Oh No – They Owe!

One of the stories in the news not long ago concerned the death of the proposed merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines. As a former airport employee tasked with billing and collecting payments from airlines let me tell you – mergers are a pain, but bankruptcies worse. And airlines that simply cease to exist are worse still.

The Check is in the Mail

My former colleague over in the Parking Department has it pretty easy when it comes to collections – any company or person who doesn’t pay for their parking pass has their access turned off. Funny how fast people decide to pay the bill when they realize they can’t get into the lot! On the airline side of the house it isn’t that simple. Because our airports receive federal funding, they cannot restrict who lands there. So it doesn’t matter how much an airline owes, it can continue to fly in and land any time it wants and there’s nothing the airport can do about it. Well… almost nothing.

General aviation so… no bill for you!

Disclaimer

Before I go into more detail about my semi-creative collecting strategies, let me drop a couple of disclaimers. First, I HATE collections. Seriously. I don’t mind sending an email or making a quick call to remind someone to pay their bill, but going after someone repeatedly to collect past due accounts isn’t my thing. Second, the vast majority of airlines were great to work with and never gave me any trouble. All the major carriers at our airports are signatory which means they’ve signed operating agreements which spell out payment terms that they were good at following. Most of the challenges came from small charter companies that were periodic visitors. Third, every airport is different. My experiences don’t necessarily reflect how things are handled at other airports.

Who are you? Who? Who?

Sometimes the biggest hurdle in collections was figuring out who to bill in the first place. The Operations team uses tail numbers and tracking software to determine who a plane belongs to, but then you have to find contact information for the owner. Sometimes that’s as easy as going to the comany’s website. But sometimes there is no website, or there’s no contact info on it, or there’s contact information but no one will talk to you, or they’ll talk to you but tell you that the company who chartered the flight is paying the bill and then you have to track THEM down. You get the idea.

In case you were wondering, many of these charter companies land and go directly to the FBO so there is no interaction with the Airport Authority. There’s no requirement for them to tell the Authority that they are coming in. And at our Passenger Airport, there is no agreement with the FBOs to collect landing fees – that has to be done by the Authority. So while the FBOs knows who they’re handling and who to bill, the airport doesn’t. (Different story at the Cargo Airport – see below.)

Warbird! No bill for you either.

No Gate for You!

Sometimes the larger charter companies will need to go to the terminal to pick up/drop off passengers rather than the FBO. Since the Airport Aithority owns the gates, this is one place where I had a little leverage. I could let the Operations Department know which charter companies were on the naughty list and they’d make sure someone at the company spoke to me before any gates were assigned. Fortunately, I never had to use this tactic, although I got close once.

F B Oh No You Don’t!

As mentioned above, the Airport Authority runs the FBO at the cargo airport. This gave me a lot more leverage than I had at the Passenger Airport. No payment? No unloading cargo and no fuel. Thankfully we never actually got to the point of refusing service. Instead we’d have airlines with delinquent accounts pay for all their charges (fuel, turn fees, landing fees, etc.) via credit card when they arrived. Easy-peezy! Sometimes the FBO would get them to pay for any unpaid charges the carrier had at the passenger airport too. Double win!

There were at least two and maybe three companies that operated as “Eastern” during my time at the airport.

Bankrupties

Airports naturally want all their customers to be successful and profitable. But hard times can happen to anyone. As the collections person, I often went out of my way to try work with airlines that were in financial trouble. I set up payment plans which allowed them to take more time to pay off balances. As long as the airline paid something on a regular basis and were good at keeping in touch, I could give them a fair amount of leeway.

But when the financial strain becomes too much, bankruptcy becomes inevitable. Any time I recieved a bankruptcy notice, all collections stopped immediately on invoices for services provided prior to the filing date. It is up to the court to decide how much (if anything) the airport will get paid. Some airlines, like Miami Air, file bankruptcy then cease operations. (I was so sad! Long-time readers may remember I spent months stalking them for a decent pic.) Other airlines, like iAero, continue operating. So I couldn’t collect on the old invoices, but still had to collect on the newer ones. Ugh! Headache!

