A Few Spots just Opened for CtO

[Mitchell Kahn]

• You like to have fun
• You fly one of the Piper Cherokee variants
• You like to have fun
• You want to have a great camping spot and an opportunity to socialize at OSH with others who have a plane like yours
• You like to have fun
• You will have to attend at least one of the Cherokees to Oshkosh mini-clinics (of which there are two left)
• You like to have fun (notice a theme here)

A number of years ago, one of our participants said “Flying is fun, but flying together is more fun.” This can be your introduction to formation flying, whether as a bucket list item or an entré to more precision flying. The one thing it will do, is make you a better stick and rudder pilot.

There is no more fun and fulfilling way to attend EAA Airventure than with a “type” mass arrival group. The Cherokees, like the Cessna, Mooneys, Bonanzas, Cirrus, RVs and several other groups, enjoy a wonderful time together. We have become a family, one who welcomes new members.

The clinics are free, but participation in at least one clinic is required to fly the mass arrival.

Just two of the ten clinics remain, including the “last chance clinic” on July 21 at KCWA near Wausau, WI. We are also taking a few Grummans as we assist them in building their own type group.

The other clinic is the weekend of June 25-27 at KGDW, Gladwin, MI. We are already expecting pilots from 13 states, ranging from Texas to Minnesota, East to Pennsylvania, and back South to Maryland. Some of these pilots have already attended one or more clinics this year, but can’t resist the fun.

Cherokees to Oshkosh is about one thing: getting dozens of Piper Cherokee owners and their passengers safely into Oshkosh together, to enjoy EAA’s Airventure, the world’s biggest airshow. Since our start in 2010, the majority of our pilots and their families have returned with us numerous times even though many at first planned for a one-time “bucket list” experience. Their continued involvement is driven by the deep friendships which have developed through the adventure of flying safely with a large group of pilots who have a shared love for our airplanes.

Please note Cherokees to Oshkosh doesn’t just throw you up in the air by yourself. The well refined training process eases you into formation flying, first with an observation flight and subsequently with an experienced formation safety pilot in your right seat. The Mini-Clinics start at home with Cherokees to Oshkosh online videos, and then at the clinic with a ground school. You will know what to expect before you start your engine. All flights are briefed, so all pilots are on the same page for the flight, and flights are debriefed so that pilots all continue to learn from their collective experience. Cherokees to Oshkosh is NOT a formation performance team. Unlike the US Air Force Thunderbirds and the US Navy Blue Angels, who fly 18” wing tip to canopy, our participants fly 35 feet to 50 feet apart or more (where YOU are comfortable). As our Director of Flight Operations, Dr. Ed LeBlanc says “We’re not putting on an airshow – we’re flying to one.”

Cherokees to Oshkosh is more than flying together. It’s camping together and socializing with some really great people. Cherokees to Oshkosh erects a hospitality tent adjacent to our campsite in the North 40 at Oshkosh. Most participants begin and end each day at the tent, where they swap stories, and share the “don’t miss, and don’t bother” exhibit booths at Airventure. At the end of every day there are plenty of people with whom you can share lies about flying.

Join us, you will love it.

You can find details on the Cherokees to Oshkosh Mass Arrival, and registration, at Cherokees2Osh.com.