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Update On The 2012 Mass Arrival
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We would like to take this opportunity to update you on the planing and work done in anticipation of our 2012 Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival. More importantly, we ask that you read on and consider how you might be able to help us achieve a successful mass arrival. The presentation of topics follows no particular order.
On Wednesday, March 14th, we held a very productive general planning meeting online that brought together clinic hosts, lead pilots and collaborators from across the nation. We discussed many ideas on how to improve our training, the mass arrival flight and the experience at Cessna Base Camp in the North 40. As these ideas are discussed, approved and implemented, we will update you through future issues of this newsletter, and through our website. A major accomplishment of the night was the organizing of a group of pilots in the Pacific Northwest, and the coordination of a formation training clinic in that area. Trevor Moody, of the Greater Seattle area in Washington State, took the lead and will host the clinic at Olympia Regional Airport. Steve Wolf, from Fort Collins, Colorado, volunteered to fly to Olympia and will lead the training session in June. We thank Steve and Trevor for their great spirit and show of camaraderie.
We continue to have discussions with most of the mass arrival groups and with Mr. John Carrier, EAA Vice-President and North 40 Liaison. The purpose of those discussions is to improve the ground operations in the North 40, including taxiing, parking and camping. We are very enthusiastic about upcoming changes for the mass arrival groups in the North 40 camping area. These changes are nothing but positive for us.
The toughest topic we want to highlight in this issue of the newsletter is the disappointing results, so far, of the registration drive. It is no secret that this year's registration drive is off to a slow start. As indicated by the progress report, so far only twenty-six (26) pilots have registered to fly the 2012 mass arrival. The consensus in our planning meeting was that "the state of the economy" is responsible for what is currently happening, or not happening, in the general aviation community, the mass arrival groups in general, and Cessnas 2 Oshkosh, in particular. Fixing the economy is definitely beyond our capability (after all, politics is not our business) and we don't have an advertising budget. We must all assume an active role in spreading the word about our event. Word of mouth, when used properly, is very effective. We think each of us can help kickstart our registration drive by visiting our local airports and directly engaging our friends and fellow pilots with an invitation to join us, and by making brief presentations about Cessnas 2 Oshkosh at local EAA chapter, pilot association and flying club meetings. When you attend those meetings, bring along copies of our flyers and hand them out to pilots, or post them around the airport terminal and/or FBO. Many of us are members of online aviation forums. Postings on those forums about Cessnas 2 Oshkosh activities can reach a significantly large audience that is eager to hear positive things happening in general aviation. We can leverage our friendship with fellow pilots, and our relationship with aviation organizations, to spread the word about our event.
This year, we will not have a formation clinic in Juneau. But, we will have a showcase formation practice flight on Friday, July 20, the day before the arrival. We will depart Juneau, fly over Oshkosh and return to Juneau in close formation. Those of you who were in Juneau for the arrival in July of 2010 will remember our Sloshkosh 2010 flight over Wittman Regional Airport (OSH). That flight was praised by many visitors to Oshkosh and thrilled the Oshkosh tower controllers. If you would like to be included in this flight, show up in Juneau early on Friday, having met all the training requirements to fly the mass arrival.
The three of us strive to put together an event worthy of your time and expense, and have a great time doing so. We look forward to seeing each of you, and your guests, in Juneau, Wisconsin, and hope this newsletter finds you well. Fly Safe and Blue Skies!
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Update On Formation Training Clinics
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The 2012 formation training clinics schedule has begun taking shape. Below is a list of clinic locations and dates. Be aware that, for some clinics, location or date have not yet been confirmed. As those details are firmed up, or whenever new clinics are added, this list will be updated in our website. The information below is current as of March 21, 2012 - 10:00 PM EDT. Updates will be published in future issues of this newsletter and on our website. Keep in mind that clinic dates and locations are subject to change. For the most up-to-date clinics schedule, visit our website at www.cessnas2oshkosh.com/clinics.
- Alabama
Headland Municipal Airport (0J6)
Headland, AL
April 21 / 9:00 am CDT
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- Arizona
Goodyear Airport (KGYR)
Goodyear, AZ
TBD / 9:00 am MST
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- California
General Wm J Fox Airfield (KWJF)
Lancaster, CA
April 22 / 9:00 am PDT
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- Colorado
Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport (KFNL)
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
June 23 / 9:00 am MDT
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- Kansas/Missouri
Midwest National Air Center (KGPH)
Mosby, MO
TBD / 9:00 am CDT
.
- Michigan
St. Clair County International Airport (KPHN)
Port Huron, MI
May 5 / 9:00 am EDT
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- New Jersey
Sky Manor Airport (N40)
Pittstown, NJ
May 12 / 9:00 am EDT
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- New York
Orange County Airport (KMGJ)
Montgomery, NY
June 16 / 9:00 am EDT
.
- Texas
Gillespie County Airport (T82)
Fredericksburg, TX
April 21 / 10:00 am CDT
.