Awwww – Miami Air.

Vanishing Act

Then you have airlines like Elite Airways who simply cease to exist. No bankruptcy filing, no warning, – one day they just stop operating. *Poof* Gone. That’s a bummer because then there’s no hope of collecting any payment. Of course, there have been rumors that it might return. However, Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport siezed everything that Elite left behind (including at least one airplane) and auctioned it all off. Then they sold the hangar. That plus the fact that the DOT has revoked their operating license makes it highly unlikely that Elite will return any time soon.

Don’t Worry – Be Military!

You know who I never had to worry about? Military planes! That’s because we didn’t invoice the military. So not only are military planes super cool, but they were also low stress. Now that I’m no longer at the airport, I don’t see the military planes as much, which makes me sad. But then again, when I receive a JetTip notification about a new airline scheduled to fly in, I can be excited to go see it, without having to worry about figuring out who to bill. And that works for me!

Military, military, military, military, military!

Changes

When I walked in the door of the airport nine years ago, I was sure that this was the last job I’d ever have. I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to work anywhere else. There were airplanes outside the office – what more could an avgeek like me want?

But I’ve learned that what happens inside the office has a huge impact on how I experience what happens outside the office… or if I experience it at all. Eventually it reached the point where I barely noticed the airport around me. Finally I made the difficult decision to move on.

I could go into the gritty details of all the things that led to this decision. However, I think it would be a lot more fun to look back at some of the amazing adventures I got to have. It is hard to rank them, but I’m going to try. Cue the countdown theme music!

5. Visiting ARFF

Back in 2019 my deparment took an afternoon off to head next door and visit our friends over at the ARFF station. For those who don’t know, ARFF stands for Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting. They are the crews tasked with responding to emergencies on the airfield. We got to tour the station, see where they sleep, eat and train. We also got to sit in the fire trucks. Your inner three-year-old is absolutely correct: fire trucks are cool! The ARFF team did a demonstration for us, including how they are able to penetrate the skin of an aircraft to spray foam or retardent on the inside.

4. Time on the Taxiway

Photo by Andrew Stricker

In late 2017 Delta began to recieve the first A350s into their fleet. The plane itself was still fairly new having entered service only a couple of years before. Designed primarily for long-haul flights, it isn’t the sort of plane that would be used at my airport. However, Delta decided to fly in as part of a series of acceptance and training flights. I, of course, had plans to be on the garage so I could get plenty of pics. Imagine my surprise when one of the Operations Managers appeared at my desk and asked if I’d like to ride out onto the airfield and watch from there instead. Would I? Are you kidding me? We parked on a taxiway and I got to watch the plane land right in front of me. It was amazing! And then when it was time to depart we parked on a different taxiway off the end of the runway so the plane took off right over us. Again, amazing.

3. Time on the Runway

The first time I ever went on one of the runways as an airport employee I was in a passenger shuttle. Someone from airfield maintenance was driving around trying to find one of the pavement sensors. Since then I’ve been on the runway many times. I worked at the water station during the Runway 5Ks which was located about half-way down Runway 28 Right. I was even allowed to drive a shuttle up and down that runway. (What on earth were they thinking?!) The runways are the heart of any airport. They are central to the airport’s existence. As a non-pilot who doesn’t travel that much, being able to be on the runway and get close to the lights, the markings and yes, the pavement sensors, was a real treat for me.

2. Four ATC Towers and a Tracon

The Airport Authority manages three airports which have four towers between them. I had the pleasure of visiting all four. Two are contract towers – one at the cargo airport and one at the general aviation airport. One is a former ATC tower, now used as a base of operations during snow events. And one is an FAA tower with a tracon. Being able to visit these facilities and see the controlers at work was quite an adventure. Seeing several types of towers at multiple airports with different levels of traffic gave me a much better understanding of the ATC system. And let’s face it – ATC towers are cool. I could never get tired of the view.

