District VII
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Hello District VII members. We had some wild weather trends throughout January and February, including record warm temperatures in many parts. When can having this mild weather be a bad thing?
The 2024 EAA Winter Flight Festival, held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, resulted in the cancellation of full-scale, ski-equipped airplanes flying into the Pioneer Airport and the subsequent Chili Festival. Fear not though, because, as usual, it was another excellent event.
The EAA hosts a full-scale fly-in that was unfortunately canceled, but the main indoor events draws usually hundreds of children. Once again, children had the opportunity to build small, rubber band-powered aircraft. (At last year’s gathering, I was corrected and should call this the motor.) I watched the fun that the children had and the smiles and giggles expressed their excitement.
The 2024 event again featured very impressive demonstrations of model aeronautics. Control Line (CL) flight demonstrations were put on by the Circle Masters CL club, RC demonstrations were put on by the Winnebago Radio Control Club, and Free Flight (FF) demonstrations were performed by members of the Bong Eagles.
One of the most incredible flights I saw was performed by a helicopter! It was not a typical RC helicopter flight; it was a rubber-powered FF helicopter. I never knew such a craft existed, and even more impressive was the physics of how it flew. If you have ever tried to fly an RC helicopter, you know how difficult it can be to make a stable flight, so you can imagine the amazement of seeing a rubber-powered helicopter fly with no intervention. Simply amazing.
During the event, the EAA Museum was open, and what a great time it was. Fewer crowds make for more time to explore and view the exhibits. What a fine time to see and explore the history of aviation.
The museum hosts many activities during the Winter Fest, including the Wright Flyer Simulator to experience what the first powered flight was like; the Paper Airplane Launcher, where people could launch paper airplanes through a powered launcher; Aviator Bingo, an aviation-themed bingo game with a twist; rotor crafting, where you could build your own helicopter with a working rotor from recycled household materials; and the Pararescue Challenge, where kids could build a parachute and test it in a wind tunnel.
It was another wonderful year at Oshkosh. Winter Flight Fest is a great way to start the season and see so many aspects of full-scale and model aviation. Make sure and mark it on your calendar for February 8, 2025.
Until next month …
