Page 34 - Aug 19 TNT

From the Flight Deck by Kevin R. Dingman Oshkosh 2019: Year of the Fighter There are only two types of aircraft – fighters and targets. In 1972, “American Pie” by Don McLean, “Rocket Man” by Elton John, “Saturday in the Park” by Chicago and “Go All the Way” by The Raspberries were hits. My hair was shoul- der length, shoes were platform, pants were bell-bottom and I did not yet have 100 hours flying time. I ventured to Oshkosh that year with six flight instructors by resting my scrawny, 110-pound physique on the seventh (jump) seat of a Seneca I. Back then, the first Cessna Citation (delivered to American Airlines) had been around only seven months, Vans Aircraft was only a year old, the convention’s Wiscon- sin venue was only two years into its 50-year reign, Burt’s VariViggen was brand new and the VariEze didn’t yet exist. You could buy red 80 octane fuel everywhere, get a ride in a Breezy and Bob Hoover was the star of the airshow. Now the largest annual fly-in in the world, last year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh officially hosted some 600,000 people from 87 nations, along with over 10,000 aircraft. But it’s much more than a fly- in; it’s a family reunion complete with a flood of memories. Dream On Half my life Is books, written pages Live and learn from fools and From sages You know it’s true, oh All these feelings come back to you – Aerosmith, 1973 32 • TWIN & TURBINE / August 2019