1. Working on the De-ice Pad

Of all the amazing avgeek things I got to see and do while working at the airport, this was hands-down the most exciting and unexpected. In the fall of 2016 I was approached about whether I’d like to train to assist on the de-ice pad. Uh… are you serious? Heck yes!!! At the passenger airport the Operations Department is responsible for managing the flow of traffic into and out of the pad on frosty mornings and during snow events. This is done by driving an airport vehicle around the pad and communicating with pilots, ATC and others via the radio. As a humble accountant I never in my wildest imaginings ever thought I’d get to do something like this. I got to tell pilots what to do. And they listened to me! I got to drive around on the ramp. And somehow everyone survived!

So, what’s next for me? That’s a good question. I’m taking some time to decompress. Then I’ll be doing some part-time freelance bookkeeping work for a friend while I look for my next big adventure. If you know anyone who is looking for an accountant with avgeek tendencies (or an avgeek with accounting tendencies), let me know.

And what about the blog? The blog will definitely continue. You can take me out of the airport, but you’ll never take the airport out of me. Interesting things are going on at airports everywhere and I have nearly a decade of experience that will allow me to bring them to you with a critical eye. Plus I have stories still to tell and plenty of aviation adventures ahead. Stay tuned!

I’ve left the airport, but my Spirit remains! Seriously. I left this plane at my desk. No idea what my co-workers have done with it. If you fly out of gate 21 let me know if it is still in the window.

Attention in the Terminal!

Except where noted, all photos in this blog are stills from one of the best aviation movies of all time – Airplane!

If you have followed this blog for any length of time then you know that there are certain things at the airport I shouldn’t be given access to. The ATC tower, for example. If I could go up there whenever I wanted then I’d show up unannounced, commandeer a desk and refuse to leave. Some of my coworkers have clearly caught on, which is why the stairs trucks continue to be off-limits. But there are some co-workers who remain blissfully unaware.

A few months back there was a notice in the weekly staff email that the Customer Service Department was looking for volunteers to help them re-record the airport public announcements. You know the ones – they remind you not to leave bags unattended and to have your ID ready before you get to the checkpoint. We’ve had the same PAs for a very long time so the decision was made to refresh them.

I considered signing up. I mean come on – who doesn’t want to record airport PAs? I’ve been secretly plotting to access the system and page Captain Oveur for years. (And if you don’t recognize the reference then you haven’t seen the movie Airplane!, in which case we can’t be friends.) Unfortunately my job has been ridiculously busy and I completely forgot all about this golden opportunity until well past the deadline.

Then a couple weeks ago the fire alarm went off. This is not an unusual occurence – sometimes little kids escape from their parents and pull the alarm, sometimes one of the restaraunts burns someone’s lunch and sets off the smoke sensors. Any time the alarm goes off we are required to leave the office and stand out on the ramp near the tug drive. My coworkers congregated in groups. I hid myself around the corner where I could avoid small talk and watch airplanes.

But then I saw the Customer Service Manager waking my way. She said hello and asked how I was. Then she asked if I would be interested in recording some of the airport PAs. They had gotten several volunteers, but she was hoping to get someone from accounting. Of course I agreed to help out. I mean, we can’t let the accounting department go unrepresented, now can we!

The next day I got an email with a copy of the annoucements and a request to select a time slot to do the recording. I selected one of the last slots available. I then reviewed the verbiage I’d be required to read. *Yawn* Airport announcements are pretty darn boring. There has got to be a better way to remind people about all the things they should probably already know. “Yo! Listen up people! Keep an eye on your bags. Don’t take guns through the checkpoint. Find your ID. And for the love of God find your kids so they don’t pull the damn fire alarm again.”

