Flying into OSH'23? Don't make THESE MISTAKES 

My number 1 tip is to land no more than about an hour away from KOSH. Refresh, refuel, review the notice, organize the cockpit, re-check the weather, etc. You don't want to join the arrival at the end of a leg when you might need fuel, have "physiological needs," or with a cluttered cockpit. Making the last leg to KOSH a short hop reduces the stress and gives you more options should you have to hold or divert.

Also make sure you manage your fuel correctly. If you get told to break off the approach for whatever reason, or the airport closes or anything else happens, you want to have plenty of fuel to go all the way back to the beginning of the arrival, and then fly the arrival again, which can easily add another hour of flying depending on timing. Make sure you have enough fuel for that. Also brief your alternate airports so that if you don't have enough fuel to start over, you have somewhere else to land to refuel before getting airborne again. These are simple piloting tips that you should do all the time, but are easy to get away with skipping for normal VFR flights, but really make sure to be thorough going into Oshkosh

Heard a controller several years ago at the Lake Parker approach for Sun-n-Fun in Lakeland, tell a pilot to continue west from Lake Parker to Interstate 4 and fly the procedure. The pilot replied with “What is the procedure?” Controller answered with “ In that case I need you to turn right and head north, find another airport to land at, learn the procedure and come back, I don’t have the time to coach you.”

Hey Josh! We’ve been trying to get a hold of you. Our SimVenture event is a perfect way to practice the Fisk arrival ahead of time. Using a computer flight simulator, pilots can practice the Fisk arrival at home a week before AirVenture…but the kicker is that we have the real Oshkosh air traffic controllers working the radios for the event in the sim! Please reach out to us- we’d love to tell you more.

And don’t forget to print your NOTAM’s out. I’m glad you touched on the people stepping on the freq, last year it was terrible.

As always a great educationally video . I fly a C170 so for the last couple of weeks I’ve been flying 2-3 times a week. Doing crazy approaches, X-wind t/o and landings and reading the NOTICE . Gods Speed and will see y’all there .

I really hope I get to do this one day. Currently still working on getting my PPL but my wife is already dreaming about flying into Oshkosh.

One item that goes under the radar is that many folks are unfamiliar with the surrounding "larger" airports like Dane County, LaCrosse, Central Wisconsin, and Appleton. Although these airports are great stops before reaching Oshkosh, they have their busy times with commercial flights, and I have heard a concerning amount of incidents coming out of those airports in the last few years.

I fly into Oshkosh every year, just about every year, I hear someone on the radio wondering what to do because they did not read the notam. READ THE NOTAM.

It will be my first time going there in a 182. Thanks for the tips. Hope to see you and Chelsea there!

Remember to clear the runway when able. Last year I had a tail wheel land SHORT of their assigned dot and then camp out on the runway! I ended up doing a go around and the controllers were fine with that!

Hey Josh. Great video. I'm a longtime volunteer in the vintage section and I work the flight line. Are you going to make a similar video about departing Oshkosh? We've have seen in the past where pilots don't read the departure instructions and just fire up and head out. Looking forward to meeting you this year. Have an awesome flight in!

Looking forward to finding you folks there. - AOPA event on the 25th with my colleague Jeff Smith who will be presenting on behalf of the FAA.

Nice video. I’m a retired controller, and currently fly a C414A and am thinking about going next year (this year was in avionics shop) but I downloaded the very lengthy NOTAM and watched the traffic on ADSB Exchange and it blew my mind. All you advice was spot on and sound.

A great tool is to use a good flight simulator, and fly the approach many times on SimVenture 2023 on PilotEdge, 13th to 16th July. You get the full Fisk Approach, the REAL controllers from Oshkosh (!), and tons of traffic to deal with. Fully immersive and stressful, and you you get to do it many times, instead of the once. Fly the railroad, get yelled at if you cut that corner, rock your wings (yes, the controllers will see it), go on via Fisk Avenue or up the tracks. Get that scary 18R approach, or 27? Or the easy 36 runways? Square or dot? SimVenture has got them all. So much fun. Oh, and the Ford Tri-Motor will be there…

Outstanding! And don't be surprised if the controllers ask you to land at the very far end dot for spacing! Practice flying 35 feet above your home runway in a landing configuration.

