Synopsis of my AirVenture 2018 Journey

 Sunday morning July 22,2018, came early at the Butcher household. Corey and I finished packing the car and headed towards the Mecca of the Airplane Home-builder at Oshkosh,WI,  AirVenture 2018. It would be my first time experiencing the sights and sounds of the World’s largest airplane extravaganza.

Reaching Oshkosh we made contact with Replica Fighters Association President Tony Pileggi and made plans for the following week.

Monday morning July 23rd ,came into view and we headed off  from  our lodging at Appleton towards our day at EAA AirVenture 2018 to meet some of the guys at the Replica Fighters Association Head Quarters.

Of course Corey was a well known member of the club, being editor to the group Replica Fighters Association Magazine over many years and he introduced me to a few other club members present when we arrived.

 The front porch of  Headquarters actually became a forum in and of itself. We sat discussing airplanes, past and present projects, as well as Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter endeavors ,discussing how to keep the art of amateur builders engaged into the future.

One of the individuals Corey and I chatted with was RFA member Ernie Moreno. Our conversation included how challenges arise for the local EAA Chapters in coping with bureaucracy. As we sat conversing, one of Corey and my fellow local EAA 675 members,Dave McCurry stopped by to check to see if we made it up to AirVenture and let us know he and his wife were also in the area.

A notable draw for Home-builders during the week was that of the Bally Bomber, pictured below.

We at the Replica Fighters Association were privileged to have the one-third scale B-17 Bomber, parked right outside the door. Most of the time people were milling about with everyone trying to get interviews and pictures of builder Jack Bally and his support team. But I stood in awe at the one part of the day when all was quiet as if the Bomber had been put to bed for the night.

More current news as of June 21,2020, the Aviation Community lost the man,Jack Bally who lived his dream and drive to build the extraordinary replica the Bally Bomber...

As the morning flew along on Monday, Corey and I went to take a look around one of the Marts to look into a new power plant for the Voisin 3/5 rebuild. We didn’t find one that would fit our criteria but certainly gained some valuable information.

In our walk to the Mart from Fighter Town we met up with a gentleman from Ames,IA that
Corey knows in association with being an A&P Mechanic ,Wayne Bausch that has done  work on a plane he flew for a friend. I found out what a small world we actually  have when I finally attend an AirVenture.  During our brief stop this F- 15 bomber kept popping up over us so I dropped my camera bag ,readying my camera to snap pictures as I listened for the burst of the jet engine, then it would  come into sight .

There were always multiple types of aerial activities going on perpetually over the AirVenture grounds so it was hard for me to put  my camera down. 

One of the most notable among the variety of aircraft  aloft was  The B-29 Boeing Superfortress called "Doc" ; it was an exhilirating moment when I was able to catch him floating overhead.

  Since I’d not had a chance to see the  afternoon Airshow we headed off from RFA Headquarters to the EAA Wearhouse to do some shopping for T-shirts. We needed to add to our wardrobe to commemorate our week and then went over to the airstrip sideline  to get a good place to sit .

We spent the afternoon watching planes of all makes and models zipping by in front of us. Our heads followed the numerous loops above. plus so many other things happening closer to us on the ground.

With the end of the Airshow we headed back to our lodging to cool off. Time to get ready for the rest of the week

Please come back to see in what direction our days took us!

Until then have a great day!

A Visit To The Collins WI Marsh Wildlife Area

As I ponder about events I've experienced, documented in my picture gallery, it is without a doubt time to start speaking about what went on during those days. In a couple of weeks it's almost two years since my husband Corey and I had the opportunity to visit Wisconsin during AirVenture 2018.


I'd like to revisit Thursday, July 26,2018, when a drive through the countryside took us from Appleton through many little towns to arrive at a destination once visited by Corey back in July 2016 with some friends.

We drove by the Neustadter Nature Center sign and looked up the information about the area. If you click on Neustadter above you'll be treated to an Osprey Cam...So much Marsh acreage brings varied wildlife to be observed in many different ways. If you are a kayaker, they are available to be rented at the Nature Center, there are trails for Hikers and an Observation Tower to oversee the surrounding territory.

 Our decision not to go into the Collins,WI Wildlife area  and Marsh took us instead by the Neustadter Nature Center headed in the direction of Manitowoc. Collins Marsh is a 4,200 acre state wildlife area located just 20 minutes west of Manitowoc.