One week later I showed up at my appointed time with a print-out of the announcements in hand. The Customer Service Manager was there. So was a tech who was in charge of the recording. They sat me in front of a microphone and explained that when I was ready the tech would start the recording, wait two seconds to capture the background noise, then he’d point at me to begin speaking. We would go through the announcements in order, beginning with the one about unattended bags and ending with the one about curbside lanes.

Things went pretty smoothly. The tech pointed, I read and we made small talk between takes until the tech was ready for me to read the next one. We worked our way through the list until we got to the last one. The curbside annoucement is supposed to be about lanes being restricted and unattended vehicles being towed. But I didn’t read it. Oh no. I was not about to pass up an opportunity to make the announcement I’ve waited my whole career to make. I took a breath, waited for my cue, leaned in to the microphone and said:

“The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the red zone.”

I watched the Customer Service Manager out of the corner of my eye as I was speaking. She looked confused. She checked the paper with the announcements. Then a look of recognition dawned and she began to laugh. Then the tech began to laugh. And by the end, I was also laughing. Bucket list item – complete!

Of course, I had to go back and record the actual curbside announcement. However, the decision was made to save the white zone announcement too, although I’m not sure what they plan to do with it. If you ever fly through a medium-sized midwestern airport late at night and hear an announcement about not stopping in the red zone, you aren’t imagining things. And if you need to use a courtesy phone, be sure to use a white one.

A Starship stopped by recently. So glad I happened to be watching when it left.

Corsairs and Connie

Over the years you’ve heard me mention “only at Osh” moments. This refers to things that can only happen at Airventure. Every year there are at least one or two of these moments. This year’s “only at Osh” moment involved Corsairs and a Connie. And oh my goodness was it amazing!

I love the Corsair. It is easily my favorite WWII Navy aircraft. There’s just something about that bent wing. And the deep, throaty sound of the engine. While many of the remaining Corsairs are museum pieces, there are still a few that are flying, although it is unusual to see more than one or two at any given time. But then there’s Osh.

At Airventure this year there are at least nine of them here. NINE. All in flying condition. Six of them flew in the Thursday afternoon air show. It was AMAZING. There was an F-18 flying around too, but trust me – the Corsairs were the stars of the show.

But there was one party crasher who sneaked in to steal some of the limelight. Normally I’d be annoyed. But in this case I was thrilled because the party crasher happened to be a Connie. The Lockheed Constellation made its debut in the early 1940s. It was the first pressurised aircraft to enjoy widespread use commercially.

Today they, like the Corsair, are mostly museum pieces. In fact, I believe there are only a couple of them that are still airworthy. Never in a million years did I ever think I’d get to see one in flight. And then today I did. Only at Osh.

Do you love airplanes? Do you appreciate history? Do you believe in magic? See you at Airventure 2024.

Osh 23! Pre-game and Day 1

I love planes with growly face.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas. It’s Airventure 2023! My happy place. Where I can geek out over aircraft and no one thinks I’m strange. (At least, not for geeking out over aircraft.)

Dragon Lady

I arrived on Saturday and spent the bulk of the afternoon as well as most of Sunday sitting along the runway in the North 40. Not sure how busy this runway is normally, but during Osh it is incredibly busy. Lots of people flying in for the show plus lots of warbirds. Of course, lots of flying means lots of “interesting” landings, lots of go-arounds and sometimes also an incident or two.

Once such incident involved a Cessna 180 amphibian with landing gear issues. I’ve heard a couple versions of what happened – some say the gear didn’t come down until late and some say it came down but didn’t deploy properly. I didn’t see the plane until it was down and rolling out along the runway. It was apparent that it was at an odd angle – nose tilted down. At first I was afraid it would fall forward and smash its prop onto the ground. It stopped on the runway and the pilot reported that he believed he had a flat tire and he was unable to move off the runway.

Of course everyone on downwind and final for the runway had to go around. The airport then shifted to single runway ops while ARFF, the Airport Operations department and a dozen EAA personnel surrounded the plane to figure out what to do with it. Eventually they had several people sit on the back of the pontoons to lift the front of the plane. They were apparently able to lower the front gear and pin it in place. It was towed off the runway but later we saw it taxiing under its own power over to the FBO.

