Another hot and humid afternoon at Airventure Oshkosh, finding time outside of the heat had become another part of the convention experience for 2023.
Airplanes flying by outside were the reason for the annual convention, but by this time in the week, they had become background noise like water when spending time at the beach.
I had met an old friend of my Dad’s to catch up and relax a little bit away from the heat of the day. We had found a couple of chairs at the edge of the air-conditioned building with a small table and outlet next to us.
A gentleman asked if he could charge his phone there, to which we agreed. He found a soft chair in another area of the building within sight of his phone and closed his eyes.
The afternoon air show had just started it was the end of the week. The restorers had been released from judging as aircraft were being tallied for awards.
The restorer would soon meet us as they had mutual friends and interests.
Aircraft judging ends at noon on Friday and the aircraft that are still at the convention and have received awards get a prop card announcing that. If the owners are not present, they get a telephone call to advise them they have won.
Some aircraft had already left but were still eligible if they were judged prior to departing.
The judging criteria are available to anyone interested – standards are not secret. Depending on the aircraft that have shown up and submitted for judging, some years can be tough competition.
The aircraft judges are all aircraft mechanics who have experience with the type of aircraft they are invited to judge.
The restorers’ area of expertise is antique which ranges from December 17, 1903, to August 31, 1945.
Other categories within Vintage are Classic from September 1, 1945, to December 31, 1955, and Contemporary from January 1, 1956, until December 31, 1970.
Aircraft brought for judging must be airworthy – though judged as an antique, the structures are sound. From the very act of flying, an airplane can be damaged. Takeoffs and landings have a way of giving an airplane wear and tear.
A gust of wind at the wrong time could mean a wing that has to be rebuilt. If the airplane is built to standards in place when the airplane rolled off the factory floor, it is considered authentic.
Safety advances are the one area where authenticity does not matter – if better brakes are added than what was initially installed, there is no penalty.
The biggest award in each category is the Gold ‘Lindy’ named after Charles A. Lindbergh, which goes to the grand champion. The Silver Lindy goes to the reserve grand champion.
After the Gold and Silver Lindy’s, various aircraft got recognition with Bronze Lindy’s as well as large and small plaques.
If the restorers were to bring an aircraft to Oshkosh and submit it for judging that year, they would not be eligible to judge aircraft themselves.
Airventure Oshkosh is a week-long convention and air show held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This year, 2023 showed 10,000 aircraft and 677,000 attendees with 5000 volunteering 250,000 hours in various capacities to help make the convention a success.
Some of the volunteers are photographers, others marshall airplanes and direct aircraft to their parking spots while still others help people get to where they are going at the airport, and yet others judge airplanes.
All supporting and assisting in an event larger than many who have not attended would believe.
General Aviation, the small airplanes that make up what is at Oshkosh are in a large part helping and encouraging others to learn, grow, and expand their skills in an area of shared passion.
Everyone begins flying in small aircraft like these, even those now flying for airlines and cargo operations today.
The restorer joined us for a short time in the air conditioning before my friends left – another group of friends was discovered during the conversation and promises of getting together before long were made as we said our goodbyes.
The telephone charging next to us rang as our friends left. I let the gentleman know he had missed a call as I went to get something to drink.
When I returned to the restorer a short time later, the gentleman was finishing up a telephone conversation with tears in his eyes.
He thanked the restorer and me for letting him know about the call and told us his airplane had won an award.
As the restorer had been in a similar position years earlier with his Cub, he congratulated the gentleman and asked about his airplane.
It was a Cessna 182 being judged as a Contemporary. Like us, the gentleman had been camping the entire week in a tent next to his airplane.
The restorer and gentleman discussed issues that had been in front of the aircraft before flying to Oshkosh from California.
The gentleman indicated the 3-day trip was pleasant and non-eventful.
He suspected his competition was the Bonanza that went around the world. We mentioned that we had seen that airplane and it had the engine cowl open for all to see – what was under the hood was clean and appeared in good shape. No engine grime was anywhere in sight.
Another storm rolled through while we continued talking. Think we were all thankful for the time away from the elements.
The gentleman had previously won an award at Oshkosh with a Piper Geronimo and had an idea for how to proceed when he saw the 182.
With the 182, had focused on interior and paint.
The paint scheme was developed by a designer and executed by a skilled craftsman – comparing one side to the other they were identical.
The interior he was quite happy with – the additional soundproofing put in with the interior was worth the weight. Flights can feel even longer if the cabin is profoundly loud. The stitching and interior were like what he had done on the Geronimo.
The restorer asked the gentleman if he would ever do this again – without more than a pause he replied ‘In a heartbeat.’
The rain stopped before long, and we said goodbye to our new friend.
As we headed off to meet some friends, we passed both the around-the-world Bonanza and the gentleman’s 182. Both seemed to sit a bit higher with the award-winner placards on their spinners.
Both airplanes were well presented, either would do the award proud.
With the awards ceremony the following evening, it wouldn’t be a long wait to see the outcome.
Judges were asked to stay for the ceremony as well, so we broke camp earlier in the day and packed the car to leave afterward.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the presentation, the restorer said it would likely be an hour or an hour and a half.
When the ceremony started, I grabbed a seat in the back of the hangar. There were families and groups wearing similar shirts sitting throughout.
These airplanes were selected for recognition based on the workmanship displayed by many hands over countless hours.
One of the airplanes recognized was familiar to us; the Lodestar that departed ahead of the storm on Wednesday morning took home a plaque for transport category aircraft.
Close to the end of the evening, the Contemporary Custom Lindy’s were up – it was between the around the world Bonanza and the 182.
Both aircraft were well maintained and presented beautifully.
Our friend had done a wonderful job of showcasing the best of the airplane’s capabilities – the craftsmanship and care that went into the work of his airplane made it stand out.
It wasn’t enough against the story of the Bonanza journey dovetailed with the meticulous airplane presented.
I hope to run into the gentleman with the 182 again down the road – something says he will have another airplane in the running at Airventure.
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