A C-17 picnic…airplane campers from Seattle…and the controllers from ZAU

The C-17 crew was hard at work yesterday in AeroShell Square, repairing the nose landing gear. They’d been working for many hours, skipping meals in order to get this important task completed.

Some AirVenture attendees heard about their situation and decided to lend a hand. They returned to their campsite in Camp Scholler, grilled up a bunch of burgers with all the fixin’s, and returned to the flightline with an Oshkosh feast for the hungry mechanics.

These good Samaritans were rewarded with a special tour of the inside of the big Air Force plane.

That’s the kind of thing that happens at AirVenture.

Chuck Anderson and Loreen Anderson flew their Piper Pacer to Oshkosh this year from their home in Seattle, Washington.

It’s a 17-hour flight, and they spread it out over two days. Their major stop was in Roundup, Montana. But they visited a couple other airports along the way.

"It took us two days to get out of Seattle ’cause of the weather," says Loreen. "It was socked-in. So we actually stopped at an airport in southern Washington, Chehalis-Centralia. It’s a pretty decent airport.

"We stayed there until the weather lifted, and got to Roundup, and then we didn’t quite make it to Oshkosh that second day so we ended up in Reedsport."

They finally arrived at AirVenture on Thursday. They’re parked in the Vintage airplane camping area.

This is Loreen’s second time to the fly-in. Chuck’s been coming to AirVenture since the early ’80s.

Although Loreen doesn’t fly, she enjoys being here.

"It’s always fun to watch the air show," she says. "It’s pretty cool."

Their airplane is a Piper Pacer converted from a Tri-Pacer, built in 1959. "It hauls a lot of load," says Chuck. "You take the back seat out and you just fill that thing with camping gear, and big giant coolers, and chairs, and the two of us, and go."

They’ve owned the plane for about four years. Back home they use it to go on camping trips.

"There’s some great places. Airports along the Oregon coast."

Will they tell us what some of them are? "No, we don’t want to tell," laughs Loreen.

But she does anyway. "On the Oregon coast there’s one called Manzanita. It’s right next to a state park. It’s just a little grass strip. And it’s right next to the ocean. There’s five or six camping spots on the airstrip."

Chuck’s been flying since 1982. He used to fly ultralights "a long time ago."

He bought his first plane right here at the Oshkosh fly-in. A Kolb Flyer. It was his first trip to the convention. He was 16.

He’s also owned a Titan Tornado. "That was nice. It was painted up like a little Blue Angels jet."

The Tornado was his airplane just before the current Pacer. These days he’s also into sailplanes and gliders.

Although she isn’t a pilot, Loreen enjoys flying with him. "When it’s nice. Not over the Rockies. I get a little airsick going over the Rockies."

"I’m where I wanna be."

Steve McGreevy & Gordon Broich

Steve McGreevy & Gordon Broich have arrived late to AirVenture 2007. They’re among the small wave of planes arriving on the final Saturday.

But Steve and Gordon have been very involved with the fly-in even before they arrived here. They are air traffic controllers with Chicago Center.

"We actually work the airspace here over Oshkosh," says Steve. "We’re sort of the approach control for the IFRs.

"It’s been a difficult week. We’re doing it with about half the number of people that we used to do it with. That’s because of budget and resources."

Steve’s been coming to the fly-in for about 15 years, and Gordon started coming back in the ’70s.

"When I was in college for air traffic control," says Gordon, "back in ’75, we camped out here every year. And I’ve been coming back and forth ever since."

They came to Oshkosh this year in Steve’s 1953 Cessna 170. He’s owned it, with a partner, for about six years. They bought it back in 2000 in Fairbanks, Alaska, and flew it back from there.

Steve’s home airport is the Aurora (Illinois) Municipal Airport (ARR).

Like many pilots, Steve wishes he had more of a chance to fly during the year. But much of the flying he does do will be familiar to all pilots.

"Mostly pancake breakfasts. EAA pancake breakfasts." His favorites? "Poplar Grove. Big Foot, up in Walworth, Wisconsin. Rochelle has a pork chop lunch that they have. Valparaiso has a barbecue dinner that they do.

"There’s just a lot of stuff around Chicago that’s easy to get to. Quick. You can do it in a couple of hours on a Sunday morning or afternoon. It’s a good way to get out and do a little bit of flying."

Gordon doesn’t have a plane right now, but he’s building an RV-10. "I’ve got all the kits. But I’ve got a long way to go. When you’re building a kit, this is the place to come to. You can get everything you need."

What’s on the agenda for their abbreviated visit to AirVenture?

"I’m looking forward to spending a lot of money," says Gordon.

Steve replies. "I’m looking forward to watching him spend a lot of money."

Well, that’s it for another AirVenture. It seems like the week just raced by. We saw some new little planes, and some older big ones. It was hot, cold, and it rained. But mostly the sun shone.

Now it’s time to head home. May you all have a safe trip. And until next year, maybe we’ll see you Around the Field.

Visit the Around the Field Archive at www.AroundTheField.net.