AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021 - 18

LETTERS
The new normal
Change is good
I just received and opened the latest AOPA
Pilot with the new format and immediately
read Thomas B. Haines' column ( " Waypoints:
The New Normal, " August 2021). You asked
for comments so here goes: looks great, fresh
and modern, well-done! Many of us do in fact
embrace change and this is exceptional. And
very amused by the " old enough to re member
what an NDB is " comment and I am. Lifetime
reader of AOPA Pilot, which goes back a ways.
Keep up the good work.
Tom Debrey / AOPA 4552061
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
In response to Tom Haines' August 2021
article, first thanks for retaining the style and
size of font. As for the cover, I really prefer the
one featuring the LSA, but really doesn't matter
that much to me.
I do have a complaint about the color
stripes found in the articles, especially the
vertical stripes. The horizontal one in titles is
OK as you are only focused there momentarily.
However, these 83-year-old eyes find the green
stripe on p. 39 terribly disconcerting-too much
contrast. The yellow stripe on p. 20, while not
necessary, is a softer color and easier to focus
on the total line of print.
Gary Ervin / AOPA 1665396
Modesto, California
I like the magazine's new look. Great design,
concept very contemporary. So glad you didn't
diminish font size. Very readable-good job!
Bruce Cannedy / AOPA 727742
Texarkana, Texas
I just read Thomas B. Haines' article, " The New
Normal. " I chuckled when I read the comment
about his stir-crazy wife going on a painting
frenzy during the pandemic, but that it was all
OK since she won't read the column.
Haines mentioned every magazine
redesign causes a number of people to react
to the change-usually in a negative fashion.
That reminded me of my freshman year at the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette when my
psychology professor told us that the number
one cause of stress in humans is change. Yet
18
AOPA PILOT / October 2021
I've learned that you cannot have growth
without change.
I'm a lifetime AOPA member, but let's be
honest, the vast majority of Americans have no
idea what AOPA is or what it means because
they aren't pilots. But everyone knows what
a pilot is. For this reason, I like how " PILOT "
boldly spans the magazine's cover. Any casual
passerby at the bookstore will immediately
know what our magazine contains-stories
about courageous people who fly airplanes to
satisfy their desire for adventure, technology,
and friendship.
BRIEFING
WHETHER I T 'S YOUR fi rst time or your fi ftieth,
the pilgrimage to EAA AirVenture in
Oshkosh is a rite of passage for pilots. Last
year was a buzzkill for all of us in so many
ways, but missing OSH was a heartbreak for
pilots young and old. The event was canceled
at the last possible-and economically
feasible-moment because of the pandemic
in 2020. But July 26 through August 1, 2021,
baby, it's back! Here are some things we're
looking forward to:
SEEING FRIENDS
Nighttime is the right time
At the end of a hot, sticky day wandering
the 1,400-acre show grounds, checking out
the warbird and vintage aircraft displays,
shopping at the Fly Market, and attending
seminars, there is nothing like kicking
back with a frosty one to watch the night
airshow. Wednesday and Saturday are the
Night Air Show, a booming presentation of
fireworks, pyrotechnics, and captivating
aerobatic performances. Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, and Friday at 8 p.m., the Twilight
Flight Fest begins with a STOL demonstration,
Red Bull skydivers, and RC aircraft
EVENTS /
OSH 2021
is on
All the ways we're
planning to have fun
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
demonstrations. If that's not enough drama for you, check out the Theater in the
Woods to share interesting programs such as interviews with industry greats or
watch aviation-themed movies at the Fly-In Theater (there will be an emphasis
on World War II movies this year).
Hangar talking by the campfi re
The fi rst time I attended AirVenture I vividly remember the lines of people at the sinks
washing up and brushing their teeth before heading back to their campsites, which
could be full-on six-person tents or snazzy RVs or tarps draped over the wing of their
aircraft. It's sleep-away camp for adults, I wrote in a story for AOPA Pilot lo these
many, many years ago (1998). Be it the North 40 or Camp Scholler, even founder Paul
Poberezny said the campfi re chats with friends were his favorite part of AirVenture.
WomenVenture
For the past 13 years, EAA has honored women aviators with special
programming-including a a power lunch, talks with notable
women aviators, and a special T-shirt. That special T-shirt-this
year designed by regular attendee Lynn Thompson-is part of a
great big photo op. This year it will be virtual, as it had to be last
year, so take a selfi e in your T-shirt (register online) and share.
