As I raised the cup of coffee to my lips, the radio on the hip of the guy two chairs down crackled to life. The guy in the control tower was inviting mischief. “Red and white RV, would you like to do a low pass before you land?”
A moment passes. In the cockpit, 1,000 feet overhead, the pilot is likely asking himself if this is a trap. But no, it’s a slow moment in the flow of morning arrivals at the Triple Tree Fly-In, and the guy in the tower knows nobody’s going to complain about airplane noise. From the moment of legal sunrise, various birds have beat up the pattern with arrivals and flybys, and a pair of taildraggers knocked out a series of touch and goes. Mariano Rosales captures the vibe in this pretty video:
The cup of coffee moves back to my knee, the lid covering my lie—the cup has been empty for 30 minutes, but pretending to have a perpetual cup of joe let me sit and watch the morning unfold, eavesdropping on all manner of lies pilots tell each other when we get together. A retired Boeing pilot talked about how he’d never be caught dead in an Airbus, as the former Airbus driver stopped just shy of jumping into the mix.
If any lesson has been learned in recent weeks, it’s that not all opinions merit a reply. Sometimes it’s OK to just let folks be wrong. Shaded from the early morning blaze, I just kept soaking up the experience. I’ve tried to attend this fly-in for the better part of a decade. Between allocating vacation bids to help cover the news at Oshkosh and Lakeland, the chance to attend got swept down the list of priorities. Last year, I launched to go, but got weathered out, less than 50 miles shy of the destination.
But after a few Oshkoshes where arrivals necessitated re-dos and departures nearly required refueling before getting airborne, I swore that I’d seek out the smaller events. This year, I finally did it: I skipped AirVenture and made it to Woodruff, South Carolina, for two days. I’d have stayed longer but the chances of getting back for a trip at my day job were not looking great unless you ignored the weather forecast.
I was there only two days, early in the week, with a night spent in the tent by my Mooney, but let me say this: Oshkosh can kiss my grits. The crowd at Triple Tree tout their values of fun, fellowship, and hospitality, and while core values and mission statements are wasted words in my mind, the crew lived up to their goals. Golf cart ride to the registration building? But it’s just right there! “It’s hot out. Get on. You can tie down later.”
Shower houses: At the big events you’ve probably stood in a muddy puddle while getting dressed, ruining any notion of being clean before you’ve even pulled your britches up. The showers at Triple Tree have slatted wooden floors, allowing the water to drain away without reaching the dressing area in the stall.
The Lakeland party trick of having to turn on multiple showers in the trailer if you’re solo just to get hot water going? Forgetaboutit. Turn the hot knob, and you get hot water, just as the Lord intended.
Want to go fly? Sure. They’ll save your spot while you’re gone. I spent the better part of two hours on an inflatable lounger chatting with one of the volunteers about flying, writing, and our airplanes (Claude is an Ercoupe guy through-and through). Every once in a while he’d have to hop up to marshal a plane along the taxiway, and then he’d be right back. “Where were we…?”
First timer? Pony up for the dinner meal ticket. $20 gets you a full plate of real food (pork loin, green beans, baby potatoes and a dessert, along with a soda). It’s a sit-down meal with a view. Try getting that deal in town.
After dinner, if you’re just digesting your meal in a lawn chair by the plane, don’t be surprised if a stranger walks up with a cold beverage and spends the next hour or two talking as the stars come out.
The runway and the grounds are breathtaking. I’ve heard comparisons made between Triple Tree’s 7,000-foot grass runway and a putting green at the Augusta National Golf Club. Adjusted for size, the runway wins by a landslide. The amount of effort put into the grounds shows, from the beautiful runway to the manicured parking areas—the grass is so short, your shoes won’t even be fully dew-soaked after a midnight stroll to the nearest porta-potty (which were by far the cleanest plastic outhouses I’ve ever seen).
The arrival and departure procedures are dead simple—no 30+ page NOTAM needed for this event. Just take a look at their website’s pilot information page and you’re good to go.
You’ll find showplanes parked next to old birds that have never lived a pampered day in their life. I found an old Luscombe and a Bonanza that each had oil leaks, a lot of missing paint, and character for days. I studied them for a bit longer than I did the triple-clearcoated and ceramic-polished rocketship homebuilts. But hey, if shiny planes are your thing, there’s plenty of them, too.
I’m a master of complaining—it’s what airline pilots do. But I struggle to find issue with any part of my experience there. No event is perfect, but this one is as near as it gets in my book. The runway is open from sunrise to sunset, with no pesky airshow to tie up arrivals and departures. There’s not a lot of vendors, although I did buy a pin of the jet I fly, from one of the three vendors I did see there. The event runs from Monday till Sunday, and it really fills in as the weekend nears. But for a junior airline guy who works most weekends, and who really just wanted a quiet, laid-back fly-in, these two days were great for the soul.
If you’re on this side of the country, pack up and go. Tell your boss I said it’s OK. I’ll be back next year, for more than a single night. See you then.
Bravo Zulu, Jeremy. This, AAA and Brodhead are on my bucket list. Done OSH 30-odd times back to Rockford 1966, made many good friends, and am a lifetime EAA member, but OSH has outgrown me. Nearing 70, the intimacy of smaller gatherings magnifies their charm.
Wonderful report. But it makes me so sad that I never went before age finally had me give up my last flying machine (and motorcycles). Looks and sounds great.
Great article and video! Thank you
I went on Wednesday for a day trip from Columbia SC. I fly a Grob 109 Motoglider and that always turn heads. It’s a great venue and the grass strip is awesome.
Flew in a day early last year and was told in no uncertain terms that TT is a private field, prior permission required. Attitude changed when we showed interest in volunteering. Super-dedicated and fun ground handling crew!