The Very Best (And Worst) of Oshkosh 2005! (Part Two)

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 Aero-Software

No Award At This Time. We've seen some excellent products come out recently, but we do not have enough direct experience to render a "Best" verdict as yet. We WILL follow up on this, though, as there is some REALLY exciting stuff on the market now.

Nominee: Seattle Avionics Voyager. REALLY elegant engineering here... and a feature set that would choke a rhinoceros. We're pretty excited about trying this out.
Nominee: Seattle Avionics SmartPlates. VERY cost effective electronic chart software that has to used to be believed. All your charts for a fraction of the costs we used to pay.
Nominee: Razor's Software Airplan. Very affordable and crammed with features -- this is a full-featured worldwide flight planner for less than a C-Note. (ANN Staff)

Best Avionics - Portable

Aloft Technologies' Clarity Aloft Headset. One of the lightest and quietest non-ANR headsets we've ever tried, we were amazed at how well this thing works in VERY noisy environments and how quickly you forget it's there. The folks who market this equipment are also proving themselves to be a class act. Very impressive product. We have one on demo that I think we're going to have to buy instead of returning it.

Best Accessory - Electronic

Garmin GPSMAP 396. We've only had a little time to work with this product but our own experience and the early owner reports are very positive. This was one of the hottest products seen at Oshkosh in years.
Runner(s)-Up: TruTrak ADI. A highly regarded avionics supplier to the experimental community, this company has utilized unique and inspired technologies to build truly superlative avionics systems... and earned a solid customer support rep, as well.
Runner(s)-Up: Crossbow AHRS. Building solid-state avionics reference systems for the sport and GA community, Crossbow is earning an excellent rep for dependability and cost-effectiveness... and this for technologies that were the domain of the military only a few years ago... for many , many tens of thousands of dollars more than we can buy them for, today. A new, more cost-effective AHRS for the sport community has just been intro'd and we appreciate their willingness to serve this part of the aviation market. (ANN Staff)

Best Accessory - Safety

BRS, BRS, BRS: One of the few things that never changes from year to year, although the company is working on newer and better versions. A ballistic chute just flat saves lives. And yes, they are working on chutes that can deploy at even higher speeds and take heavier weights, and may one day offer chutes for the Very Light Jet (VLJ) market.
Runner(s)-Up: AmSafe's airbag safety belts. Now standard on Cirrus, and widely retrofittable. There have been any number of people who survived the initial impact, but were too disoriented by banging heads with the instrument panel to egress the aircraft prior to postcrash fire. Those first seconds are critical -- these belts help crash victims keep their wits in a crash, and increases their likelihood of survival. (Kevin O'Brien, ANN Staff)

Best Accessory - Powerplant

Kit Engine programs. With a number of engine manufacturers, such as Superior and Lycoming, offering kit engines now, we see a solid idea becoming a valuable proposition for today's SportPlane builder/flyer. Kit engines are built under expert supervision, offering a reasonably safe way for flyers to not only get the engine they need for their SportPlanes, but to learn SO MUCH MORE about them, in the process. This additional knowledge can only increase a pilot's understanding (and eventually), the safety of their flying. We strongly recommend these programs.

Best Event/Exhibit Of Show

No contest, this year's AirVenture was like a full season of "The Burt Rutan and His Amazing Superfriends Variety Hour." It's still a top-rated show, and audiences can't wait to see what the cast has in store for season three.

Most Anticipated But Not Yet Ready For Primetime

The AES/V Aircraft Engine V220 and V300T V-6 Aero Engines. Just a little flight time and a lot of discourse with the company building this new generation of piston engines convinces us that they're on the right track... but we sure wish they'd get this motor on the market.. we need its efficiency, technology and performance... NOW. 

The Most Educational Booth/Display

Continental/Lycoming: Both major engine manufacturers had engine assembly/disassembly classes on-site at Oshkosh. These were whole day classes that touched (literally) upon all parts of a horizontally opposed piston engine. While we (and probably many others who hung around the disassembled engines) did not spend the whole day at the class, nor plan to ever rebuild our own engine, the chance to see the insides of an engine, and see things such as cam lifters or thrust bearings exposed seemed to intrigue many. Kudos to the manufacturers for this idea! (Nadav Eiron)

Best Promotional Literature

Aeroshell's hysterical "Hayviator" poster spoof. Each year at Oshkosh, these folks pull off a cow spoof of some sort and clearly have a ball doing so... and we all get a grin out of it. Good for them.

Best Display/Booth

Columbia Aircraft. Their massive transporter not only sported all kinds of interesting things to gander at, but there is now an upstairs observation area that makes for a GREAT place from which to catch the airshow. VERY cool.

Best New ANN Feature

ANN Aero-Casting/Podcasting… Sure, it cost all the ANN correspondents lots of reporting time recording sound at the Theater in the Woods, the forums and doing interviews, but it brought our readers right to Oshkosh, giving a more direct feel for what it is like to be here in person. More important, we've heard from thousands of you in the last few weeks and it's obvious that ANN "Aero-Casting" is a big hit. You're going to see a LOT more of it... soon.

