The Very Best (And Worst) of Oshkosh 2004! (Part One)
Compiled By The Staff and Readership of the Aero-News
Network
For quite a while, we
have recognized the highs and lows inherent in the general and
sport aviation community. There are but a few places where that is
more a propos than at a major event like the Oshkosh Fly-In.
It's hard to know what really is going to make a difference and
what really qualifies as exceptional unless you've been watching
this industry carefully for several years... as we have.
Unlike past years, ANN readers remarks were heavily incorporated
into ALL aspects of this report, and not just the Aircraft awards
and such. Their contributions are specifically noted when a
particular attribute is based primarily on an individual's
report.
Our Annual Best Plane of the Year Selections (tentatively
announced after Oshkosh and finalized at year's end) will follow
this series shortly… we're having a REALLY hard time making
a decision this year - and the reasons might surprise you.
So... here are our picks for the Best and Worst of this year's
Oshkosh... and why we think so:
Best Aircraft of Show (Overall)
Cory Bird's Symmetry. This was pretty much a
unanimous vote by all of us at ANN. It was pure poetry to the eyes,
and as perfectly crafted a SportPlane as we have ever seen. Simply
beautiful...
Best Ultralight/Ultralight Trainer
Kolb Mark III Xtra. Homer's legacy lives on! A
rugged bird, the demo machine at Oshkosh was fitted with a
beautifully engineered float system that begged one to take it
everywhere. Nicely done!
- Runner(s)-Up: Earthstar
Odyssey. A great (and capable) plane that the manufacturer
always flies to Oshkosh -- from California.
Best "Affordable Flyer
New GlaStar's Sportsman 2 + 2. Fly this with
your eyes closed and you'll swear that you're flying a
GlaStar… which is a really good thing… but open your
eyes, and see all the extra room and payload, and you'll know that
the seemingly perfect little GlaStar SportPlane has finally been
topped… by it's own kin. (Jim Campbell, ANN's E-I-C and
Chief Test Pilot)
- Runner(s)-Up: Flight Designs
CT... One of the prettiest "imports" we've seen so
far... and supported by one of the finest companies in the entire
business, FlightStar.
Best High Performance Kit Aircraft
Van's RV-10. Van's first four place is gaining
headway as a popular and rugged family flyer. The new quick-build
kits can only help to keep it that way, when they become
available.
- Runner(s)-Up: Jeff Ackland's beautiful 200 kt
Radial Rocket, a two place tandem hotrod, powered by a single M-14P
radial engine. A truly distinctive design.
Best Rotorcraft
AAI Sparrowhawk gyroplane. Beautifully crafted,
it's about time that someone really took gyroplane engineering and
aerodynamics, seriously.
I Gotta Get Me One Of These
The Diamond DA42. Dear God, outside of the
thought of a few hours alone (Yes, I'm an optimist) with Meg
Ryan… nothing got my blood boiling quite as much as the
incredibly curvy and aeronautically inviting DA42 Twinstar…
this has to be one of the prettiest certified airplanes I have ever
seen.. and to ability to cruise around on Jet A and burn so little
of it makes this baby a cheap date of the finest kind. I want
REALLY bad… (ANN Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell)
Best Construction
Steve Culp's Sopwith Pup. If T.O.M. Sopwith had
built planes like that the war would have been over by Christmas
1916. The man is not an airplane builder, he's an artist (which
still does NOT forgive him for stealing our girl….).
Best Certified Aircraft
Diamond DA42. It was no contest… and if
we had done a flight test on the bird, we have a feeling that it
would have won the Best Plane of the Year honors we're currently
deliberating.
- Runner(s)-Up: Cirrus Design SR22-G2. The way
that this bird has evolved is more than impressive… it seems
inspired.
- Runner(s)-Up: Lancair Columbia 400. This is
the baddest mudder in the single-engine piston GA inventory…
235 knots… need we say more?
- Runner(s)-Up: New Taylorcraft, F22 flyaway FOB
Texas, $60k. Standard or Special Light Sport Aircraft
certified!
Funkiest Aircraft
The Helio/Caterpillar/Turbo
Porter/Locomotive/Boeing/Flying-Scrapyard or whatever the
dickens that was... (Kevin O'Brien)
Best Display Aircraft
Sikorsky S-38. Either one of them! Only Oshkosh
could attract two such birds… (Kevin O'Brien)
- Runner(s)-Up: Bob Scherer's Beech Starship.
This is the chase bird that ANN's Jim Campbell rode to get those
amazing photos of the record-flight of SpaceShipOne… one of
the few left that Beech didn't turn into scrap (a scarilege of the
highest order, say we). Bob loves this thing… and from our
most recent experience, he's got good reason to… we were
boogying along in REALLY close formation with a
mothership/rocketship at 43,000 feet with a 9000 foot cabin
altitude while flying along with excellent authority. Name me all
the twin-turboprops that can do that.
Hottest Prospect (not yet evaluated)
Diamond DA42. We simply have NOT seen a new GA
airplane make this big of an impression on the GA public in
decades. The curvy lines, incredible economy, emphasis on TRUE
cutting edge technologies and the not-inconsiderable appeal of
Diamond's customer support, make this a bird that we expect to set
all kinds of records for the foreseeable. Just as Eclipse has
kicked the Very Light Jet industry in the butt, Diamond has totally
set the light twin market on its ear.
To Be Continued...