Quite a Feast - An AirVenture 2008 Update
AirVenture 2008 is almost over, and I still haven't done half of the things I've wanted to here. AirVenture is really a whole bunch of events in one, sort of like courses in a meal. You could easily spend the entire week focused on each course, but then you'd miss out on the joy that comes when you combine all the individual courses into a big meal. This year, Oshkosh has been quite a feast for me.
Highlights so far:
- Worked our booth and talked to existing and potential customers about the virtues of Flight Simulator X.
- Watched a little kid land the AugustaWestland EH-101 helicopter in Flight Simulator: Acceleration perfectly, on his first try.
- Walked amongst thousands of parked aircraft ranging from the latest biz jets to classic biplanes, and everything in between.
- Watched a bunch of fascinating ultralight aircraft fly, including a powered paraglider.
- Explored hundreds of vendors' booths and saw some cool things ranging from new avionics to a board game for pilots.
- Observed air traffic controllers working the VFR arrival at Fisk.
- Flew the arrival (twice!) in a Piper Warrior.
- Got a tour of the new control tower.
- Talked to FAA researchers about their NextGen, ADS-B, and Staffed Virtual Tower initiatives.
- Had a great meeting with EAA regarding some upcoming plans for an exciting collaborative endeavor between us leveraging the power of Flight Simulator X.
- Watched Speed and Angels on a big screen (well, the first half ... then it rained).
- Met Speed and Angels Producer Paco Chierici, and fighter pilot/subject Jay Consalvi.
- Caught up with some old friends including Jim Rhoades, Lane Wallace, Marty Blaker, Dale Snodgrass, Rod Machado, and Barrington Irving.
- Attended Lane's presentation "Stories from the Road," about flying in Sudan, the Congo, and the Alps.
- Made some new friends, and lots of interesting contacts.
- Watched the Boeing Dreamlifter land.
- Watched a Lockheed U2 spy plane land, and got an exclusive look into the cockpit.
- Watched a U2 pilot try his hand at formation flight in the Flight Simulator X: Acceleration F/A-18 .
- Saw some amazing airshow performances, including mind-blowing demonstrations by an F-22 Raptor, Red Bull's BO 105 CBS aerobatic helicopter, and a Beech 18.
- Subscribed to a bunch of aviation magazines.
- Toured the flight line and learned how the whole operation works.
- Visited the AirVenture Seaplane Base.
- Got a ride in a P-51 Mustang (low-level flying over water, barrel roll, loop ... amazing experience).
- Threw up 15 minutes after getting a ride in a P-51 Mustang.
- Felt much better.
I intend on writing about many of these experiences, so check back. One day to go!
Extras 