I wandered over to Boeing Plaza Sunday evening, expecting to see the usual display of military might. What I saw instead made me wonder if someone had spiked my drink. First thing to come into view was the Dream Lifter. I had seen pictures of it before, but it is far more impressive (and oddball) in person. It looks like someone wrapped a large metal blanket around a 747.

As I walked past the Dream Lifter my eyes beheld a sight even more bizzare – the Super Guppy. At first glance it doesn’t look like an airplane. It doesn’t look like it can fly at all. It is the ultimate “Frankenstine’s Monster” of airplanes. Bulbous head (that opens sideways on a hinge), wings that seem too short with propellors that appear to have been stolen from a C-130. It’s preposterous. Ridiculous. An abomination. And yet… kinda cool.

Those two planes alone were enough to make me question my sanity. But then I saw the F-16. A lovely airplane, as all F-16s are. But this one was YELLOW. You read that correctly. Yellow with blue trim. I took a million pictures of it because my brain hurt and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I wasn’t. That plane is as yellow as the sunflowers in my yard. But the color doesn’t make it any less mean.

Couple of fun facts about Osh so far:

– There were 2,143 airplane operations at KOSH on Sunday. This is on par with last year, which saw record-breaking attendance.

– EAA currently has around 280,000 members. I must say, I’m proud to be one of them. Not only does EAA throw one heck of an aviation party, but they are also strong advocates for general aviation,

So what’s next? Well the week is young and there is a lot of aviation magic still to come. I’ll keep you posted.

A350

Wings, Wheels and Wow!

Ah, summer! The pace is slower and it’s time to relax, right? Not in my world! Sure, I’m able to spend some time chilling on the porch swing, but I’m also super busy with all the fun events that come along with sunshine and warm weather. This year those events include an air show at the cargo airport, a ginormous car show and, of course, Airventure at Oshkosh.

We found out a couple of years ago that the cargo airport was going to host the first air show in the area since 2007. That’s kind-of a big deal! An outside company handled most of the details, but airport staff still had a lot of work to do to prepare for all the planes and attendees. Fortunately, I had no responsibilites whatsoever – all I had to do was show up with my free ticket and enjoy!

The show was completely sold out for both Saturday and Sunday. It was strange to see so many people at an airport that is usually rather quiet. I didn’t expect there to be many static displays so I was pleasantly surprised to see F-35s, F-16s, a C-5, a C-17, a C47 and an A-10. The air show performers were amazing and included the likes of Mike Goulian, Rob Holland and Mike Pietsch.

There were also various warbird flight formations, the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team, a jet truck and STOL drag racing. I’ve seen STOL competions many times, but STOL drag racing was new to me. It was basically a STOL competion with flying back and forth between two points. It was actually a lot of fun to watch. The air show wrapped up with the power and precision of the Blue Angels. For being the first air show in the area in such a long time I’d have to say they did a pretty good job. Rumor has it they plan to come back again next year.

The next big event involved wheels rather than wings. The Good Guys Hot Rod Association came to town bringing with them over 6,000 very cool old cars. I was under the impression that the show was for American cars only. When I found out any make could attend, I really wanted to take our 1954 MG TF 1500. It’s a beautiful old car, but it is NOT a hot rod. The MG surrounded by hot rods is like Dame Judy Dench hanging out with Motley Crue – kinda crazy but also totally awesome.

Just getting to the show was a challenge. For one thing, we don’t take the car on the highway. Ever. It is too small, too open and too low to the ground. Plus it has no seatbelts. We had to make our way to the event via back roads and side streets. Figuring out where to pick up our registration and actually get into the show was also a challenge. Once we sorted it out and joined the queue to enter the show grounds… woah! People lined the streets to watch the cars come in. I realized right then that car people love cars – even small British roadsters with only 69 horsepower.