Great video Josh thanks for what you’re doing!

Great post Josh. I haven’t seen one of your videos in a couple of years. You now are much more polished than I remember. Well done.

Great suggestion, hop onto Pilotedge and participate in the Simventure event the week prior. The real EAA ATC do the controlling as well!

Very good info, certainly a daunting task flying in.

Great List, Josh! I'm glad pilots are seeing things controllers have been seeing for years.

Two other things to practice: flying at 90 knots while maintaining exact altitude, and flying a right hand pattern (required if landing on 27).

Thanks 4 the 10% off!!!!

Given PilotEdge covers it. Pilots need to invest, rent or use a buddies home sim. My wife joined me on PilotEdge and worked the radios. We got in with no issues and she was confident with her task. I had a short hand briefing sheet that she could walk down step by step!

Great reminders Josh. Looking forward to saying hi again at Oshkosh. See you there.

Fly the procedure (ahead of time) before the big day. If it's your first time at the airport familiarize yourself with the airspace and landmarks.

Also, practice “short approaches”. I’ve seen the tower ask this many times especially when landing on runway 27.

Awesome information. See you there

You mention safety for the pilots and passengers but you also must consider the safety of the folks on the ground. If you cause an accident and land on a house that’s just as bad. Be safe everyone.

Awesome video!

AS usual it all makes good sense. Defo on my bucket list

I went to EAA OSH for the first time last Summer. You need more than 1 day to fully enjoy it, but it was a blast!

Well done dude. Thanks.

Thank you for these reminders. Seems like every year at OSH, the poor airmanship ratchets up

Love how she chimed in with the correction in the end there Josh... "2013?". As always, well done!

Great video. But the blooper was the best. Hope to see you there!

I'd love to fly up from Kissimmee (KISM) but with a new baby in the house I can't even go up right now unless it's on the weekends! Furthest I have flown North was Waukegan, IL on the way to Six Flags there. I'd definitely be nervous but I'd enjoy it. Having kids is a blessing but definitely hampers your flying experience for awhile, do it while you are young if you can afford to!

Great advice. Thanks.

Great list. I would add to your pre OSH practice maintain 1800'/90 knots. Most years I see someone doing the climb/slow down, descend /speed up routine. As a follower it is very dangerous situation as you can't know what they will do next.

No stuck mikes please...Look at your radio and make sure it isn't showing "TX".

Bravo! GREAT ADVISE! 👍👍👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

My advice is have a copilot to help with the workload but the flight into OSh is a great thrill . To look out and see dozens of planes in front of you is beautiful.

As someone who volunteered and marshaled aircraft on the ground for 6 years at Oshkosh. Please also be familiar with parking procedures and where you are going. Have your parking sign in BIG BOLD LETTERS! Please don’t use an I pad or write something on a piece of paper, and display it in the window. Use tape if you have to. It can be so hard for us to see those signs if they aren’t written and placed properly.

Best thing I think josh is be on your toes you feel uncomfortable with something you are the pilot in command or whoever just go around you force a bad landing crash or what not you as the pilot or whoever the pilot is won’t get to enjoy ea airventure. Hope that I can go next year.

Ans have your Signs Ready after you land 😉

Watching the AirVenture videos from the past few years make me glad that I flew to Oshkosh almost 50 years ago before it got this crazy! Yeah, I was not PIC in the C-150 but still fun!!! You also have to remember that this was in an era before pilot headsets were the norm! All we had back then was the scratchy speaker in the wing root by the pilot's left ear!