ANN's MVP

Pete Combs (again): Pete led the way into the terra incognita of podcasting. If you heard the podcasts, you know why we say Pete is not on TV cause he has a radio face. (If you didn't, what's keeping you?). I ought to mention that Pete wasn't even in Oshkosh for the whole show because his morning drive-time radio show in Charlotte, NC couldn't spare him. So he organized and ran the Aero-News newsgathering operation by remote control for the first few days. You're still reading us, so he must have done something right. (Kevin O'Brien and UNANIMOUS Staff Vote)

ANN's Rookie Of The Year

Rob Finfrock: Never has a decision been easier. Rob Finfrock just-flat-rocked. After learning his "day gig" was selling building materials, I named him Sheet-Rock Finfrock. It should have been Solid Rock Finfrock because that guy was everywhere with an indefatigable energy that I wish I had... heck, that I wish I HAD had when I was his age. You'll be seeing more of Rob. (Kevin O'Brien and a UNANIMOUS Staff Vote)

Outstanding Personality (Commercial)

XPrize Boss Peter Diamandis: The guy who dreamed up the XPrize challenge that brought Mike Melvill and Brian Binnie past the edge of space, and recently made it possible for regular folks to enjoy Zero-G hijinks is hardly done. His upcoming XPrize Cup and some other events (that we are sworn to secrecy about... for now) will continue to delight dreamers the world over and expand our horizons well beyond earth's gravity well.
Strong Runner(s)-Up: Barry Tempest. As Marion Blakey opened up the floor at the Ask the Administrator event, a compact man with a white beard and a British accent set on her like a pack of hounds. It was an unequal sparring match, to say the least. That was our introduction to Barry Tempest, whose history includes heading the GA end of the British CAA (their equivalent of US FAA), and decades of aerobatic competition, and evidently conceals a talent for stirring up mischief.
Strong Runner(s)-Up: Trade-A-Plane's Carolyn Flick. One of the first things we have to accomplish, at these shows, is to stop by the Trade-A-Plane booth to collect our daily (or more) hug from Carolyn Flick. This classy lady is easily one of the most pleasant faces we see all year and a true aviation entrepreneur. Mind you, the rest of the gang at T-A-P is really cool... but no ones gives hugs like Carolyn. A class act. (Jim Campbell, Kevin O'Brien, ANN Staff)

Outstanding Personality(s) (General)

Mike Melvill. He is just about the most decent guy in aviation. Er, make that space travel. Mike will continue to work in developmental test flight on future Scaled air and space projects.
Runner(s)-Up: EAA's Dick Knapinski. This guy juggles an amazing plethora of activities and concerns as one of the most pivotal members of Poberezny's senior staff and brings with him a sense of professionalism and the ability to get things done that leaves him nearly without peer in this industry. He's also the guy who turned us on to Leinenkuegel... for which the Wisconsin economy should be eternally grateful.
Runner(s)-Up: Jamail Larkins. Once a 'young' Young Eagle, this fellow has grown into an erudite accomplished spokesman for the joys and value of aviation. We're proud to call him a friend, and even more proud of the way that he presents aviation to the general public. Jamail is also a class act.

True Gentlemen of AirVenture

Mike Melvill and Scott Crossfield at the Theater in the Woods: Informative and entertaining. Melvill’s entrance crawling across the floor to set up his computer before he was introduced as that night's featured speaker was hilarious.

Greatest Improvement Over Previous Oshkosh's

The schedule. Monday->Sunday just flat works. Especially when the EAA can bring in a really big draw on the first day -- this year it was SpaceShip One. I wouldn't want to be Tom Poberezny, sitting on his motorcycle and trying to figure out how to top this next year, but you know that's exactly what he's doing and thinking. With the last day being Sunday, the departure of most of the camping planes and many of the show planes is less big a deal, because locals in their thousands come in to see the show. (If EAA wants to get even more people out on Sunday in coming years, they ought to print a discount coupon in the Northwestern [the Oshkosh paper], or circulate it through local merchants, about two weeks in advance. You could give them big bucks off admission and make it up on the concessions).

Dead Grass/Eroded Concrete Award

Eclipse 500. OK... no grass could grow under these birds (being on a concrete ramp) but at the same time, there was always a line in front of either prototype and even the interior mockup. The "littlest bizjet" has caught the public's attention in a big way... and it's not hard to figure out why. It's a beautiful bird.
Runner(s)-Up: Diamond DA42. Like last year, the presence of the first new light twin in ages captured a great deal of interest and killed some serious plant life.
Runner(s)-Up: Powersport had not one, but two, RV-8s showing off their high-tech Mazda rotary (Wankel) engine conversions. The thing is, these planes were showplane finished and painted in warbird colors.
Runner(s)-Up: Jeff Ackland's Radial Rocket. It was at Osh last year, but this year had a gorgeous paint scheme that accentuated it's nouveau retro appeal.
 

The Steel Cojones Award

Oshkosh Controllers. Mind you, they've always done a super job but after spending an hour navigating the arrival pattern in a 500HP turboprop, sandwiched in between RVs, Pacers, Twin Cessna, and Mooneys; their unparalleled competency was made even more apparent. These guys (and gals) are more than good, they were extraordinary.

The 'Lazarus' Award

Symphony Aircraft. They not only have come back from the dead, but they've come back strong. Their newest additions include BRS chutes, Avidyne flat panels and no-nonsense management. We think they're back to stay.
Runner(s)-Up: Mooney Aircraft. Still doing well after being counted out, Mooney also looks like their regeneration will have staying power.

To Be Continued...

FMI: Comments? Complaints? Additions? Let us have it!