Oshkosh Fly-In

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At the end of July 1997, I took a few days to visit the world's largest fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I took an airline into Milwaukee and a rented car from there.

The U.S. Marine Corps Harrier

Some of the highlights were several talks given by Gen. Chuck Yeager (in the year of the 50th anniversary of his breaking the sound barrier) and Bob Hoover and a ride in a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor.

I also took a short lesson in a new (to me) category of aircraft, a gyroplane, at the nearby Fond du Lac (FLD) airport.

A gyroplane has nothing to do with pita bread or feta cheese; it is somewhat like a helicopter. I think the main difference is that the gyroplane's rotor blade is not connected to the engine; it simply rotates with the wind. That means the controls are much simpler than a helicopter's. A joystick is used for directional control, much like that of certain airplanes.