On this road, one of the first things we saw was a retired Fire Observation Tower for this Fire District.The Observation Tower is  110 feet tall open to the public free of charge. The top of the tower allows visitors a beautiful vista of the surrounding countryside. An Osprey couple have decided to make the top of the tower a nesting spot to raise a family this season.

I've seen Fire Observation Towers in Colorado,  South Dakota and now I can add to that list, Collins,Wisconsin.

The new arrivals finding their landing spot within the larger flock

I'd been told by Corey that the Sandhill Cranes might be visible to us in this area since the entourage in 2016 had caught a few on camera during their trip. 

July26,2018 was the first time I was witness to these large long legged birds...I was excited to see these Sandhill Cranes come flying in , making a long turn to come back onto the field where there was a larger flock of birds already interacting with each other on the ground.

Members of the flock

I was definitely in awe of the scene that lay before us here in Wisconsin- being made aware long ago about the migration of the cranes through the Platte River Region in Central Nebraska from February into April each year. It has now become a very popularly organized tourist industry for that State.

After seeing such a large group of cranes together I was on the lookout in every field we passsed along our travel route that day. I did see single couples once in awhile but you had to look fast since highway travelers don't have much patience with drivers not maintaining the speed limit.

The next post will be of our stop in Manitowoc...

Until then have a Great Day!

Visit to the M.A.S.H Reenactment Village - AirVenture 2018

Thank you for stopping into Timber Life to see what's going on today...I know I've been speaking in memories the last few days because I didn't get a chance to relate my experiences at the time of my visit back in 2018; all my information  wasn't conveniently at hand.

On this day,my second full day at AirVenture, it  was already hot and humid by 9:46 A.M. as I walked from the Replica Fighters Association Headquarters down passed Fighter Town  on a reconnaissance mission Wednesday morning July 25,2018, my opportunity to checkout the M.A.S.H reenactment village .

I must admit I didn't go into the village because I was still recuperating from my respiratory difficulty and just wanted to get some pictures to add to my recollections of a past era in our country's history.

I shed a few tears as I stood in front of these trucks ...Who knows maybe my Dad had something to do with them in their time in history? I experienced some acknowledgements of passers-by in my expression of emotion as I stood taking pictures. Thank you for your acknowledgements if you should happen to read this little blog post.

Remember M*A*S*H the television show that captivated audiences for nine years? It was on my evening watch list in it's first run and occasionally I catch it now for nostalgic purposes.

The aircraft above was used in the award-winning M*A*S*H television series and  is a Bell H-13 Sioux, the U.S. Army equivalent of the Bell 47D-1.  The helicopter that flew in the television series has a history of being converted to an agricultural field sprayer before being refurbished once again for display at Fly-ins. 

Traveling Back in History

My Dad, John Koenig ,served in the 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company,APO 301 in South Korea. I hold a few of his letters and pictures home to his parents in the archives of his experiences...

Please check back for more of my memories of explorations of towns and countryside around Oshkosh during AirVenture 2018.

Until next time...Have a Great Day!

EAA AirVenture 2018 Airbus Theater

It was with  thankfulness to Corey that I was able to get down to EAA AirVenture Airbus Theater Tuesday evening July 24,2018, to catch the movie Dunkirk with him. I know he'd been busy with the guys at Replica Fighters Headquarters during the day while I stayed in Appleton inside recuperating from the respiratory illness contracted as we left from home Sunday, so I would be able to attend the movie. 

While the evening was settling in, the Ultralight people were getting their crafts put away...The sky writer was busy letting everyone know what the Experimental Aircraft Association felt about those in attendance and otherwise hectic schedules were beginning to take on a slower pace as night fell over the crowds wherever they chose to be.

After arriving to the open air theater for the evening showing, I began to experience some allergy symptoms and not thinking ahead initially I didn't place a person's best friend in that type of situation, kleenex in my purse. Corey was very helpful in going to  the car to get a supply so the evening wouldn't be a total loss with me feeling the pressure not to breathe. Since this was the only movie evening fitting into our schedule of which we were sure of the weather being half-way descent to sit out in the open.

The movie brought anxious moments for me just thinking about how the young men standing without any type of protection from enemy fire must have felt. The choices to leave the injured and dying because there wasn't any room to return to home.

If you have an interest in watching war movies , I would suggest this one because the outcome is one of heroics when the small boat fleet arrived to pickup survivors that otherwise may not have had a second chance at life.

The emotions of the Survivors often lead to choices to right what they see as a shortcoming in their own lives on the Battlefield. 

 

Thank you for giving us a chance to see the movie  at the AIRBUS Theater - EAA AirVenture 2018!

