www.cessnas2oshkosh.com		 Berry Gamblin in one of the practice flights during the 2008 Pittstown Formation Clinic.
The Pirep
Progress Report Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Update Pirep No. 5     July 1, 2008
With 25 days to go to the Mass Arrival...
Pilots Registered on our website: 144

Pilots Flying the Mass Arrival: 72

Pilots Flying the Arrival & Camping at Cessna BaseCamp: 58

Pilots Flying the Arrival not Camping at Cessna BaseCamp: 14

Pilots Camping at Cessna BaseCamp not Flying the Arrival: 22

U.S.A. States: 29

Canadian Provinces: 3

Other Countries
Switzerland: 1
Come Join Us,

Fly the Arrival!
Dear Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Pilots and Friends:

Although at first glance the figures in our Progress Report may give the erroneous impression that not much progress was made in the past month, a closer scrutiny will unequivocally show that indeed we went through a significant realignment process that placed us closer to accomplishing our mission.

In the month of June, twenty-two (22) new pilots have been registered on our website. Twelve (12) of these pilos signed up to fly the mass arrival into Oshkosh and ten (10) to camp with us at Cessna Base Camp. Unfortunately, nine (9) pilots have withdrawn their names from the list of pilots flying the mass arrival due to personal or family reasons.

These updated figures represent a realistic and accurate assessment of our current situation. Our projections lead us to beleve that we will meet our goal of flying seventy-five (75) Cessna aircraft into the Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH). We are indeed on our way to a successful mass arrival into Oshkosh on July 26th!

To those pilots and friends still on the fence, we say; come on join us, sign for the mass arrival and enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow Cessna pilots and feel the pride of accomplishing this mission.
The Pirep is the official newsletter of Cessnas 2 Oshkosh. It is a vehicle to keep all the participants in the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh 2008 Mass Arrival and our friends informed about the progress made on the road to Oshkosh 2008. It is published on the first day of each month. Extra issues will be published when the need arises.
3rd Annual BBQ Dinner

Our Third Annual Cessnas 2 Oshkosh BBQ Dinner will take place on Monday July 28th at 5:00 p.m. at Cessna Base Camp in the North 40. This dinner is not to be confused with the CPA BBQ at the Hilton on the next day.

Please come out and support our annual BBQ dinner. Enjoy a delicious yet affordable dinner in the company of your fellow pilots and friends. Purchase your tickets on our secure website. Ticket price is $16.00.

To order tickets now, click here.
A Message From Rodney
Hello Participants,

We are three weeks away from taking off for our Third Annual Cessnas 2 Oshkosh mass arrival into EAA AirVenture. I want to "etch in stone" our schedule of events and some of the milestones we need to attain prior to our arrival into Oshkosh. Some of these will pertain to sales of our merchandise and our BBQ tickets and hopefully clear up any questions.

  • July 07 - Checks for any kind of merchandise need to be in the mail on this day so that we will have time to order and deliver to Juneau, WI


  • July 14 - Checks for BBQ tickets need to be in the mail so that we can give the caterers the final head count


  • July 23-24 - Gil, Craig and I along with key personnel will be arriving in Juneau, WI (KUNU) to prepare for the arrival and training of participants who have not had an opportunity so far and for those who want a "tune-up"


  • July 25 - Final training class for our arrival into Oshkosh to be given at Juneau, WI (KUNU). Class will begin at 0900 (CDT) at Wisconsin Aviation


  • July 26 - Third Annual Cessnas 2 Oshkosh flight into EAA AirVenture. Flight Brief will begin promptly at 1200 (CDT). Arrival into KOSH is scheduled for 1430 (CDT)


  • July 28 - Cessnas 2 Oshkosh BBQ scheduled for 1700 (CDT) at Cessna Base Camp.


  • July 29 - Cessna Pilots Association annual BBQ at the Oshkosh Hilton. Tickets are available through CPA.


    • Big thanks go to Mr. Stephen Holmes of Gulf Coast Aviation in Houston for his generous contribution to our cause. His donation will go towards helping fund our annual event.