After we got inside we found a spot to park and began the completely overwhelming process of trying to see as many of the cars as we could. We walked through the lot we were in and the lot next to it. Then we saw more cars ahead so we walked through there. Then we saw multiple covered display areas so we walked through there, which emptied us into another lot with more cars… OK, what the heck is this place? Osh for cars? Actually, that’s exactly what it is.

The show area stretched on and on and on. In addition to all the show cars there was an auto-cross course, a vendor area with everything automotive for sale, food trucks everywhere and a flea market. And a craft area. And even MORE cars on display inside. Did I mention Osh for cars?

The only downside is that a line of storms rolled in so we left earlier than we would have liked. We got stuck in a downpour a few minutes later. Fortunately we had the top up and the side windows in. Unfortunately the windshield wipers don’t work. We disconnected them last year, because they liked to run randomly for no reason and refused to turn off. Fortunately we can manipulate the wipers manually. Unfortunately, the wipers are useless, which is another reason why we disconnected them. All in all it was an excellent adventure and we will definitely be back.

Speaking of Osh, in just a few days I’ll be headed to Airventure 2023. I’ll be blogging, as usual. I’ll also be posting tons of pics and videos over on Twitter (@Jen_Niffer). At least, I’ll post as many as Mr. Space X will allow. If you still have an account, give me a follow. Otherwise you can find me on Instagram (@talesfromtheterminal). If you think I should join Threads, comment here and let me know. Maybe I’ll set up an account and drop some content there also. Hope to see you in Wisconsin!

More Than Just Bombs

A trip to Pensacola Florida usually means a visit to the National Naval Aviation Museum. Can you say F-14s? (Talk to me Goose!) Unfortunately, an incident that happened at NAS Pensacola in late 2019 forced the closure of the museum to the public – only Department of Defense ID holders can visit. I have a family member with that clearance who could escort me, but coordinating with them hasn’t been possible.

So I found myself searching for an alternative. A friend mentioned a museum near Destin. She couldn’t remember the name of it, but recalled that they had a lot of airplanes. That got my attention! I did some research and came up with the Air Force Armament Museum on Eglin AFB. A museum on an Air Force Base? Heck yeah!

Similar sign – different location.

On the way there we drove by Hurlburt Field, another military base. They had a number of signs posted to “Beware of Low Flying Aircraft. Any time you have to watch out for airplanes on the way to an Air Force Museum located on an Air Force Base it is pretty much guaranteed that you are going to have a good time.

The first thing I noticed upon arrival at the Armament Museum is that a lot of the airplanes and exhibits are outside. I started at the B-52 and made a sweep around the building to make sure I saw them all. I was pleased to see that the collection includes some of my all-time favorites, like the SR-71 Blackbird, the A-10 Warthog, the F-16 Falcon, the F-15 Eagle and the F-4 Phantom. Actually, there are two Phantoms. Because the more Phantoms the better.

They also have a number of historical airplanes on display including the C-47, the B-17 and the B-25. Most aviation and military history enthusiasts are well aware of the critical roles these planes played in WWII. In case you are wondering, yes – they have a P-51 Mustang as well (inside the museum).

I was about half-way through my tour of the outside exhibits when I heard the unmistakable sound of military jets taking off. Needless to say, this got my immediate attention. I stopped inspecting the airplanes on the ground and started scanning the skies instead. Sure enough, an F-35 came into view, quickly followed by another. Then two more.

They flew overhead and then out of sight. I could still hear them so I kept watching and after a minute or so they circled overhead again. And again. And again. If I had to take a guess I’d say they were practicing approaches and possibly touch and goes. Whatever they were up to, I now had an air show going on overhead to go along with all the cool airplanes on the ground. Excellent!

I finished the tour of the outside exhibits and somewhat reluctantly headed inside. (The F-35s were still ripping around – it was hard to stop watching!) I quickly discovered that while the building itself may be rather small, it sure packs a big punch. If you can drop it, shoot it or launch it from an airplane, they’ve got it. And then some!

