DA42 + DA62 flying from Germany to Airventure KOSH

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hkavasch
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DA42 + DA62 flying from Germany to Airventure KOSH

Post by hkavasch »

Hi,

we are a group of 3 planes (DA62, DA42, Piper Malibu) and plan to fly from Germany to Airventure this year. We will be in KOSH from July 28th (Th) to July 31st (So). Looking forward to meet other Diamond Pilots and interesting people. Anybody else planning to come to Airventure? Any tips what to do once we are there?

Thx

Hans
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tjmoody
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Re: DA42 + DA62 flying from Germany to Airventure KOSH

Post by tjmoody »

Hans - That sounds like an incredible trip. I am planning on Airventure this year as well in a DA42 but I will be there for the first half. The current plan is to arrive on the first weekend and depart on Thurs 28. So we will probably not overlap.

This is the first time I've been there in the DA42 but I have flown to Airventure twice before in other planes. I'm definitely not an expert but I have some experience. Prepare to be overwhelmed!

If you haven't seen it yet, the Notam was just recently published on the EAA website. That is a good place to start. Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions.

Trevor
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Re: DA42 + DA62 flying from Germany to Airventure KOSH

Post by CFIDave »

Unless you're camping under the wing of your plane at KOSH, it's difficult to find hotels or lodging in Oshkosh (and rates are typically tripled or worse for that week).

To avoid all the congestion (and to avoid camping), we typically fly into Green Bay airport (KGRB) and park our plane there for the week, picking up a rental car at Green Bay and reserving a hotel room in Appleton. Green Bay is a 1 hour drive to AirVenture, but Appleton is only 30 minutes "commuting" time to the event every day.

However, one of the coolest "bucket list" items that you probably don't want to miss is to fly the VFR Ripon/Fisk Arrival procedure into KOSH with dozens of other planes arriving at the same time. You need to do this at least once in your life for the memorable experience! Again, be sure to read the NOTAM that was just published on the EAA website for directions on how to do this safely. You'll need to time your arrival since KOSH is typically closed during each afternoon's airshow, and closes each evening before 8pm (so that campers can get some sleep).

It looks like you're planning to be there on Saturday, so be sure to stay and watch the Saturday *night* airshow -- lots of aerobatic aircraft lit up with extra LEDs, flashing strobes, illuminated smoke, spewing flares, and fireworks.
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MackAttack
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Re: DA42 + DA62 flying from Germany to Airventure KOSH

Post by MackAttack »

Appleton (KATW) is closer than Green Bay and has good services. It’s probably a little late to rent a car (they sell out and are quite expensive for this event) but definitely do so as soon as you can. I expect that my plane partner and I will be there from the 27/28th until the following Sunday so we will overlap. I’m sure other DAN members will be around - I’m not an owner yet, but my DA62 is expected to be delivered in December 2022 and I will be spending some time at the Diamond booth (which is impossible to miss as it’s just inside the main entrance and then to your left). For the Malibu driver, there is a MMOPA BBQ on the 27th before the night airshow. if you can adjust your plans to arrive in time for the Wednesday night airshow, it’s possibly the highlight of the whole week. If you can’t, I think they do it again in the final Saturday night.

I would consider looking for VRBO/AirBnB options in addition to hotels. There are many hotels within 20-30 miles but I’ve had to stay almost in Appleton one time because I waited to get a reservation. Not a huge deal but it does add time and makes it a little more challenging. I’m part of a group of pilots from Houston that rents the same house every year, which has several bedrooms and then we split up between being there the first half of OSH or the second half (a couple guys stay all week but that’s overkill in my opinion; 3 days of OSH is enough for me). Please note that the weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) are VERY busy because that’s when local residents come with their families, but the weekdays are less crowded and mostly pilots/aviation enthusiasts and their families.

It’s a great experience and you’ll really enjoy it! The grounds and exhibits are truly massive - they cover a few square miles when all is said and done …. Plus the experience of your trip there and back will back this the adventure of a lifetime!
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hkavasch
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Re: DA42 + DA62 flying from Germany to Airventure KOSH

Post by hkavasch »

We are really excited to be there.. We already went once with the DA42 (from Europe) so are familiar with the situation... Th - Fr is definetly "sleeping unter the wing".. I think it's a must do... the rest of the time we rented a house through AirBNB, that is quite close.

Hoping to see some of you at the Diamond Booth...
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Re: DA42 + DA62 flying from Germany to Airventure KOSH

Post by CFIDave »

For flight planning when going to AirVenture:

Because of the *HUGE* number of aircraft flying into KOSH, just about everyone has to fly there VFR (again, via the FISK arrival procedure published in the NOTAM). KOSH does temporarily close to VFR traffic when ceilings and visibility are below marginal VFR minimums, which may cause you to divert to another airport and wait on the ground to see if/when KOSH re-opens.

(There are a very small number of IFR landing "slots" for landing at KOSH that can be reserved way in advance. But each slot reservation is good for only a 15-minute arrival window and they're generally unavailable.)

One procedure if flying a long distance to land at Oshkosh is to go ahead and file IFR to KOSH, but without a reservation. Then when you get to Wisconsin, Chicago Center will tell you that they aren't allowed to hand you off to Milwaukee Approach because you don't have an IFR slot reservation, and will ask "What are your intentions?" You'll then have to make sure you're in VMC/clear of clouds, cancel IFR, squawk 1200 on your transponder, and join the queue of aircraft flying the VFR FISK arrival. (We once had to spiral down from 15,000 feet through a hole in the clouds, and then fly VFR under an overcast to join the FISK arrival.)

Nearby airports in Appleton (KATW) and Fond Du Lac (KFLD) are also controlled by Milwaukee Approach, so you can't fly into those IFR either. So if you need to fly in the weather, an exception is Green Bay (KGRB), which has its own approach control and WILL let you file and land there IFR during AirVenture.
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