Afternoon Airshow EAA AirVenture 2018 Part 2

As I said in my previous post I wouldn't try to put every picture up on my blog that I took through Corey and my whole trip to EAA AirVenture 2018 but you never know...  I'm headed back to some more pictures of the Monday afternoon Airshow.

I would like to offer an apology to Gene Soucy for the misspelling of his name in the last post. You'll find his aerobatic skills aloft at AirVenture and other Air Shows throughout the country. I've discovered that one of his past aerobatic Team members happened to be Tom Poberezny   , they once formed the Red Devils Aerobatic Team along with Charlie Hillard.

When I wasn't snapping happy pictures in front of me I was checking out the  Jumbo Tron behind me to see what was in the staging area for next up on the field.

One of the female pilots  named Jessy Panzer taking the air Monday afternoon in her little Pitts Special reminded me of the free spirited pioneer women aviators Pancho Barnes or Amelia Earhart . I've found a video to let you see the skills Jessy shared with us on the ground. She is a graduate of the famous Emery-Riddle Aeronautical University starting her flying career at 18 years old.

As a woman it would be my opinion the purple,black and white paint job of the Pitts to be appealing. A little hot rod bi- plane.

As you can see in the collage I wanted to bring your attention to CriCri once again, the little planes ability to find itself up among the clouds. It's petite size didn't stop it from heading into perfect air to keep everyone captivated below. Were you there?

One more little plane that brought up the end of the afternoon show for us was  Navy Pilot  Justin Lewis in the high performance FLS Microjet ;  designed in the 1970's by Jim Bede of Bede Aircraft. Eventually the building rights ended up in the ownership of  Ed (“Skeeter”) and Richard Karnes when they started BD Micro Technologies, Inc. (BMT) in 1992 and they began distributing the Flight Line Series of kits for the homebuilder.

Imagine for a moment with me if you will a drag race between the Dracula Demon Bi-plane flown by Kurt Franklin and the Ford XROK driven by Vaughn Gittin's Jr..

Pictured on the Jumbo Tron above is the start of the Race  on the runway, of which I wasn't able to see sitting from my location on the ground.

In the short burst of speed we all know who led and headed on his way to meet every other aviator who was sharing AirVenture Airspace.

You may or may not know who I'm talking about! The Dracula Demon Bi-plane flown by Aerobatic expert Kurt Franklin of course.

If you should ever get the chance to see an Airshow go have some fun already !

Until next time have a Great Day!

Afternoon Airshow EAA AirVenture 2018

How far sidetracked can one individual get?!? Well, let me see...After a year and a month , maybe, I'll work on relating what I saw during my days at EAA AirVenture 2018.

I remember having some interesting conversations with Replica Fighters Association /EAA members while sitting on the front porch of Replica Fighters Association Headquarters. I must admit I wasn't at my best health-wise during Corey and my visit to AirVenture.

Monday afternoon Corey and I headed down to the Airfield after stopping to see about some Experimental Aircraft Association wearables and trinkets. We were successful in getting t-shirts but couldn't find the yearly hat pin for his hat.

The following pictures are those I  snapped as we sat in the hot sun. Spectacular sights were to be had with all the planes lifting skyward, looping, twisting and then gliding over the runway in front of us to a stop.

I'd come down with a respiratory ailment Sunday morning as we loaded the car to head north.  The respiratory difficulty was a replay of 2016 when I caught what was going around in our community, pneumonia like in expression : seems to arise during allergy season and of course the heat and humidity aren't my friend either when these symptoms take root.

I alternated visits  staying inside at our hotel with mainly  fresh air excursions at Oshkosh.

Tuesday, I stayed inside listening to music and sermons by Dr. David Jeremiah, getting time to be quiet and looking at all the Airshow pictures I took on Monday,  while Corey got to spend time with the guys as I healed from my respiratory ailment. I took my selfie in our room in Appleton after Corey had gone.

I'm going to put a few fun pictures in from the Airshow. I'd put every picture I took through my whole trip on here, but you know...

It looks like I'm going to write a few more posts about my experiences with Corey at EAA AirVenture 2018 at Oshkosh and just maybe add a few other ones about the birds and bees.The things I do to make my daily life a little more interesting.

No, I won't try to do it ALL today...

Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture 2018 Excursion - Day 2

Replica Fighters Headquarters as the day was winding down July 28,2018

Monday morning July23rd came into view and we headed off  from Appleton towards our day at EAA AirVenture 2018 to meet some of the guys at the Replica Fighters Association Head Quarters.

