We want everyone who shares this dream to be able to join us and have worked hard to develop training procedures to make this a reality for as many people as possible. But we must be honest with ourselves. This arrival will require some basic stick and rudder skills, along with discipline in your flying. Ultimately you will have to hold position near another airplane with reasonably close tolerances for the 45-minute flight from KCWA to KOSH. You will need to be able to fly twenty feet off the deck for a ways and land on a specific target area. High-speed taxi will also be a necessity on occasion. Plus, with dozens of other aircraft in the group, contingencies you don’t need to consider in other flying will need to be planned for. Everyone's safety depends on the pilots ahead of and behind them and we are only as strong as our weakest link.
The type of formation flying we do is very basic but is similar to anything else new we learn in aviation: some people get it right away and others may take a while. Just as it’s difficult to know who will learn Instrument flying quickly after getting their pilot’s license, it’s difficult to exactly predict who will learn these skills quickly and who will need extra time. Pilots who are Instrument rated and/or have their Commercial license tend to have the flying discipline to pick up these skills more quickly, even at low total hours of flying time.
With that in mind, the basic minimum experiences which tend to lead to success include:
- 200 hours total time, with most of that ideally in the past several years
- 50 hours in Cherokees (or the type of aircraft to be used during the arrival)
- 20 hours within the last 90 days prior to OSH
If you have any questions about your suitability, please don’t hesitate to contact the Director of Air Operations via the Contact form.
There are several things which are required:
- Meet all FAA currency requirements for day VFR, carrying passengers.This includes a current medical and Flight Review, as well as appropriate documents and inspections for the aircraft you will be flying
- Proof of liability insurance (photocopy MUST accompany registration packet)
- Signed copy of Cherokees to Oshkosh, Inc. – 2023 Flight Waiver (sign online)
- Must possess and have read 2023 NOTAM for AirVenture (When NOTAM is released the link will be here and under the Documents menu).
- MUST attend MiniClinic Flight Training — for Dates, Locations, and Registration, see SCHEDULE page.
- MUST review all ‘CtO Fundamentals’ videos (newcomers) and/or slide presentations (past attendees) PRIOR to attending their first mini-clinic.
- MUST review ‘CtO Arrival Safety Briefing’ video(s) PRIOR to arrival at Central Wisconsin Airport (KCWA), Wausau, WI.Information regarding these will be sent by email NOTAM several weeks before OSH.NOTE: Watching these videos does not eliminate the requirement to attend the in-person mandatory safety briefing/briefings presented at KCWA!
- Arrive at the staging area (KCWA – Mosinee, WI) on or before Thursday evening, July 20, 2023
- MUST attend Formation Flight Training Clinic, starting at approx. 8AM on Friday, July 21, 2023
- MUST attend Safety Briefing on Saturday, July 22, 2023
- MUST submit a Registration Fee of $125 by March 31, 2023 (Earlybird) or $150 by May 31, 2023 (if spaces are still available).
- MUST be considered appropriately trained and ready to safely participate in the Mass Arrival by the CtO leadership team prior to the Mass Arrival departure. While any "no-go" decision will involve full participation by the pilot, all decisions by CtO leadership are final.
- Must agree to accept flight decisions made by Cherokees to Oshkosh, Inc. in the event of weather problems or arrival conflicts at KOSH beyond the organization’s control. This may include a delay until the following day (Sunday, July 23, 2023) or complete cancellation of the Mass Arrival.
In addition, EAA has some rules we need to follow once we arrive. We highly recommend that everyone read all available information on their website, regarding camping with your aircraft. Here are the basics:
- EVERYONE MUST TIE DOWN!!!There are very few hard-surface tie-downs at KCWA and none where we will be tying down at OSH, so tying down in the grass is a must.Although tie-downs may be rented on-site at OSH, they are not available for rent at KCWA. Dog lead-style tie-downs are NOT acceptable at KOSH.
- Camping on the field requires EAA membership. You can join there if needed. We suggest doing it now. You will receive a lot of information prior to Oshkosh that will assist you in planning and making your AirVenture experience even more memorable. See airventure.org for camping, attraction, schedules, and survival guide information.
- The camping fee does NOT grant admission to AirVenture. You must purchase that separately by the day or by the week.