This weekend a bunch of us from the Flight Simulator team are packing our bags and heading to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual AirVenture show. It's a combination fly-in, air show, and aviation convention that attracts hundreds of thousands of people each summer.
EAA has produced a great video that provides an overview of the event for the uninitiated. If you've always wondered what AirVenture is all about, I encourage you to take a look.
The AeroShell Aerobatic Team performs one of its signature maneuvers during the afternoon air show at EAA AirVenture 2007. (EAA photo)
Our booth
If you're planning on attending, be sure to stop by our booth and say hello! You can find us in Exhibit Hangar D, aisle C, not far from the door. Please note that this is different from the spot we've occupied for the last several years. It's the same booth though, custom made for us by MotoArt out of TBM Avenger elevators and 737 galley carts!
Our blogs
If you're not planning on being there in person, you can still join us in spirit. We'll be doing what we can to try to bring some of the experience back to you. Hal Bryan and I will be blogging in the evenings (at Coincidental Floss and Information Mike, respectively). Like the good Microsoft evangelist that he is, Hal will be snapping pictures with his Windows Mobile phone and posting them to the home page of his blog. As for me, I'm packing a brand new video camera and mp3 recorder, and assuming I can figure out how to use them, I'll post some sights and sounds of the week on my own blog.
Your (virtual) arrival
Many (if not most) of those attending AirVenture are pilots. And many of the pilots arrive in their own airplanes (typically more than 10,000 of them). In short, AirVenture is the largest gathering of aviation fanatics in the world, and for the pilots who choose to fly in, getting there is half the fun!
If you're stuck at home for the week (or coming to the show via a bus, a car, or a jet operated by an airline), don't despair: you can still experience the thrill of flying in yourself ... in Flight Simulator X.
Want a fun challenge this week? Suspend your disbelief and pretend you're flying to Oshkosh for real! Here's how:
1) Study the information for real-world pilots on the AirVenture site:
www.airventure.org/2008/flying
The most important document to study before your virtual flight is the AirVenture Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) available at the top of that page. It provides all the details on the different routes and procedures pilots need to know to make a safe arrival. The arrival most General Aviation aircraft use is the "FISK VFR Arrival" outlined on pages 5-13.
2) Install FS-MP.com's fabulous new AirVenture scenery
The folks at FS-MP.com have really outdone themselves this year. To support their multiplayer fly-in (see below), KenATC has created some gorgeous AirVenture scenery that upgrades Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) far beyond the Flight Simulator X default (which is already pretty high detail). You'll see all the buildings and lots and lots of people and airplanes, including a guy on a golf cart who looks remarkably like Hal Bryan. Also included are the colored dots on the runways (see the NOTAM) and arrows and other aids to help you find your way.
The large scenery download (100 MB!) is available in the "Support Files" section at the bottom of the FS-MP.com Virtual Oshkosh page:
www.fs-mp.com/oshkosh
3) Fly the arrival in Flight Simulator X
Whether you choose to download the FS-MP.com scenery or just use the default (still a pretty great experience), the next step is to use it. Boot up Flight Simulator X and click Free Flight. Hop into the small General Aviation aircraft of your choice, depart from any airport you want, and fly to KOSH following the procedures in the NOTAM. A good short flight is from Dane County Regional Airport (KMSN) in Madison, about 63 miles to the southwest of Oshkosh.
AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR REAL-WORLD PILOTS
These instructions are for entertainment purposes only. While the scenery in Flight Simulator X (the towns, the roads, the railroad tracks, etc.) may look realistic, there are many differences. Given how busy the VFR arrival to AirVenture is in real-life, do not rely on Flight Simulator to familiarize yourself with the arrival terrain. Use the resources for pilots on the AirVenture site!
Plan your simulator flight to arrive at RIPON at 1,800 feet and 90 knots (or 2,300 feet and 135 knots if your aircraft can't fly that slowly). Follow the railroad tracks from RIPON to FISK, and from FISK to the runway of your choice. Here's what it looks like in top-down view in Flight Simulator (click image for a larger version):
Note that RIPON (the initial arrival fix for the FISK VFR Arrival) is not in the Flight Simulator X navaid database. So if you want to use the GPS, your best bet is to download the flight plan (.pln) file that FS-MP.com provides in the "Support Files" section at the bottom of their Virtual Oshkosh page.
Also, don't expect the Flight Simulator air traffic control feature to know about the special procedures in the NOTAM: it doesn't. Having said that, if you study the NOTAM and imagine the controllers telling you to "wag your wings" over FISK and to head for a particular pattern entry shortly after that, you'll have a lot of fun. The only downside is that whereas real-world pilots will then be at AirVenture, you'll still be in your living room.
4) Fly online in the FS-MP.com multiplayer AirVenture fly-in
FS-MP.com is one of the most active Flight Simulator X-based multiplayer organizations in the world. This year marks their second "Virtual Oshkosh" event, in which virtual pilots from all over the world can fire up Flight Simulator X and fly the VFR arrival to KOSH in a massively multiplayer environment: a sky filled with other aircraft piloted by real people. The air traffic controllers guiding you in will be real people too, and a few of them are either retired or active real-world air traffic controllers. Can't beat THAT for realism!
I participated in last year's event, and it was a blast. You can read all about my experience in this article. This year, we're hoping to participate from our booth!
"Virtual Oshkosh 2008" will be open to all Flight Simulator X pilots. You don't need to be an FS-MP member to join in the fun. That said, there's never been a better time to join! FS-MP has been pushing the limits of what's possible with Flight Simulator X multiplayer and has more than 500 members, a dedicated server running 365/24/7, and realistic "line-of sight" radio communications!
This year's event will take place on two consecutive weekends, for a full TWELVE hours each day: Saturday July 26, Sunday July 27, Saturday August 2, and Sunday August 3.
Everything you need to know can be found on the FS-MP.com "Virtual Oshkosh 2008" page:
www.fs-mp.com/oshkosh
If you decide to participate in the FS-MP.com event, have fun! Realize, though, that the intent of the event is to have fun by simulating real-world procedures as realistically as possible.
Additional Resources
If you want to hear what the real-world radio communication sounds like during AirVenture, you can listen to a live Oshkosh feed from LiveATC.net. Not sure if this will be just the tower or will include the FISK controllers too, but it's sure to be interesting regardless:
http://d.liveatc.net/kosh.m3u
A great (free) online resource for charts is SkyVector.com. Just enter KOSH in the "Location Lookup" box and you'll have a good view of all the airports around KOSH.
In addition to the NOTAM, there's lots of other great information for pilots (both real and virtual) on the AirVenture site. Be sure to check out the Understanding Air Traffic Control at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh page.
So, there you have it. Plenty of ideas to keep you busy and entertained during AirVenture week. Again, if you're at the show, stop by and see us. And if not, hopefully we'll see you online!
