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Catastrophic Engine Failure Suspected...
 Preparations
for today's opening of EAA AirVenture 2000 continued yesterday despite
the tragic news that an Air France Concorde had crashed while taking off
from the Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris, France, killing all
100 German tourists and a crew of nine aboard, plus four bystanders on
the ground. The fiery crash — which placed this week's planned arrival
at AirVenture of a British Airways Concorde in doubt — occurred Tuesday
afternoon Paris time. It was the first fatal accident involving the
Concorde, the world's only airliner that exceeds the speed of sound.
Initial reports coming from the crash site — a hotel near the airport
— were sketchy, but uniformly pointed to catastrophic failure of at
least one of the Rolls-Royce Olympus after-burning engines mounted on
the left of the Concorde. A rated pilot who said he witnessed the crash
sequence — and images released by various news services — indicated
that at least one of the left engines was trailing flames as the
Concorde took off. The witness, FedEx pilot Sid Hare, told CNN that the
airplane's nose pitched up, increasing the delta wing's angle of attack,
until the jet apparently stalled and rolled inverted before crashing
into the Relais Bleu hotel in Gonesse. The chartered trip was operating
as Air France Flight AF4590. CNN also reported last night that the
cockpit voice and flight data recorders had been recovered.
...In First Blemish On A Good Safety
Record...
 The
Concorde first entered service with Air France and with British Airways
— still the only carriers to operate the type — in 1975. Although
plans for the aircraft date back to the early 1960s and included plans
to build as many as 300 copies, environmental concerns and spiraling
costs combined to relegate the Concorde's numbers to only 20 and its
routes to mostly transatlantic service and commemorative flights, since
its first flight in 1969. Yet, until Tuesday, the type enjoyed an
excellent safety record and there had never been a fatal accident of a
Concorde engaged in commercial service. Earlier in the week, reports
surfaced that cracks had been found in a few Concorde wings, but that
finding appears unrelated to Tuesday's tragedy.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it has made only
one recommendation on Concorde safety — in 1982 — regarding procedures
for handling a blown landing-gear tire on takeoff. Recent incidents
involving the Concorde include partial separation of a rudder in 1998
while in cruise over the Atlantic, a pair of emergency landings and an
engine shutdown in January and a near mid-air collision between two
Concordes in August 1999, near New York's John F. Kennedy International
Airport, presently the type's only regular North American destination.
The aircraft that crashed Tuesday was delivered to Air France on June
17, 1979, and first entered scheduled service on October 23, 1980. Prior
to the accident it had accumulated more than 3,900 cycles and flown
almost 12,000 hours. Recent maintenance included completion of a
"C" check on April 28, 2000.
...While "Fingers Crossed" That
Concorde Will Still Fly To AirVenture
 As
AVweb's publishing deadline approached, EAA officials were unable
to confirm whether a British Airways Concorde — expected to arrive at
OSH Friday morning — would arrive as planned. The airline announced
yesterday that it had canceled its two flights scheduled for last night.
"We have complete confidence in our Concorde aircraft and our
Engineering. Nevertheless in these circumstances - and while information
is still coming in - we have taken the unprecedented step of canceling
tonight's flights," the airline said in a statement. This year, the
return of Concorde to Oshkosh was billed as the ultimate expression of
this year's AirVenture "Speed" theme. However, EAA spokesman
Dick Knapinski told AVweb last night that their "fingers
were crossed" that the Concorde would arrive as scheduled, since so
far they had not been informed of any change of plan by British Airways.
The Show Hasn't Started Yet, But It's
Happening Anyway At Wittman Field...
 Planes
line up on final and land two or three at a time, helicopters buzz
nonstop, hungry folks wait in line to buy lunch at the Warbirds Cafe,
families tie down their airplanes and set up their tents, exhibitors
scramble to finesse the final details of their displays — EAA
AirVenture is not officially open until today, but on Tuesday morning
the show grounds were already alive and busy. Thousands of airplanes
were already here, and all those pilots couldn't wait to start buying
new gizmos and gear at the Fly Market, even as vendors worked to get set
up before the deluge to come. This year's theme is "Speed and
Technology," and apparently things are moving so fast that the show
is open even before it's open.
...With Lots More To Come...
 So
much is on the agenda for the next seven days that a visitor would have
to be moving faster than the speed of light to take it all in. Jets,
biplanes, airliners and antiques of all sorts fly low passes over the
runways, while tents and hangars are filled with the latest in airplanes
and avionics. NASA, the FAA, and seemingly every aviation company in
existence will be hosting a booth or exhibit. Thousands of aircraft,
each with its own story, demand admiration and attention. Long lists of
forums, seminars, and speakers cover every topic from the do's and
don'ts of epoxy resins to emergency bailout procedures to "Welding
101" and Burt Rutan's "Mojave Update." Aerobatic flyers
offer spectacular shows every afternoon. Plus the unveiling of new
aircraft and products, an open forum with FAA Administrator Jane Garvey,
a roaring effort to break a couple of time-to-climb records ... you get
the idea.