Excellent video that everyone arriving as a GA pilot should be required to watch. Now, a follow-up is needed to acquaint pilots with how to respond to the marshallers on the ground - so many mistakes and so much confusion could be avoided here

4 days of SimVenture on PilotEdge wrapped up on Sunday. This is a simulated version of AirVenture, conducted with flight simulators and active or retired AirVenture controllers (a few ppl and the PilotEdge official channel mentioned it). Common errors on the arrival included: - not flying over the railway lines but instead flying GPS direct between RIPON and FISK - not knowing when to descend from 2300ft if flying the higher arrival - descending too early, becoming a hood ornament for departures - not being prepared with the tower freq - extending downwind beyond the tower during 18L/R ops, becoming a conflict with the 27 traffic. - in rare cases, mis-identifying rwy 23 as rwy 27 during the base to final turn (possibly more of a sim issue). Separately, many pilots were unware that FLD is part of the Notice and has dedicated freqs (NOT the published CTAF).

prep, Prep & PREP. then review the NOTAM and practice your arrival on paper.....great vid & advise....

Josh, Perhaps less is more, so limiting the arrival times for landings to a specific number of pilots per hour may have to be done. Just a thought, but it might save some stressful moments. Is that possible? Cheers, Rik Spector

I love your videos. They are very informational. I like how in depth you go on stuff. I do have a Question for you. As a CFI I have a cessna 182 and my 15 yr old daughter wants to use it to get her pilot certificate. My question is, is that plane too much airplane to learn in even though we own it? Thanks and Keep up the good work.

Hey great video. I have a question..I was using the Fisk…instructed to use the highway approach. I was in a RV and caught a cub cruising about 50+ knots..I could fly that slow but didn’t feel good about it..the guy in the cub was about 200 ft below designated altitude and to my left.. I made the decision to overtake and arrive to runway well be fore he turn left base.. I did make a short a call on tower frequency to announce my intention. No reply…no issue…in your judgment was that proper….no one spoke to me about…That was in 2010… looking forward to returning soon.

Great outtake! 😂

When you are holding around one of the lakes, fly DIRECTLY OVER the shoreline. It’s hard to stay in line behind slower airplanes flying an improper ground track while you’re trying to do the correct thing.

always tanker in fuel it was crazy hearing last year i got to divert due to fuel over and over again plan an hour extra of flying minimum should the runway close or they swap things around

Sounds like a normal weekend At Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Kalifornia..

It’s been my dream to go and I finally do. I would love to meet you

I wish I could see you there.... ButtI came to Texas instead for Flight Sim Expo in Houston!

I’d LOVE to see Ol’Joshie-Boi’s COCKPIT !! ! !!

Practice flying @ 90kts & holding altitude. Be sure you make your signage ready for post landing at KOSH, the ground controllers need to know your destination to route you properly.

My dad crashed upon landing in 1980. I've emailed Oshkosh several times for some information about the crash and never hear back.

When unable to maintain 90kts, offset! Last year I was 2 behind a old biplane barely making 80 and the entire line was s turning… like he said read and comply with the notam…. Come say hi at the NATCA booth! My first year working the airshow. I can’t wait to present to y’all!

A non-flyer here. For some reason I received videos for the EAA Oshkosh 2023 in my feed this year - and I'm fascinated ! What happens when there is bad weather at the airport ? Is there a separate procedure for Oshkosh landing on instruments ? Guessing they don't rock their wings in that case.

2013, Josh? I'm guessing you have your FAA approved Flux Capacitor installed. 😂 Looking forward to seeing you there, brother.

Good stuff, but some input from a controller or two would make it even better.

I only flew up there once and did not want to deal with the chaotic crowded conditions that could be dangerous, so decided to go to Fon du Loc. You guessed it, it’s just as crowded, so be prepared. Thankfully I pre-briefed myself as much as I could. My son and I had a fantastic time.

