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         The life and times of Mark and Paula Persons
Wednesday, July 22, 2015:  Mark attended AirVenture 2015 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  Fifi, a four-engine Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber from World War II flew over.  Some 550,000 people and 2668 airplanes were at the week-long event. 
 
An A350X Airbus was there to show off for the crowd.
The history of powered flight aviation started in 1903 with the Wright brother's first flight.  A copy of that plane is in the Experimental Aircraft Association Museum at Oshkosh.
The U.S. National Park Service brought their flight simulator for everyone to try.  So, Mark got on and grabbed the elevator control.  The pilot turns and banks by moving his hips left or right.  The plane is very unstable and difficult to fly.  Mark did fairly well, but crashed just like almost everyone else. 
The simulator crew took pity on Mark and awarded him a pilot's license POSTHUMOUSLY.   Through a miracle, Mark came back to life and soon signed on as captain of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner.  Watch for him next time you are flying.
A volunteer band from Make A Wish was there as a fund raiser.  The bagpiper was  fun to listen to.  Gosh, the guys even wore skirts.
Then there was this young lady posing on a U.S. Navy Vought F4U Corsair.

Mark wanted to know if he could still join the Navy.
There were daily flag ceremonies at the show done by sky divers. Photographers were there every time to document the event.
Plenty of air show action.  Oshkosh is the busiest airport in the world during the annual event.
The wing walker on this biplane was a woman, standing on her head.

Don't try that at home....especially flying that close to the ground.
Some 108 skydivers attempted, but did not achieve, a world record by linking mid-air into a star shape.  You see six of them floating back to earth in this photo.  They still have high confidence that they will make it to the record book soon.
Julie Clark did high-speed aerobatics in her Smokin' T-34 Beechcraft.  Included in the routine were several hammer-head stalls.  This is difficult flying.
Julie was a pilot at Northwest Airlines for 45 years and the plane is painted similar to Air Force One.  She is a real American flag waver.  Lead on! 
The three Apollo 13 astronauts told of their near-death adventure in 1970 when an oxygen tank in their spacecraft exploded as they were headed to the moon.  Their story was portrayed in the film Apollo 13, which the astronauts said was less than 100% accurate and had some "Hollywood" added.  Either way, it was a story of American ingenuity solving difficult problems to get the crew back safely.  Interestingly, there were no tables to write revised flight procedures on.  The crew tore pages from flight manuals, then transcribed instructions on them in blank spaces.  This was before computers.
Quote of the day:    Awesome experiences at Oshkosh.   Mark    < Back to previous story Ahead to next story >

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page last edited 08/06/2015