After doing some essential shopping for local equipment (mobile phone &data access,cables,batteries &so on) it was time for team PCDU to split up and take different paths to Oshkosh. Steve was staying in Chicago to continue preparing the camping &production equipment required to set up our base camp while Bas &Grant were heading to Rockford to meet up with the Bonanzas to Oshkosh group. Normally a 2 hour drive or more from their location in Chicago,Bas &Grant were able to avail themselves of a ride over with Rob Mark in a Cirrus.
Taking a short drive from Rob’s place over to Chicago Executive Airport (KPWK) where we encountered two “We’re not in Australia”aviation reminders:
A B17 landing and taxiing past Lots of bizjets taking off &landing –way more than you’d see at Essendon,Parafield or Sydney
Rob tells us that aside from the B17 this is pretty normal traffic levels at Chicago Executive. Wow!
We manage to load ourselves &our gear into the Cirrus SR20 without too much hassle,get clearance &then taxi out to RWY34,launching into the humid air &turning left to track out towards Rockford. The flight was short but surprisingly free of turbulence despite the heat &clouds forming. The TCAS was kept busy showing us traffic going in &out of O’Hare and the many other airports around us. For such a short flight it was amazing the number of airports we passed that were around the sizes of Camden &Lillydale as well as some strips similar in size to Tooradin or Coldstream. Bas made the comment there were possibly more ILS approaches at airports around Chicago than in the whole of Australia:)
It’s amazing to see the level . . . →
Read More:Oshkosh 2011 –Day 2 –Rockford Bonanza
