Here we go again.
Once again, we're on the doorstep of the most iconic week in our world.
For those of us who've been there at least once, Oshkosh isn't just another fly-in. It's a reunion with friends, with our dreams, and with that part of ourselves that, at some point in life, decided that building—and flying—an RV wasn't simply a hobby. It was going to become a way of life.
I started dreaming about Oshkosh almost at the same time I started dreaming about building my own airplane, sometime around 1989. It all began with a photo of an RV-3 in the Italian aviation magazine Volare. The caption said: "Wide Open Throttle Without Problems." That single photograph planted a dream that would stay with me for decades.
In 2004, I started building the tail kit of my RV-8. Then, in 2006, I finally made my first—far too short—trip to Oshkosh. Katia, my wife, and I spent just a couple of days there during a vacation in Wisconsin, staying at the college in Fond du Lac.
I still remember walking into the Van's Aircraft booth for the first time and, almost timidly, asking if I could sit in my favorite model. The seat had been adjusted for Richard VanGrunsven himself, and I jokingly said I'd have to figure out how to raise it while building my airplane! Back then, my focus was almost entirely on the technical side of things. What I hadn't realized yet was that the greatest part of the RV world isn't the airplanes—it's the people.
In 2007, my fuselage and wing kits arrived. By then, I was fully committed and determined to finish what I had started. So, in 2009, Katia and I returned to Oshkosh with our oldest daughter, Giorgia, once again making Fond du Lac our home base. I had a much clearer idea of what I was looking for, but I still hadn't fully understood that I was becoming part of an extraordinary community.
My RV-8 flew for the first time in 2010, and in 2011 we made our third trip to Oshkosh. This time, we stayed for the entire week at Camp Scholler in a travel trailer with the whole family: me, Katia, Giorgia and Lisa. That was the moment Oshkosh stopped being a destination and became a family tradition.
Then came 2013 and 2017. Every year, our daughters would start asking months in advance, "Are we going to Oshkosh this year?" For them, it was the best family vacation of the year.
For me, it became the place where I could reconnect with friends from all over the world—people I first met through VansAirForce who played a huge role in my journey, first as a builder and later as a pilot.
Unfortunately, we won't be there this year. Maybe next year... who knows?
And right on schedule comes that feeling we've all learned to recognize: F.O.M.O.—Fear of Missing Oshkosh. It's that feeling of knowing that while you're somewhere else, your friends are sharing spontaneous dinners, the RV Social event, the Van's Banquet, sunrise breakfasts, endless hangar-talk beside an RV, and all those little moments that, over the years, have become some of my most treasured memories.
Thankfully, VansAirForce will keep those of us who can't make it company once again through the famous Annual Thread. Thanks, Doug, for helping all of us follow along from afar.
Below are a few photos that capture some of my favorite Oshkosh memories.
2006 My first time sitting in an RV-8, I'm nowhere near as tall as Dick
2011 Our first Vans Banquet, this family photo was taken from Doug with a small camera (this photo is on display in our living room)
2013 RV Social with Paul and Mike
2013 with Dan
2013 RV-8 donuts morning
2013 with Jay
2013 my family with most lovely RV-3
2017 with Vic
Once again, we're on the doorstep of the most iconic week in our world.
For those of us who've been there at least once, Oshkosh isn't just another fly-in. It's a reunion with friends, with our dreams, and with that part of ourselves that, at some point in life, decided that building—and flying—an RV wasn't simply a hobby. It was going to become a way of life.
I started dreaming about Oshkosh almost at the same time I started dreaming about building my own airplane, sometime around 1989. It all began with a photo of an RV-3 in the Italian aviation magazine Volare. The caption said: "Wide Open Throttle Without Problems." That single photograph planted a dream that would stay with me for decades.
In 2004, I started building the tail kit of my RV-8. Then, in 2006, I finally made my first—far too short—trip to Oshkosh. Katia, my wife, and I spent just a couple of days there during a vacation in Wisconsin, staying at the college in Fond du Lac.
I still remember walking into the Van's Aircraft booth for the first time and, almost timidly, asking if I could sit in my favorite model. The seat had been adjusted for Richard VanGrunsven himself, and I jokingly said I'd have to figure out how to raise it while building my airplane! Back then, my focus was almost entirely on the technical side of things. What I hadn't realized yet was that the greatest part of the RV world isn't the airplanes—it's the people.
In 2007, my fuselage and wing kits arrived. By then, I was fully committed and determined to finish what I had started. So, in 2009, Katia and I returned to Oshkosh with our oldest daughter, Giorgia, once again making Fond du Lac our home base. I had a much clearer idea of what I was looking for, but I still hadn't fully understood that I was becoming part of an extraordinary community.
My RV-8 flew for the first time in 2010, and in 2011 we made our third trip to Oshkosh. This time, we stayed for the entire week at Camp Scholler in a travel trailer with the whole family: me, Katia, Giorgia and Lisa. That was the moment Oshkosh stopped being a destination and became a family tradition.
Then came 2013 and 2017. Every year, our daughters would start asking months in advance, "Are we going to Oshkosh this year?" For them, it was the best family vacation of the year.
For me, it became the place where I could reconnect with friends from all over the world—people I first met through VansAirForce who played a huge role in my journey, first as a builder and later as a pilot.
Unfortunately, we won't be there this year. Maybe next year... who knows?
And right on schedule comes that feeling we've all learned to recognize: F.O.M.O.—Fear of Missing Oshkosh. It's that feeling of knowing that while you're somewhere else, your friends are sharing spontaneous dinners, the RV Social event, the Van's Banquet, sunrise breakfasts, endless hangar-talk beside an RV, and all those little moments that, over the years, have become some of my most treasured memories.
Thankfully, VansAirForce will keep those of us who can't make it company once again through the famous Annual Thread. Thanks, Doug, for helping all of us follow along from afar.
Below are a few photos that capture some of my favorite Oshkosh memories.
2006 My first time sitting in an RV-8, I'm nowhere near as tall as Dick
2011 Our first Vans Banquet, this family photo was taken from Doug with a small camera (this photo is on display in our living room)
2013 RV Social with Paul and Mike
2013 with Dan
2013 RV-8 donuts morning
2013 with Jay
2013 my family with most lovely RV-3
2017 with Vic