Of course Corey was a well known member of the club being editor to the group Replica Fighter's magazine and he introduced me to a few other club members present when we arrived.

The front porch of  Headquarters became a forum in itself. We sat discussing airplanes, past and present projects, as well as EAA group endeavors  to keep the art of amateur builders engaged into the future. How is your EAA group being challenged?

One of the most notable draws for Homebuilders during the week was that of the Bally Bomber.

We at the Replica Fighters Association were privileged to have the one-third scale B-17 Bomber, parked right outside the door. Most of the time people were milling about with everyone trying to get interviews and pictures of builder Jack Bally and his support team.

However, I was around in the evening after the crowds dwindled and the Bomber was being put to rest , preparing for another day.

There were several WWl planes on display  at the Headquarters during the week. Among the displays was this WWl Fokker Dr1 triplane owned by William French. He was given the "Best WWl" award at the Club Barbeque on Friday evening July 28,2018.

The Nieuport l7above was constructed by Dick Hartzler whoes business is crafting Spun Aluminum Cowlings for vintage aircraft. (please click on  Spun Aluminum Cowling to find more information)

My aviation interest spans many genre of planes, but of course WWI happens to be a favorite since Corey and I own Voisin 3/5. A design incorporating two different models of the French built Bi-plane Bombers.

I've heard  Corey speak of several individuals during his past encounters with gaining information on building and attending events where you can walk up to the plane to examine other builders concepts of a designers plans. It was my pleasure to meet a bunch of these people at Oshkosh...including Dick Hartzler owner of the Nieuport 17 and the owner of the "Fat Fokker"DVII, Daryl Porter both having used Robert Baselee's Airdrome Aeroplanes for their supplier .  We used the porch of the Replica Fighters Association to chat about what life brings to those in the serious pursuit of aircraft building and flying.

A"Fat Fokker" DVII built by  Daryl Porter

SE5a a British Bi-plane Fighter tethered at the Replica Fighters Association flight line and built by Randell Roy

In the afternoon Corey and I headed off to do some EAA merchandise shopping and ended up with a couple of T-shirts to commemorate my first Airventure and hopefully the start of a venue of exploration. One can always learn something new!

Next on our agenda for the afternoon was the daily Airshow. I had a great time photographing all the speeding jets, bi-planes and cars provided by Ford, now a sponsor for activities at EAA Airventure held in Oshkosh, WI. at Walt Whitman Field.

Once the Airshow was completed it was time for us to head back to our Hotel to relax and cool off...

Stay tuned for day 3, I hope to be back sooner than the last post.

Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture 2018 - Day 1

Sunday morning July 22,2018, Corey and I stirred out of bed to pack the car to start the journey to my first experience at what is considered the meeting of all meetings for those interested in buying kits or plans for creating home-built airplanes. It includes so many venues to do with the history of flight and the product of men's vision turned into reality.

Our trip had us headed northeast to the venue EAA Airventure  in Oshkosh,WI created by a man named Paul Poberezny. It was time to make a personal appearance at AirVenture to offer the possibility of getting a set of plans for Corey's concept plane the Voisin 3/5.

Paul Poberezny founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association stopped by the Replica Fighter Association's Headquarters to address a  forum the year Corey took his plane to introduce  the

World War l French Bomber design.

A definite highlight of  that trip so many years ago was being able to discuss the history of Aviation

spanning Continents  with Mr. Poberezny.

We had made our stop to obtain the admission bracelets for the week and once again got on the road to find  our accommodations.

Driving Wisconsin Highway 41 in front of AirVenture I was continually finding interesting photo subjects.

This  Billboard was an attention getter and a beacon  for a record breaking crowd at this year's gathering of Aviation enthusiasts.

 

Our destination for July 22-July 28,2018

The fastest way for some AirVenture  attendees to arrive was to set a Notam for Oshkosh's Wittman Airport. 

You can see the runways in the map above are adjacent to the EAA grounds.

As I look at the calendar I see it was one month ago today that I got to see some new territory.
 

Time to end my little post  for the first day of our excursion. If you got to go I hope you too can remember the sights and sounds of all the planes overhead and on display. The adrenaline rush that came with hearing engines rev to put the props or jets skyward.

Until next time...Have a great day!

