We are planning to fly to Oshkosh Wittman Airport this month. I have been glancing at the charts as well as examining the facts involved in undertaking this journey. I thought I share few brief points with the rest of the fellow pilots who are also planning to fly out there.
Flight Planning:
The most popular way to get to Oshkosh from Southern California is to “clear” the Rocky Mountains through flying over Colorado. However, one does not have to “clear” the Rockies in order to navigate efficiently to Oshkosh. We have an alternative and that is to fly around the Rockies by crossing into Arizona, to Northern New Mexico, and there onto flat lands.
Depending upon the speed of the aircraft we are flying, this route may add another 15-30 minutes to our overall flight time to Oshkosh. I’m willing to spend the extra time since some of the Rocky routes will take me close to very high mountain ranges and will force me to fly into “valleys” in between these humongous mountains.
I have done John Wayne to Albuquerque Double Eagle in a little over 5 hours from John Wayne airport in my speedster Piper Cherokee Warrior non-stop! Sure, we do cross some mountains to get to Albuquerque and beyond but overall they are much less imposing mountain ranges compared to Rockies!
“Flat Land”
I do not lower my shield once I get over the “flat” land. It is almost guaranteed for us to encounter some sort of weather enroute to Oshkosh. Although mostly in the afternoon and evening, thunderstorms could occur at anytime without notice. Since my aircraft does not have a “strike finder”, I will update my weather data while in flight through utilizing Flight Watch which I can reach on 122.0 frequency. Even if I had fancy weather equipment on board, I would still contact Flight Watch to obtain information in regards to the movement of these storms so that I can fly around them safely.
In addition, I refrain from temptation and the assumption that since I’m over flat land, it would be “safe” to engage in “scud running”! There is no such a thing as safe scud running and attempting to fly under any intense weather activity is not wise regardless of the terrain we are flying over. “Scud Running” is generally defined as follows:
“….In general aviation, scud running is a practice in which pilots lower their altitude in order to avoid clouds or Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). The goal of scud running is to stay clear of weather in order to continue flying with visual, rather than instrument, references. This practice is widely accepted to be dangerous, and has led to death in many cases from pilots flying into radio towers, terrain, and high tension wires; however, even experienced, knowledgeable, and instrument-rated pilots sometimes elect to take the risk by engaging in scud running to avoid icing or embedded thunderstorms in cloud, or in situations where the minimum instrument altitudes are too high for their aircraft.
Scud running is occasionally referred to as "maintaining visual contact with the ground while avoiding physical contact with it. The term gets its name from “scud”, which is used to describe low, detached clouds…..”
In conclusion, we generally have lots of time but we only have one life! It is always better to be on the ground wishing to be in the air rather than flying in a dangerous situation wishing to be on the ground!
Possible Overnight Stay:
If I have to land overnight for any reasons such as bad weather, mechanical problems, or pilot fatigue, etc., I would attempt to rent a hanger for my overnight parking. The summertime weather over the plains are unpredictable and you may have pouring storms associated with high winds and unusual stuff such as “tennis-ball” size hails dropping from skies. I pay a little extra for a hanger and protect my beloved plane from such elements!
VFR Flight Plan:
I would file a VFR flight plan. There might not be flight following coverage available for some of the routes I’m flying. If an emergercncy occurs and I’m not talking to anyone, I would want to have a flight plan on file.
Arrival:
I would review and plan my arrival to Oshkosh thoroughly. It is unlike anything we have seen and involves somewhat an “unorthodox” approach, pattern, communication, landing and taxiing procedures. Although not complicated, it requires one to thoroughly study the procedures to avoid any confusion.
We all get fatigued which affects us mentally and physically. After 12/13+ hours of cross country flying, if I recognize that I’m too tired, arriving perhaps at night, at an unfamiliar airport with totally unfamiliar approach and landing procedures like Oshkosh, I will make sure I have an alternate and an “easier” airport to divert to. The airports close to Oshkosh offer free shuttle to your destination. You can always fly your plane to Oshkosh airport the next day when you are fresh to “experience” Oshkosh’s unique arrival, etc.
Wittman Hours of Operation:
Lastly, I would check Oshkosh airport hours of operation closely. The airport is mostly closed and only offers limited “windows” for to arriving and departing aircrafts.
I hope you find these tips helpful. Fly Safely. See you in Oshkosh! George