...And All Of It Coming To You On AVweb
 AVweb,
EAA's Official Online News Source, will be bringing you complete,
detailed coverage of all the events and happenings going on each day of
AirVenture 2000. Lots of feature articles, interviews, and of course,
our ever-popular daily photo galleries will be produced by AVweb's
AirVenture News Team. AVweb will also provide live, real-time
audio feed from the air traffic control tower at Wittman Field exactly
as the pilots hear it. Plus, every night we will broadcast OSHTalk, an
hour-long talk show from the camping area at EAA AirVenture. Check back
each day for all the sights, sounds, dirt, grease, oil, and grime of EAA
AirVenture 2000.
Chicks Flight — Women With Wings Fly
Into Oshkosh...
 Fifteen
airplanes left Janesville, Wis., on Sunday, and flew en masse to Wittman
Field — the first-ever fly-in of women pilots to AirVenture. The group
arrived a little late, and a little ragged. "It was our
first time — but we made it!" said Sunni Gibbons, of Santa Maria,
Calif., who flew in with her husband Travis, in their Cherokee 235 tail
plane, dubbed "Chicks Tail" in the self-designated
"Chicks Flight." The planes all made it in more or less
together, though the faster planes spotted the slower ones a bit too
much lead time and never really caught up. "I thought this would be
a great way to arrive here," said Gibbons, who is making her first
visit to EAA AirVenture. "It was great. We had the sky to
ourselves." One pilot in the group had an oil-pressure problem en
route and left the group to land safely at a nearby airport.
 Kathy
Richey and Judy Dixon, the flight's organizers, flew in from Oregon in a
pair of Piper Pacers. "It was our first time, and we're still
learning," said Dixon. "The hardest part was mixing the fast
and slow aircraft." Will the Chicks Flight become an annual event?
"We said 'never again,'" Dixon said, "but then everyone
was so enthusiastic, we said, 'well, maybe.'"
NOTE: To learn more about the Women With Wings Caravan, check
out their web site.
...Followed By Masses Of Mooneys...
 Wejay
Bundara, of San Antonio, Texas, flew along with 97 other Mooney drivers
on Monday for his first trip into AirVenture. "It was planned and
executed just terrifically," he said. "Everything just went
very smooth." The planes gathered in Madison, Wis., and the pilots
were thoroughly briefed prior to takeoff. "We left in 10-plane
waves," Bundara said, "it was just like a military
operation." The Mooneys took off two-by-two and flew in staggered
formation, at 125 knots, all the way to the Oshkosh runway. "That's
pretty slow for the Mooney," Bundara said, who flies a 1969 M20C
with speed mods. "But it was perfect, and the weather was perfect,
it was just fabulous. I'm tickled to death." Rows and rows of
Mooneys taxied in and parked side by side up and down the North 40
camping area.
...Bonanzas By The Bushel...
 One
observer said it looked like D-Day. She was describing the annual
Bonanzas To Oshkosh mass flight, which arrived at AirVenture 2000 on
Monday afternoon. Seventy-six Bonanzas, three Beech piston twins and a
King Air made the flight from Rockford, Ill., with the planes flying in
trailing formations of "V"s. This is the 11th year for B2OSH,
which started in 1990 with nine Bonanzas. In 1995, 135 Bonanzas made the
flight, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bo's first flight. Bo
pilots from Florida to Seattle, as well as from Hawaii, Australia and
Germany participated this year. Many of the pilots are ex-military, and
all were required to have logged at least three hours of formation work
in the last six months. Wayne Collins, official briefer for the flight,
said that the trip up from Rockford went well. The weather was good, and
the only glitch came when an F-33A collapsed its nose gear landing on 36
Left.
...And Warbirds, Wingtip To Wingtip
 Warbirds
have been arriving in small numbers for days, but the big influx of
heavy iron was Tuesday. About 11 a.m., eight flights of four T-6s each
flew in from the south, turned upwind for Runway 36 and broke for
landing. Warbird ground crew, in their distinctive white T-shirts with
orange lettering, were busy during the day escorting and spotting new
arrivals. By midday, a Junkers Ju-52, several P-47s, some Corsairs, an
F4F Wildcat, a P-40 and numerous T-34s, P-51s and Liaison types were on
the field. T-6s were thick as mosquitoes on a North 40 camper's neck.
The major warbird shows are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, with
crowd-pleasing pyrotechnics that simulate bombing and strafing runs.
Experimentals Compete In AirVenture Cup
Race...
