EAA AirVenture is the perfect place to find the classic aircraft of your dreams.
Each year, like moths to a porch light, swarms of pilots descend on the normally quiet hamlet of Oshkosh, WI. Nowhere on Earth will you witness and experience the breadth and depth of aviation and aircraft of every conceivable type. If it’s new aircraft you’re pining after, you’ll have plenty to see from Textron Aviation, Piper, Cirrus, Socata, and Pilatus. If it’s a homebuilt, come take your pick.
At OSH, you see it all – including what we will call “classic” aircraft: factory-built, out-of-production, and many with round engines, cloth wings, and little-to-no modern avionics. Think of the Globe Swifts, Piper Cubs, Stinsons, de Havilland Beavers, Boeing Stearmans, and T-6 Texans. Thousands were built and thousands are still flying, many of which will be at Oshkosh. And some will even have a feature you might find irresistible: a “for sale” sign on the prop.
If the siren song of that classic bird becomes too hard to resist, here are a few tips I’ve gathered from a group of long-time owners of such “classics.”
First, decide if you plan for the plane to be a “hangar trophy” or something you will truly fly regularly. In addition to much love and care, these birds will be best served if a competently trained pilot regularly exercises them. Be realistic about how much time you will have to fly it. I know a Cessna 195 owner at my home airport who religiously flies his aircraft at least every two weeks to stay proficient. If he were to go a month or two without flying it, jumping in the left seat would give him pause.
Second, find the type club for the aircraft you’re targeting. There are owners’ groups and type clubs for almost every classic aircraft type, such as Stinsons, Fairchilds Cessna 120/140, Cessna 195, and so on. You’ll find most of them represented at Oshkosh. Their knowledge about what to look for, what to avoid, and what to expect regarding maintenance and parts availability will be invaluable.
Third, get out into the jungle of the Oshkosh flight line. Many popular classic aircraft types receive preferential parking and often arrive en masse. If you approach the owners, most are happy to answer questions and offer a look inside their aircraft. Pro tip: As long as you remain polite, humble, and curious, they will gladly spend time with you. Many of these owners consider themselves guardians of their classic aircraft type and want to keep posers and egomaniacs far away from their babies.
Next, find out – either through the type club or from some of the owners on site – what’s required to get trained and who the best instructors are for your check-out. Don’t cut corners here. The right instructor will help build confidence and skills while showing you the aircraft’s bad habits and how it might try to kill you. Learning to feel at home in your new classic might take some time. Spend some time in ground school, even if it’s of your own design. Learn the systems inside and out, and don’t fly solo until you have attained a fair amount of instruction in various flight regimes, wind conditions, and airports.
Next, go find your insurance broker. Don’t worry; he’s out on the Oshkosh grounds somewhere, probably drooling over the new Piper M700 Fury. Find out what it will take to get insured and any training and recurrency requirements.
After you’ve walked 20,000 steps around Wittman Field completing this homework, it’s plausible that you are more committed than ever to buy the object of your desire. After being married to an aircraft salesman for 30 years, I’d be remiss if I didn’t pass along this nugget: Don’t fall in love with the aircraft; fall in love with the right deal. The next so-called “deal of the century” is always around the corner. Yes, I know, that’s sometimes easier said than done.
Before you hear yourself say: “Wow, look at that gorgeous, polished chrome and wooden prop! I can’t live without it!” dig a little deeper. You might then ask, “Hmm, it says no damage history, but why does the wing skin have a wrinkle? Is the AD compliance list really up to date? Why was it out of annual for 10 years until now? Find a maintenance pro who knows this aircraft type (maybe from your new friends at the type club?) who can conduct a thorough pre-buy inspection.
Those who have gone before you can teach you a lot. Oshkosh is a wonderful place to start, continue, or end your search for your dream bird because everything is there – the aircraft, the experts on the type, the type clubs, and, of course, the “for sale” signs hanging from the props.
Happy hunting!