- Washington
Olympia Regional Airport (KOLM)
Olympia, WA
June 9 / 9:00 am PDT
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- West Virginia
Eastern WV Regional Airport/Shepherd Field (KMRB)
Martinsburg, WV
June 2 / 9:00 am EDT
.
- Wisconsin
Waukesha County Airport (KUES)
Waukesha, WI
May 12 / 9:00 am CDT
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Always keep in mind that, despite our best effort in planning the clinics schedule, weather conditions can change with very little notice. Clinics will be cancelled when adverse weather conditions are forecasted for the planned date. It is our policy to inform each pilot of any such cancellations via email message, or telephone call. As part of those notifications, an alternate date will be offered. We expect pilots to make every effort possible to attend rescheduled clinics. We ask that you be flexible in your planning. It is important that we accomplish the training of every pilot prior to the meetup in Juneau.
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To Fly Our Mass Arrival...
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To fly our mass arrival, a pilot must register on our website, pay the registration fee at the time of registration, attend one of our formation flight training clinics in 2012, and be present at the main hangar of Wisconsin Aviation at Dodge County Airport (KUNU) in Juneau, Wisconsin, by 11:00 AM CDT on Saturday, July 21, to take part in the pre-flight briefing.
The registration process is simple and intuitive. Visit our website, click on the Registration tab (first from the right, at the top of every page) and answer a few general questions. Pilots who registered to fly the 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011 mass arrivals, regardless of whether they actually flew the mass arrival, can save time by retrieving their previously submitted information. To do so, follow the link on our registration page and log in using the same email address and zip code used to register on a previous year. If the supplied email address and zip code match an entry in our database, the registration form will be pre-filled. After making any necessary corrections, and answering any new questions, the registration form will be ready for submission.
The final step in the registration process is the payment of the registration fee. The fee covers the cost of the shirt embroidered with our logo, breakfast and lunch in Juneau, and the BBQ dinner at Cessna Base Camp. The registration fee is $50.00 per person. Children up to the age of 12 do not incur a fee. PayPal® handles our payments and the process is also very simple. You are not required to have a PayPal® account. You can pay using a major credit card or, if you prefer, you can pay using your existing PayPal® account.
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Our Mission
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The Pirep is the official newsletter of Cessnas 2 Oshkosh. Its purpose is to keep all the participants in the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival and our friends informed about our events. It is published monthly, with additional issues if the need arises.
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Progress Report
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To date, twenty-six (26) pilots have registered to fly the mass arrival. Two (2) of these pilots are joining Cessnas 2 Oshkosh for the first time. We warmly welcome them to our group.
Seventeen (17) states and three (3) Canadian provinces are represented. California, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, Washington and British Columbia lead with two (2) pilots each, followed by Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Alberta and Ontario with one (1) pilot each.
The Skyhawk (C172) leads the models with twelve (12) aircraft, followed by the Skylane (C182) with five (5), the Centurion (C210) with four (4), the Skywagon (C180/185) with two (2), and the Cardinal (C177), the Stationair (C206/207) and the C310 with one (1) each.
Based on our experience from previous years, these results are below expectations. We'll continue our efforts to overcome the challenges discussed in this newsletter and ask you to join us in these efforts.
We are confident we can turn things around and expect another great year for Cessnas 2 Oshkosh.
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Mark Your Calendars
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Mon July 23 to Sun July 29
2012 EAA AirVenture - Oshkosh.
Thu July 19 to Sat July 21
Pilots, relatives and friends arrive in Dodge County Airport (KUNU), Juneau, Wisconsin for the mass arrival
Friday July 20 / 14:30
Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Showcase Flight Juneau - Oshkosh - Juneau
Friday July 20 / 18:00
Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival Eve Dinner
Saturday July 21 / 07:00
Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival Day Breakfast
Saturday July 21 / 11:00
Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Roll Call for Pre-flight Briefing
Saturday July 21 / 14:30
Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival Flight
Saturday July 21 / 17:30
Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Mass Arrival Group Picture
Sunday July 22 / 17:30
Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Annual BBQ Dinner, Cessna Base Camp, North 40, Oshkosh
Times are CDT (UTC-5).
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Spread The Word!
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Download and Post Our Flyers
Help Us Spread the Word!
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Call for Sponsors
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Some of the costs involved in putting together our event are covered by the registration fee, but not all. We seek out contributions from sponsors (mostly prizes to be given away during our annual BBQ Dinner at Cessna Base Camp) and monetary contributions from friends to cover other expenses. With that in mind, we would like to ask for your financial help. If you are able to help, please contact us:
via phone:
| Rodney Swanson |
334-718-3081 |
| Craig Chipley |
636-578-1229 |
| Gil Velez |
914-262-9797 |
via email:
through our website:
or right now, click on this button:
Our thanks go out to all those who have donated their hard-earned cash throughout the years. Your generosity allow us to grow this event to better represent the hard work and dedication that all of you have shown. Thanks!
The Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Team
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