and the reply was, “Swift flight of two, report two mile final to runway 36 Left.” Wow…that’s a first. No Fisk arrival up the railroad tracks today! When our two-mile call was answered with landing clearance, I added power, pulled ahead of Ron, and lowered the gear.
A spot landing on the yellow dot marked the successful conclusion of our flight, and all that remained was navigating to the Red Barn. As always, the Vintage Aircraft volunteers did a superb job of showing the way, and soon we were “home” in Wisconsin for another memorable week in July.
As a post script, both aircraft were displayed on the Bill & Myrt Rose Vintage Park beside the Vintage Aircraft Red Barn for several days. Ron’s Luscombe garnered well-deserved honors, winning the Bronze Age (1937-1941) Outstanding Closed Cockpit Runner-Up Trophy.
We can’t wait to see this year’s winners.