 Yesterday
morning, a dozen-plus fast-looking experimentals zoomed into Wittman
Field, soon after crossing the finish line in this year's AirVenture
Cup, a speed race from Kitty Hawk, N.C., to Oshkosh. Gathered on the
grass near Aeroshell Square, at the heart of the field, the array of
racers drew a lot of interest. The contenders had gathered in North
Carolina for the start on Monday, but the IFR weather refused to budge
to let the race begin. After a day of sitting on the ground, the start
of the race was moved to Dayton. The flyers got there however they could
— IFR if they were so equipped, or finding a route around the weather.
Once in Dayton, the weather was bright and fine all the way in to the
finish line at Lake Winnebago. Among the racers were a Lancair, a
Berkut, a White Lightning, a Long Ez and a one-of-a-kind Polen Special
II, a single-seater capable of 282 mph. Official results were not
available at deadline.
...And The Tiger Is Ready For Revenge
 One
of the planes flying in with the AirVenture Cup race was Bruce
Bohannon's Flying Tiger, the fast cat he flies to record-breaking
effect. "This was my first race," Bohannon said, "and it
was exciting. There was no competition really in my category, but still,
you're in a race and you want to get the most out of your
airplane." Bohannon is also pretty excited about the new powerplant
in his Tiger, a replacement for the engine that broke during a record
attempt at Sun 'n Fun in April. The new engine is extremely powerful and
very reliable, Bohannon said, and he's confident that he's going to
break records in his time-to-climb efforts this weekend. "What
we're going to do to the 9,000-meter record is going to shock
everyone," he said. He will be drilling into the sky for two record
attempts this weekend: time-to-climb to 3,000 meters (almost 10,000
feet) on Saturday and to 9,000 meters (more than 29,000 feet) on Sunday,
weather permitting.
Restored Grumman Widgeon Stays In The
Family
 One
of the rare birds that can be seen at AirVenture 2000 is a beautifully
restored 1941 Grumman G-44 Widgeon amphibian. Originally operated by the
U.S. Coast Guard, this Widgeon was purchased by Merrill Wien in 1981,
who then spent six years restoring it to the original Coast Guard
configuration, including paint scheme and markings. After flying the
Widgeon for 13 years around the San Juan Islands in Washington state,
Merrill decided to sell the twin amphibian to his son Kurt, a Boeing 767
pilot for American Airlines. Keeping it all in the family, Merrill was
flying the Widgeon to its new home in New Hampshire, with a stop at
AirVenture, from Washington with his daughter Kim, a flight attendant
for Alaska Air. Merrill also mentioned that this particular Widgeon has
an AVweb connection: Seems AVweb's own John Deakin got his
multi-engine seaplane rating in this Widgeon back before Merrill owned
it. Oh, and if the name Wien sounds familiar, it's because Merrill's
father Noel Wien founded Wien Alaska Airlines in 1924, which was one of
the first commercial carriers in the country.
Everything But The Kitchen Sink
 For
many people traveling to AirVenture 2000, the annual fly-in is a chance
to get together with friends they may see but once at year. One such
group is gathered in the Classic Aircraft camping area, and from the
looks of it, they didn't leave much at home. Their encampment included
everything from portable picnic tables and chairs, to grills and tents,
and even an inflatable wading pool. Camp member Jim Killian of
Lexington, Ill., had flown his Cessna 180 to Oshkosh to join the rest of
this gang from destinations all over the country. Killian said this
particular group consisted of 35 friends who arrived in 13 planes,
including, among other types, a Cessna 195, several Piper Pacers, an
Ercoupe and a Stinson. Including both adults and children, the group was
looking forward to sharing food, friendship and flying stories
throughout their stay. And since Killian said that most of the group
intended to camp with their planes for the entire week, the large
quantity of supplies strewn around their camp seemed to be one good way
to make their stay a little more comfortable.
Flight-line Volunteer Returns For The
Camaraderie
 AirVenture
would be impossible without the thousands of volunteers who help make it
happen, and many of those return year after year. One of those faithful
volunteers is Steve Owen, who was helping direct planes to their parking
spots on Monday after they landed on Runway 09 at Wittman Field. Though
the official start of the show was two days away, a steady stream of
taxiing planes kept Owen busy. Owen has been a volunteer at Oshkosh for
nine years now. Originally from England, he met the woman who would be
his wife on his first visit here, in 1982. Now he lives in town and
comes out to Wittman Field every July to help direct traffic as the
folks fly in from all over. He enjoys it, he says, and the camaraderie
among the volunteer crew keeps bringing him back. But the show itself
has become too overwhelming, he says, and he rarely goes onto the
grounds anymore. However this year Owen has friends flying in from
England for their first Oshkosh, and said he will probably join them to
see some of the sights of AirVenture 2000. After a lull in the arriving
traffic, operations started picking up again and Owen had to run off on
his scooter to help direct another plane to its final destination on
Wittman Field.
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