Good advice: (I did some editing to the above!) Print your
VFR sign out when you are printing your HBP/HPC signs at home.
Fuel: I always fuel up before arriving at OSH as fueling there can be a PITA and expensive. Do you have enough to get to your destination? Before you get in your airplane, do your usual (or with higher regard) preflight including draining your tank sumps. OSH is humid and your airplane has likely been Rained on! Your airplane has been in a high-traffic area and things have happened to airplanes from people not used to being around them. Make sure you have everything you brought with you in the airplane: the tow bar is
NOT still on the nose/tail wheel and it is
not still tied down and you picked up your chocks! (I could tell you all those stories!
) Have NOTAM pages 15, 16 and 31 on your kneeboard. Have the departure process
reviewed and understood before you get in your airplane.
Start with monitoring ATIS 121.75 for weather information and runway
s in use. And to make sure the airport is open! Have the departure frequencies pulled up on your standby frequency which will be different depending on what runway is in use (see NOTAM page 16). Once you fire up, continue your checklist before you get to the hard surface knowing that people walking around will sometimes
not see you even with your engine running!
Once on the hard surface, be aware of what is in
front of you and what is
behind you. Carefully complete your check list. NOW is a great time to actually have one so you are less likely to forget an important item. Don't short cut your
NORMAL departure routine. You will be in a "conga line" that can be short and moving quickly or long and moving slowly.
Take your time and make sure you are
ready to depart.
Your runup should be near where you are departing and, as said above, angle the tail away from the airplanes behind you and
NOT at the crowd watching you. The airplanes in front of you will be on the move but you will have plenty of time to fill that gap. You will be monitoring the departure frequency for your runway. I have a "pre-departure" section of my check list (that I verbally say) and that should be what you do
just prior to rolling out on the runway. You do
NOT want to depart without closing your canopy, fuel on the "wrong" tank (or off!) (again, stories) You will be monitoring the departure frequency but will not need to say anything to anybody unless they ask you something. There will be a platform with
PINK shirt controllers and
PINK shirt marshallers with
PINK batons on the ground as you approach the intersection of the runway. PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY ARE TELLING YOU TO DO. You don't want to be "that guy" who is screwing up the fast-paced works. You will likely be marshalled to one side of the runway or the other with another airplane on the other side. The marshallers will indicate who goes next as you will be alternating.
Once you depart is not a time to demonstrate what a hot-performing aircraft you have. If you don't do it at home, don't do it here. You may not see all the aircraft that are in the air around you and a predicable flight path on your part will help others keep track of
you. I am OCD and will have a separate sheet printed out for each runway departure route (as they are all different) and will have that pulled up and highlighted when I know what runway I am being marshalled to. Adhere to those departure routes as everyone else should be doing the same and you are NOT the only airplane in the air. There will still be arrivals coming in while you are departing. Follow that departure route until you are clear of the Class D airspace. WATCH FOR OTHER AIRPLANES both departing and arriving.
Have a safe flight home! See you next year!