Three years ago, I wrote about the great fun David and I had in Oshkosh. On July 30-31, once again, we flew to and from the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 in a C-47 as one of the Warbirds exhibits. Much of the details of the trip itself are the same. The only difference is that this year, it turned out to be a two-day event instead of three.
In personal lives, what a difference three years makes! Having sold our previous house in March, and purchased the downsized place just one day prior to this trip, psychologically, I have finally arrived at a place where I can give myself permission to start having some fun occasionally.
Day 1:
Shortly after arrival, David had a medical emergency. We ended up spending the rest of the day in the on-site clinic, and later, out of an abundance of caution, at the Ascension NE Wisconsin Mercy Hospital. Thankfully, by the time he was seen by the emergency room doctor, he was doing much better.
When something like this happens, you realize there are angels all around us, coming to the rescue. Among all of them, we are especially grateful for the organizers of the trip from the Yankee Air Museum, Ashley Myers and Megan Favio. They did everything they could possibly do to help make sure that David was well taken care of.
Day 2:
After a good night’s sleep, David was essentially back to normal. He could even walk to the hotel’s dining room to enjoy breakfast. Thank goodness!
The previous day, either Ashley or Megan had arranged for two Scooters for us so that we could get around the Oshkosh grounds without having to walk. Here again, they were all about making sure that our needs were being met every step of the way.
One of the highlights of the day was to be able to listen to Brigadier General Charles E. McGee, 102 years old, talk about his experiences in WWII as a Tuskegee airman; he then went on to serve in Korea and Vietnam as well. David had his gray cap – given to honor him as a Veteran in the Warbirds exhibit area – autographed by the General. The cap is a treasure both of us will cherish – and wear – for the rest of our lives.
A cap autographed by Brigadier General Charles E. McGee.
My two Veteran heroes. Behind them is a Red Tail, flown by Tuskegee Airmen.
David with a moment with an American hero, Brigadier General Charles E. McGee.
Another highlight of the day was joining complete strangers, a conservative and a liberal, at a picnic table for lunch. I had a blast exchanging views with them, especially with the liberal. He made me realize that not all liberals are unreasonable people; only those on the far left with Marxist agenda are. He has as much concern as I do for how things are changing for the worse in the U.S.A. Time flew by quickly while thoroughly enjoying the conversation with these gentlemen.
One of the major reasons we have so much fun at these air shows is because, instead of all the negative noises on social media, the “real people” that you meet are normal folks with whom we share the common love of aviation – regardless of their political views. We can respectfully exchange views and learn something new from these encounters. Most participants, many of whom are pilots, are people just like us, enjoying the event with family and/or friends.
By the way, from three years ago, we remembered that we enjoyed very much the food we purchased from a booth run by a nearby church, just outside of the Bus Park area. They were much less expensive than at the event. David had two brats and I had a pulled-pork sandwich. As always, we shared bites. They were both quite delicious.
The fun we had all day at the airshow – driving around in Scooters – more than made up for the lost time the previous day. Now that we are spoiled, in future visits, Scooters have become a necessity.
David is on his favorite Scooter.
I get to wear the gray cap, our treasure! It goes quite well with my gray hair, don’t you think?