    If anyone would care to help defray the mounting expenses of putting on this event or can donate products for our BBQ door prizes, you can send a check to us or see Gil, Craig or myself at Cessna Base Camp. As I have said before, Cessnas 2 Oshkosh is a grassroots labor of love for the three of us and we are without financial support or corporate sponsorship. Your donations will be greatly appreciated.

    I'm looking forward to our event and I know each and every one of you will have a fantastic Oshkosh experience.

    Blue Skies,
    Rodney Swanson
    Director of Training and Operations
Next Formation Flight Clinics
Sign up for these clinics.
We want to reaffirm that every pilot participating in the Juneau clinic will have the opportunity to qualify for the mass arrival into Oshkosh.
Newton Formation Flight Training Clinic.

Pilots and companions participating in the Newton Clinic.The fifth formation flight training clinic in preparation for the July 26th mass arrival into Oshkosh concluded successfully at Newton City/County Airport (KEWK) in Newton, Kansas. Ten pilots braved the strong Kansas winds to get into Newton flying their Centurions, Skywagons, Skylanes and Skyhawks. They came from as far as Denver, San Antonio and Houston to join the local Kansas hosts.

In spite of the strong winds and the initial low ceiling, the three practice flights were conducted safely with the participation of ten pilots and eight aircrafts under the watchful eyes of Richard Bowden and Craig Chipley who did a fantastic job as lead pilots for the clinic.

We at Cessnas 2 Oshkosh appreciate the tremendous effort made by Dan, Gary, Jim, John Martyny, John Voss, Les, Nick, Richard, Gil and Craig. We also appreciate the support of Mrs. Voss, Mrs. Bowden and Les' father-in-law, Bill who made their contribution too.

As a result of this clinic, eight more pilots are qualified to fly the arrival into Oshkosh. Congratulations!

Read more...
Pittstown Formation Flight Training Clinic

Berry Gamblin flying lead in one of the practice flights over Pittstown during the clinic on June 21.The sixth formation flight training clinic in preparation for the July 26th mass arrival into Oshkosh concluded successfully at Sky Manor Airport (N40) in Pittstown, New Jersey. Sky Manor is a picturesque airport home to a close-knit community of pilots and friends. The Sky Manor Restaurant was the gathering place from where we moved to the classroom presentation. The ambience was perfect. A fully functional antique hangar with two vintage aircraft in it was the backdrop for the presentation.

We enjoyed the company of several local pilots who joined us for the class presentation. We would like to express our most sincere gratitude to Craig Johnston for being a wonderful host and safety pilot and his overall coordinaton of the event, to Doug Nelson and Rich Leone for allowing us to use their hangar and providing the table and chairs, to the local EAA Chapter 643 and its president E.C. Moore for lending us the projection equipment and to Frederick Slapa for providing lodging to one of our pilots. Their generosity did not go unnoticed.

It was a beautiful day for flying, clear skies, visibility over 10 miles, mild winds from the southwest and comfortably warm temperature with low humidity completed the picture. Congratulations to Ed Sears who came from Franconia, New Hampshire; Berry Gamblin from Vienna, Virginia and Dmitry Zaslavsky from Warren, New Jersey. They left Sky Manor smiling and hungry for more.

Read more...
Breaking News: Formation Training in New Jersey!
Due to popular demand, Cessnas 2 Oshkosh has put together a new training session for our pilots in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut area who were not able to make the Pittstown clinic. This formation flight training clinic will take place on July 19th at 12:00N (EDT). The meeting place is Greenwood Lake Airport (4N1) in West Milford, New Jersey. We invite all the pilots in the area to come and join us. This is the last chance for local training before we embark on our journey to Juneau.

Read more...
Self-Proficiency Formation Training Tip
Next time you go flying, practice this exercise. After lift-off, accelerate to 90 knots in a C-172, 110 in a C-182 and 130 in a C-205/206/207/210 and maintain this speed throughout the exercise. Make smooth attitude and power adjustments to climb at a rate of 500 fpm or less. Maintaining airspeed is primary, rate of climb is secondary. Climb to a cruise altitude of 2,000 AGL and retrim to maintain airspeed and cruise altitude. Practice standard and half-standard rate turns and descents at 500 fpm maintaining your target speed at all times. Take notice of the power settings required for the different phases of your flight.
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