It's Only a Flat Tire
Howard Deevers
The EAA convention is known as AirVenture, but before that name it was simply referred to as OSHKOSH. Most of us still refer to it as OSHKOSH. For one week the airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is the busiest airport in the world. About 700,000 people and 10,000 airplanes will make Oshkosh the place to be for anyone interested in aviation.
My friend, Marty, convinced me that flying in formation with 86 other Cessna's was the way to go to Oshkosh. Since I had not made a formation arrival, I agreed to make this trip with him. To join the formation arrival, known as Cessnas 2 Oshkosh (C2O), you must take their formation training in advance. We did that in Southern California four weeks before the arrival date. The group of Cessna pilots gather at Dodge County airport about 50 miles south of Oshkosh, have a safety briefing, lunch, and then depart that airport for the mass arrival into Oshkosh.
Other owners also do this too: the Mooney owners, Bonanza owners, Cirrus, Piper, and more, each have their own arrival and camping areas. It enhances the experience, and many members develop close friendships there.
The departure is in groups of three airplanes, called "elements," with one airplane in the lead and one in trail on each side. We landed on runway 36 at OSH, and that runway was reserved for the Cessna mass arrival. After landing, we were directed to a pre-reserved tie down area for the Cessna campers. We tied down and began to pitch the tent that would be home for the next 5 nights. True to form for Wisconsin, it started to rain, and we only beat it by minutes. In my many visits to Oshkosh, there was only one year that I did not get rained on, 2015! This year made up for that.
Even as popular and well known as AirVenture is, not all pilots have made the trek to the event. Looking at the crowds, the exhibits, and all of the work it takes to put this on, you would think that every pilot must have made it at least once, but that is not so.
Getting out of Oshkosh is about as exciting as getting in. Our departure was to be about noon on Wednesday, but we didn't get started in time to beat the closure of the airport for the air show. The airport re-opened for arrivals and departures about 6:15 PM, and we were in the early departures. Landing just after sunset in the upper mid-west at Des Moines, Iowa, we stayed overnight there.
The next morning we departed for Tucson, flying past Garden City, Kansas, and landing at Dalhart, Texas. After a quick lunch and fuel stop, we were back on our way to Tucson. Turbulence at all altitudes made us divert to Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Marty was flying and made a beautiful "squeaker" of a landing. Since there was no one else there, we turned on the runway to back taxi to the turn off. After about 100 feet, the right main tire on the Cessna 172 went flat. We could not move!
This is not a busy airport, and has NO services; not even an FBO. The first thing I did was to call Flight Service to let them know that a disabled airplane was blocking runway 19. Flight Service also has a contact phone number for the airport manager and they called him. In about 10 minutes he was there. Our attempts to move the plane were futile. Luckily for us, the airport manager knows just about everyone in this little town on old Route 66. He called an auto service company, who arrived at the airport in about 10 more minutes.
With tools now available, we were able to get the wheel pant off of the right main gear. The auto service also had a 4 wheel dolly and jack. We were able to get the right wheel on to the dolly, and then push the plane to a parking place. I called Flight Service to thank them for the service, and let them know that the airport was now safe again. How did we do this before cell phones?
We were transported to a motel in Santa Rosa. Did I mention that there are no services in Santa Rosa? Well, not just the airport, but nothing available in the town either: no car rental, no taxi cabs, no bus service, and surely no aircraft parts! It was too late in the day to get any help remotely, also.
Friday morning we started to figure out how we were going to get a new tire and tube, and get that mounted on the plane, so we could continue on to Tucson. The nearest place with any parts or service was Albuquerque. Searching the internet on my iPad, I found a service place in ABQ that had a tire and tube in stock. They called a courier service and had the tire and tube sent out to us about 150 miles east on I-40. This whole adventure took most of the day before we even had a tire and tube. Unlike cars, airplanes don't normally carry spare tires. With a flat tire on my car I would most likely be back on the road in less than two hours. A flat tire on an airplane may take a couple of days to get you back in the air, depending on where you are when you have the flat tire, but it is only a flat tire!
I am thankful for several things that made this adventure easier. First, we had a cell phone and were within coverage. Second, with my iPad and internet we were able to locate the replacement tire and tube. And, I have the knowledge, ability, and skill to make the repairs without having to fly in a mechanic. Remember, it is only a flat tire. If you bend something on a plane, that is another matter.
So, how was Oshkosh? Great, as usual. The highlight of the week was getting to take a flight in the EAA B 17! It is not a ride, it is an experience. No more flat tires for a while will be just fine with me!
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