When it comes to munitions I can’t really say I have a favorite. (For me it is really all about the airplanes.) That said, there were a few items in the museum that I recognized. For example, the AIM 9 Sidewinder. It entered service in 1956 and versions of it are still being used today. Airplanes that have employed the Sidewinder include the F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22 and F-35. Is that an all-star list, or what?

Another weapon that caught my eye was the Tomahawk cruise missle. It entered the US military arsenal in 1985. It is designed to fly subsonic at low altitudes and has a variety of uses. I typically think of them as Navy weapons, but maybe that’s because they play a prominent role in Top Gun Maverick. (Talk to me, Rooster!)

After a thorough exploration of the building, it was time to head back to the beach. If you find yourself anywhere near Destin, Florida, I highly recommend you spend an hour or two at the Air Force Armament Museum. There is no admission charge and it is open every day from 9:30am – 5pm including most Federal holidays. And who knows – there might be F-35s putting on a show when you visit. Be prepared to stay awhile, just in case.

Hello Stranger

Love this livery.

Well look at this – a blog post from me. Surprise! Sorry it has been so long. Life has been… well, let’s just say it has been complicated. I haven’t had much free time and, frankly, I’ve been too exhausted at the end of each day to even think about writing. But I’m trying to change that so hopefully you’ll see posts more regularly.

So what have I been up to? Work mostly. Lots of work. So much, in fact, I have done almost no plane spotting in the last 7 months. The only time I see airplanes at work is if they happen to taxi by my desk at the same time I happen to look up. I’ll snap a pic if I can, but let’s face it – photos taken through a window aren’t the highest quality. That said, I have managed to take a few decent ones here and there.

I DROVE ON THE RUNWAY!

Last fall I volunteered to help out at the annual Runway 5 K. I usually assist with the water station located at the half-way point of the course. This year I was handed the keys to a shuttle and asked if I would drive the water crew and supplies out to our spot. Wait… what? You are asking me to drive a shuttle ON THE RUNWAY??? Oh heck yeah!

Outside of work I have moved to a new house. I love it because I’m surrounded by several acres of fields and forest. The downside, however, is I am no longer on the approach path to the airport so I don’t get to see those big beautiful cargo planes flying over. I miss them. But I do get to see lots of Cessnas and other small planes. I often see student pilots overhead too. If you happen to do your flight training north of the city and find yourself flying over what looks like a Christmas Tree farm – you might see me down there waving. Or taking pictures of you. Or both.

There have been some aviation events in the news over the last few months that are worth mentioning. You may recall the story of a ground crew worker who got sucked into an engine in Alabama. That haunts me. I see ground crews outside my window all the time. I can’t open my window which is a good thing because I’d probably be opening it constantly to yell words of caution. Not because they don’t do a good job – from what I can see they are careful. But OMG if anyone gets sucked into an engine in front of me… That would be worse than horrible.

You probably also remember the great Southwest Holdiay Meltdown of 2022. They are our largest carrier so of course it impacted my airport a great deal. I walked down to baggage just to witness for myself the giant mass of bags which were piled up everywhere. It was truly impressive – and not in a good way. But perhaps the Southwest employees took some comfort from noting that United also had a substantial collection of bags stacked by their baggage office. After all, misery loves company.

So many bags.

Since it has been awhile, you might be wondering how the airport itself is doing. The passenger airport is doing quite well. In fact, we’re getting a new airline later this spring – Sun County. Well, not entirely new – they fly charter flights pretty regularly. But new as a scheduled airline. We have ZERO available ticket counter space, so I’m curious to see how the miracle workers down in building maintenance are going to find a place for them. No word yet on what gate they’ll be using, but hopefully one near my desk.

