www.cessnas2oshkosh.com		 Our friends Tom and MJ Butt flying their 1956 C172 in formation flight practice in 2008. Click here to visit our website.
The Pirep
On Our Way to Oshkosh: The Cessna Mass Arrival Preflight Pirep No. 2   April 1, 2008
116 days to the Mass Arrival...

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Announcements

3rd BBQ Dinner Tickets Available
Our Third Annual BBQ Dinner will take place on Monday July 28th at 5:00 p.m. at Cessna Base Camp in the North 40. Tickets are now available for purchase on our secure website using a very user-friendly order form. Ticket price is $16.00. To order, just visit our website.
 

Cessnas 2 Oshkosh Merchandise
Excellent quality, custom-made pilot shirts and caps at very modest prices will be available for purchase through our website within the next two weeks. Every item has the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh 2008 embroidered emblem. Available sizes range from small to 4XL. Visit our website, browse our exclusive apparel and place your orders.

More details...
The preflight operation of the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh 2008 Mass Arrival is proceeding at a steadfast pace. The interim results surpass our own estimates. A total of fifty-eight (58) pilots have registered on our website. Of these, forty-five (45) pilots have confirmed their participation in the actual mass arrival flight. An additional seven (7) have reserved camping space at Cessna Base Camp and six (6) have expressed interest in the activity but are not ready yet to make a commitment. Twenty-two (22) states, including Alaska and two Canadian provinces, Alberta and Ontario are represented. Twelve (12) pilots have taken part in formation training clinics and are qualified to fly the arrival with the group.

We are extremely happy with these numbers but can't become complacent. We invite every Cessna owner and pilot to register early to fly the mass arrival. There are limited slots available for the arrival and only the first seventy-five (75) pilots to register and meet the requirements will actually fly the arrival. The requirements are to participate in at least one training clinic and to be present at the brief in Juneau on July 26 at 12:00 Noon. Don't be left out, visit our website click on the    Signup    button and register.

A note about safety...
Some pilots have contacted us to express their concerns about flying in close proximity to other aircrafts and to inquire into the safety measures in place. We understand these concerns and we would like to reassure every pilot who has signed up to fly the arrival and those who are considering it that the safety of every participating pilot and companion is our priority. In that respect, our Director of Training and Operations, Rodney Swanson has prepared a comprehensive training program with input from important sources and founded on experience that is used in each of our clinics. This approach provides a consistent training platform to be used by each instructor at every location. Training is the best tool to lead us to a safe mass arrival into Oshkosh.

More details...
The Pirep is the official newsletter of Cessnas 2 Oshkosh. It is a vehicle to keep all the participants in the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh 2008 Mass Arrival and our friends informed about the progress on the road to Oshkosh 2008. It is published on the first day of each month. Extra issues will be published as the need arises.
Help Us Spread the Word!
You can contribute to make the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh 2008 Mass Arrival a success by helping us reach as many Cessna pilots as possible.

Download our flyer, make some copies and post them on the bulletin board of your local airport FBO, flying club and everywhere else you meet with your fellow pilots.

You can also spread the word by forwarding this issue of The Pirep to every Cessna pilot in your contact list.

More details...
Next Formation Flight Clinics
Sign up for any of these clinics.
Website Enhancements
  • A Google Map API of Formation Training Clinics Location
    On this page users can have a pictorial view of every formation training clinic location superimposed on a map of the US. In addition, by mousing over each clinic marker users obtain an instant summary of each clinic information.
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  • A Google Map API of Registered Pilots Home Base Location
    On this page users can have a pictorial view of every registered pilot home base location superimposed on a map of North America. In addition, by mousing over each pilot marker users can obtain an instant summary of each participant information.
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  • A Frequently Asked Questions page
    On this page users can find the answers to frequently asked questions about the mass arrival, camping and other aspects of our event. The format is user-friendly and searches are intuitive.
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  • An Image Viewer.
    On this page users can enjoy our entire collection of over 200 images. The collection is updated with new pictures on an almost daily basis and soon our users will be able to share and upload images directly to our server.
Santa Maria Formation Training Clinic. A Success!
Steve Chang flying his Twin Cessna 310 in formation practice over Santa Maria in 2008. Photo by safety pilot MJ Butt.
Our second formation flight training clinic in preparation for Cessnas 2 Oshkosh 2008 was held on March 29 in Santa Maria, California. Initially threatened by instrument weather conditions in the early morning, followed by MVFR conditions until shortly after noon time, the clinic went ahead to start on schedule. Eight (8) Cessna pilots flying four (4) different models and six (6) Bonanza safety pilots, members of the Bonanzas to Oshkosh group, including their lead pilot Larry Gaines, descended into the Santa Maria Capt. G. Allan Hancock Field (KSMX) to participate in the clinic. Tim Farmer, in a show of determination flew from La Crescenta in his C172 the night before to avoid the forecasted weather and be counted among the Cessna pilots who trained and became ready to fly the mass arrival into Oshkosh on July 26.

The clinic was led by Capt. Mike Jesch, a professional airline pilot, CFI, Cessna Skylane owner, member of CPA and CPS and a veteran of Cessnas 2 Oshkosh 2006 who did a marvelous job of organizing, conducting and instructing the clinic. Capt. Mike was assisted by six (6) Bonanza safety pilots who volunteered their time to help our mission. Our most sincere thanks go to our Bonanzas to Oshkosh colleagues Larry Gaines, Bob and Mary Jane Butt, Chris Baker, Jim MacKnight and Stan Stewart. All the participants had the opportunity to practice the required lead and wing stations, cross-overs and the transition to trail formation for landing. They all left Santa Maria with a smile on their faces and trust in their skills to fly a safe arrival.

John Frank, president of the Cessna Pilots Association was a great host. The CPA facilities were excellent and John flew those hotdogs and hamburgers right into the grill with reassuring skills. Our thanks go to John and Cessna Pilots Association for their warm welcome to our pilots and colleagues.

Capt. Mike's entire report of the completed operation is now in the process of being scrutinized for lessons to be learned and improvements to be made to make our next clinics an equal or even greater success. Capt. Mike Jesch, our sincere thanks to you for a carefully planned and precisely executed mission!
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