Visit to Strategic Air Command

Today, I want to go back to the beginning of the month, Saturday, April 7,2018, to be exact. It had been in the planning stages off an on for the last couple of years...A trip to the Strategic Air Command in Ashland,NE. of course!
A small group of the guys from Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 675 decided to head out for a field trip. My husband Corey, long-time EAA 675 Newsletter Editor and I picked-up a young flight instructor from Perry,IA by the name of Jonathan Walter. So he too could enjoy an outing, walking under the wings of our historic giant Warbirds.

As we drove up the entrance drive to the parking lot we were met with this glass atrium enclosure covering the SR - 71 Blackbird.

I really liked the color contrast of the Convair SM-65 Atlas missle standing guard over it's surrounding backdrop. The air was crip and warming as the sun spent more time hovering overhead.We found a space to park...wandered around outside snapping a few pictures and then ended up inside to start touring at our own paces. Thank you to the gentleman and his wife that each added their push the button presence to our club cameras.

Paul Adams -Club President, Dianna Butcher, Corey Butcher ,to the back of Corey,Jonathan Walter,
Robert Richtsmeier,Joaquin Williams in front and Dave McCurry rounds out our entourage for the day.

I

I won't be adding any pictures today of the Planes we saw during our visit to the two spacious display areas. However, please keep checking back for my view of the mammouth Warbirds.

I would like to share the storyboard that I found sitting  beside the SR-71 as we waited to gather for the club picture.

Taking words from the sign... Let's

                  Imagine.Innovate.Inspire.

Have a Great Day!

10th Avenue North and Mercy Me

 The day finally arrived ,Thursday,April 12,2018 as we found our way to a local event venue  the Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.We'd been planning our attendance since December - to make this night apart of our renewed Concert going list. We weren't disappointed as we joined others from the Youth Group and a few other adults from our Church.

It's been years since Corey and I've taken time to stand in such numbers of Christian Sisters and Brothers.

A young man named Tim Timmons was the first to take the stage,sharing his testimony of God's  healing touch from cancer and his God given talent to accompany himself on his guitar - raising the name of Jesus in Praise.Please click on his name and it'll take you to his blog where you'll learn about his music and the miracle of Life that God has provided to him.

A little later 10th Avenue North pictured in the top three pictures came out to get the crowd up and moving.



Do you know the music of 10th Avenue North? I would like to share their musical video of their song "Worn". Questions you might have asked yourself or emotions you may have felt?

The main attraction for the evening was the group MercyMe headed by Bart Millard a 45 year old musician, who through hardships beyond his control in life,found a way to express the Redeeming Love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...

Bart began to write the song I Can Only Imagine at the end of his father's life after going through an abusive childhood . His father Arthur Millard ended up surrendering his life to Jesus before passing away from pancreatic cancer attributed to alcoholism.

If you haven't already had the opportunity to see the recent release of the movie of Bart's life with the same  name as the video below "I Can Only Imagine"...I would like to suggest making time to do so.

The witness of his struggles and the path he's taken to bring Glory to God through all of it is inspirational. It isn't that others haven't had the same problems, it's his willingness to show how we can become overcomers of our circumstances.

With our human eyes and minds we aren't able to fathom the awesomeness of perpetually standing in front of our Divine Father in heaven. We can only imagine by the words given to us in the Bible until we pass from this earthly life,knowing for ourselves - shaking off the cares of the world.

 I hope through my short post that I've created an interest in knowing these musicians God given abilities to speak to the Spirit within you.

Have a Blessed Day!

A footnote here.For more information about these musicians - please double click on words highlighted by a different color than the original text. You'll be redirected to another website.

Pelicans and Gulls Galore

 Late Sunday April1,2018,  April Fool's Day it wasn't a joke when we found huge Pods of migrating Pelicans scattered across Lake Red Rock in Central Iowa, accompanied by a flock of  Ring-billed Gulls. As we watched the Gulls they would snatch up little fish close to the sitting Pelicans, which would in turn rile them up and put them in the chase mode.

The channel closest to the Dam was full of Pelicans vying for position. As they sat bobbing up and down the water pushed them backwards...Eventually they would lift up a few feet off the surface and move closer as they rested to continue to their breeding grounds.

We did spot individuals who felt it less necessary to be in a clustered group setting over other sections of the Lake, but it was more enjoyable of course to be able to get closer to watch for awhile.

You might be able to see in the pictures the feather tufts or otherwise known as plumage starting midpart of the head and the bumps or horns on the anterior part of the upper jaw. Those two features I've read indicate the seasonal preparation for breeding in the American White Pelican.

So much Spring migration activity is already underway! Looking forward to the next month and a half for the stragglers to pass through...

Have a Great Day!