The cargo airport, on the other hand, is struggling. The war in Ukraine, covid, inflation and other factors have taken a huge bite out of our cargo traffic. A number of regular carriers haven’t been in for months, including Turkish Air, Korean Air, Etihad and China Air. Business Development is working hard to bring in new carriers. In the meantime, one small bright spot arrives in June in the form of an air show. This will be the first one held at the airport in over ten years. I’m already getting excited!

Special visitors!

Well that’s it for now. Not sure when my next post will be, but I will try not to be such a stranger. After all, spring is coming which means air show season is almost here. And I’m hoping to visit some aviation museums too. Stay tuned!

Alaska’s Pixar livery

Osh 22 Wrap-Up

I looked at my Apple Watch fitness challenge for August and nearly fell over – I need to walk 171 miles this month to achieve the goal. What? Where in the heck did it come up with such a ridiculous goal? Then I realized that I walked 60 miles in 6 days during the last week of July, which apparently convinced my watch that I’m suddenly into massive amounts of walking. No, I’m not. It’s called Airventure. Even with riding trams and buses as much as possible, I still walk a lot. Everyone knows Osh is a marathon. Well, everyone except for my watch.

Osh is always an epic adventure and this year was no exception. The weather was perfect. The crowds were large. The aircraft were impressive. My feet are still tired. In a week that features one amazing event after the next, it is hard to single anything out as better than the rest, but here are a few of my favorites.

Hawkeyes!

I’ve never seen a Hawkeye in person before, so standing on the flight line as two of them flew in was definitely a special moment. I always love seeing something new! The also performed during one of the airshows.

F-18 Growlers

I can hear some of you now: “But Jenn – F-18s are nothing new. They’ve been doing airshow demonstrations for years. They aren’t special.” I know. I don’t care. I just like F-18s!

MiG-29

I nearly passed out when a MiG-29 showed up on Friday. Talk about something I never thought I’d see! It arrived with a team of L-159s and a business jet, all painted in variations of grey and white cammo. The planes belong to Draken International, founded by Jared Isaacman. The bizjet and L-159s landed fairly quickly but the MiG put on a bit of a show. First time I’ve witnessed a plane use a parachute upon landing.

Memorial Brick

Glen Towler knew pretty much everyone at Airventure, which was why he was known as the “Mayor of Oshkosh.” He traveled all the way from New Zealand to attend every year. Sadly, Glen passed away from cancer in May. Thanks to generous donations by friends, a memorial brick was unveiled by the Brown Arch. It is a fitting tribute to someone who loved the place so much.

Mid-day at the Oasis

Airventure unveiled a new perk for Lifetime Members this year – the Oasis. It’s a building just off the main walkway along the flightline where Lifetime Members and one guest each could go to relax, grab a snack and use the potty trailer. It was really, really nice. It quickly became our go-to meeting location and we often spent time there recharging batteries and resting our feet.

Night Air Show

The night air shows are always spectacular. Every time I see one I think they can’t possibly get any better. Airplanes with lights and sparklers at night? Amazing! Fireworks? Super! Airplanes with sparklers and fireworks at the same time? Jaw dropping!!

Maverick!

We wrapped up Osh 22 by attending a showing of Top Gun Maverick at the Fly-In Theater. Later estimates indicated an attendance of roughly 7,000 people. All I know is that the place was packed! The event kicked off with a fly-over and a presentation by Kevin LaRosa, the aerial coordinator for the movie. Kevin had never attended Osh before and admitted to being a bit blown away by the whole event. I had seen Top Gun Maverick twice in the theater, but seeing it again with a huge crowd of aviation enthusiasts was something special.

The end of Osh always makes me a little sad. It’s hard to say goodbye to my friends, most of whom I only see at Airventure. My feet are happy for the break, though. And, of course, it is never too early to start thinking ahead to Osh23. Hope to see you there!

Quick OSH22 Update

Hello readers! You might be wondering why I’ve only done one blog post so far at Airventure 2022. Don’t worry – there’s more coming! In the meantime, however, I am posting a TON of content over on twitter. No twitter account? No problem! Just click here to check out all the action.