Oshkosh honestly seems like a nightmare, I don’t think I would ever fly into that morass

My number one tip is la d no more than an hour out and than drive in....so much safer better smoother and faster.....

SimVenture and/or VatVenture should be on the to-do list of any pilot going to AirVenture.

2013,🤣🤣hilarious! I won't be there this year... maybe 2014, er... my bad, I meant 2024.

Spacing is 1/2 mile or more.

Don’t be that guy that only flies twice a year and those two times are to EAS and back.

Designated approach speeds should be flown as INDICATED and not GROUND speed. A 20 mph tail wind reduces airspeed considerably. 104 mph becomes 84 mph which can be the difference of clean configuration to flaps and gear out on the back side of the power curve.

I will be marshaling airplanes into OSH 2023, make sure to be safe and follow our instructions y’all. It’s a rigorous training process for a reason :)

Now when we get there how is their cell phone infrastructure for the city? What ham radio DMR outlets? Or allstar outlets?

My advice: park both the ego and the attitude. Be a team player and go with the program.

Back to the future - OSH 2013 ironic after just watching the TV show manifest lol

It's a little late for this year, but I would suggest going to a smaller fly-in with a similar procedure like Triple Tree (sc00). The decrease in volume of planes will definitely give you a better chance to evaluate how you are actually doing. It's also better to have 50-100 pilots joke with you once you get on the ground, than to have thousand or even tens of thousands mocking you and making RU-vid videos about "you are the problem"

I cannot ever seem to access your site - always gives me a connection reset error. Have tried in Chrome, FF, Incognito on both.. thoughts?

I heard 2013 then immediately check the age of the video... lol

airplane to airplane frequency?

It starts @2:40 if you're in a rush to catch a flight...

When you force your plane onto the ground and the gear snaps, “OSHit”

never been but why did I always think Oshkosh was in Florida for whatever reason, I thought it was thesame location as Sun-&-Fun...

Superb. Standard GA practices. What the hell is difficult people?

Hey what did your panel cost? Ive never seen a cost breakdown and it seems lots of youtube pilots are rocking new panels are they comped or whats the deal?

Study the departure procedure! It's not at all like a normal airport departure!

Nice vid One comment : Leaving the towbar attached to your plane in the hanger is a BAD idea for several reasons. C U at Oskosh!

Many flights to OSH over the last 30 years. PA24-180 M20C M20G M20K *****Review the Notam arrive light fuel for 2-3 hours on departure have a hard copy. Practice slow flight full dirty stall proof yourself. Observe color spots while abeam practice exiting runway to grass . Have parking sight ready to go. Arrive Friday by 1500 get a better spot near the heads in north 40 unless you have special parking. Try to park on a raised spot. I have been known to relocate after scooter Nazis depart at end of day or before they arrive in morning. Does everyone here know about Friar Tucks through the gate NW. Cheap bicycles at goodwill turn back in at dumpster before departure. Don’t forget to take seaplane bus for watermelon day! Have fun stay hydrated! Bring a tent that can survive 40kt wind and horizontal rain. And most important we are guests leave bad attitude at home!

RTFM!

Arrive early, less crazy and far better camp sites.

If you do not feel comfortable with the procedure for any reason, there is no shame landing at another airport and using ground transportation.

There is no excuse for ground controllers not having more powerful radios and antennas. They can fix this.

I’d like to see more info about what to do when….. you’re at 1800 feet, correct speed, correct spacing, and some asshole cuts in. You can’t slow down, that will screw everyone behind you. I guess you must break out, due to some asshole’s inconsiderate or more likely “clueless” operation.

Don’t be, “that guy or gal!”

Man I wish I could catch a ride never have been! Anyone passing FSM lemme know. 300hr private pilot with gas money 😜😂

Joshkosh

wow, I'm the second to Comment

I will do my best not to make these mistakes. Wait, flying an airplane or just flying???

Or just don't go. You know, whatever.