EAT ING FOOD
Ardy and Ed's Drive In
AOPA Pilot lore has it that one veteran editor (here's looking at you, Al Marsh)
planned his OSH days around his visit to Ardy and Ed's 1950s-style drive-in where
the servers wear roller skates and the milkshakes are the best in the state. Here you
can try a perch sandwich, made with fresh sport fi sh from the lakes of Wisconsin.
The deep-fried lake perch is butterfl ied and served with tartar sauce on a soft bun
32
AOPA PILOT / August 2021
for under $6. Editor at Large Dave Hirschman says he prefers
walleye sandwiches.
They squeak
Fresh isn't a word you often associate with cheese. In fact, cheese
is practically one of the only things today honored for its age. But
in Wisconsin, a fresh young cheddar cheese separated from the
whey during the cheesemaking process results in curds so fresh
they squeak when the strands of cheese protein rub against the
enamel of your teeth. Really. You can easily discover this at one
of the nearly 50 food stands on the AirVenture campus. For an
extra special treat, try them deep-fried.
Brats aren't the wurst
Much of Wisconsin was settled by German immigrants, so adapting
the pork sausage and making it their own-by simmering the
sausages in pilsner beer with butter and onions and then grilling-makes
sense. You can smell bratwurst grilling throughout
AirVenture and it's a toss-up as to whether to use your calories
on a brat, cheese curds, or those warm doughnuts by the IAC
pavilion. Oh, just eat; you're going to " walk yourself to death "
anyway, as more than one attendee has said.
VIEWING AIRCR AFT
Water landings
Far from the madding crowd of the main campus, the Vette/Blust
seaplane base (96WI) on the western shore of Lake Winnebago is
bucolic, its quiet, willow-tree-shrouded cove broken only by the
energizing roar of a seaplane taking fl ight. Take a break, sit along
the cove, watch seaplanes-and wonder why you're not in one.
The big stuff
If you want to feel good about this country's military might or you
are intrigued by innovative new aircraft designs, the impressive
display at the end of Celebration Way is always a jaw-dropper.
Climb into massive combat aircraft, see new designs, and meet
the pilots who fl y these amazing machines in Boeing Plaza.
The Greatest Generation
It was the seventy-fi fth anniversary of the end of World War II in
2020 and the events planned to commemorate the legendary aircraft
of the European and Pacifi c theaters were set to appear....
" Plus One " is the airshow and display you wanted to see last year.
From an expanded warbird presence to World War II aircraft in
Boeing Plaza and a special airshow Friday and Saturday, the opportunity
to celebrate this milestone takes place-just one year late.
Looking up
We all have our favorites (mine are Michael Goulian and Jim Peitz)
but there's not an airshow performer who doesn't want to entertain
and thrill the audiences at OSH. The busy pathways around
the AirVenture campus change when the shows start, with people
grabbing their stadium chairs or plopping down on the ground
or stopping to look skyward-you'll make new friends as you run
into their backs! julie.walker@aopa.org
AOPA PILOT / August 2021
33
By the Numbers
600,000+
Visitors to EAA AirVenture
93
Countries represented
10,000+
Aircraft fl ying in
127
Takeoffs and landings
per hour
12,300
Campsites
40,000
Campers
5,500
Volunteers
850+
Exhibitors
1,500
Presentations and
workshops
2,750+
Aircraft on display
1,057
Homebuilt aircraft
939
Vintage aircraft
400
Warbirds
188
Ultralights/LSA
105
Seaplanes
62
Aerobatic aircraft
EAA will observe
COVID-19 protocols; check
the website for updates.
eaa.org/airventure
Change is good! I
noticed the new look
and layout as soon as I
took the August issue
out of the mailbox.
As a longtime video
producer, I know the
trepidation when
debuting a new look
and I think you nailed
it. I was immediately
excited to see the clean
lines and new title
treatment.
I like that you went bold
instead of tinkering
around the edges.
Thanks for thinking
progressively about
GA and for giving us a
fresh look to the same
great content we all
count on every month.
Congratulations!
Wade Walton / AOPA 1343698
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
DAVID TULIS
WHAT WENT WRONG
SILENCED WARNING / P.74
DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
ITALIAN JETS RESTORED / P.66
aopa.org/pilot / August 2021 / $8.95
The Voice of General Aviation
A MAGICAL LIFE
THE STORY OF MY FLYING FAMILY / P.50
AUGUST 2021
Five Generations and a Cub / What Went Wrong / Marchetti Jets Restored
aopa.org
http://www.eaa.org/airventure http://www.aopa.org/pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2021
