Here are a couple of pictures…the last one is our rig for the week, along with a map of where we’re at (hopefully temporarily).

If you are thinking about learning to fly, check out Air Freddy’s Learning to Fly Guide, an e-book that will answer many of your questions beforehand, and do it in an entertaining way. 

Enjoy the episode.

Getting ready to start	The Pavillion filling up as we get started
Stu talks about his first impressions of Oshkosh	Stephen Force cracks wise, I’m sure
Jack getting a comment from Rod	Threw in a pic of the Terrafugia for good measure

Don’t forget, if you are thinking about learning to fly, check out Air Freddy’s Learning to Fly Guide, an e-book that will answer many of your questions beforehand, and do it in an entertaining way.  Freddy has included many stories from his over 9000 hours of dual given time that help you learn what to expect and how to make decisions as you start your training, perfect for the beginning pilot.  Air Freddy sponsors this podcast through these e-book sales, so you’ll be supporting The Student Pilot Cast as well with a purchase, and I appreciate that.

Let me know what you think of Podapalooza 2009!  I hope you enjoy it.  Now, get out there an fly!

Along with the interview, I want to share several pictures with you of their first product of this program, a 1982 fixed gear Saratoga.  Enjoy.

The Saratoga NX	The Rear and Baggage Door
Panel from the Rear Seats	The New Interior
Weight-Saving LED Light	The Panel from the Pilots Door
Avidyne’s R9 PFD	The FMS Display and Keyboard
The Whole Panel	The New Switches

I hope you enjoy the interview, and I want to once again thank the folks at Nexair.  I’m impressed with what they’ve done.  I’d love to hear from you on what you think.

Obviously, this is a small break from the normal episodes of my training, but I think you’ll find these quick podcasts interesting and worthwhile…at least I hope you do.  Please let me know what you think.  As usual, I’d love to hear from you.

I have a few more things to share from Oshkosh, as well as a short video about recording cockpit audio that is ready to go, and will be published in the next couple of days.  After that, we’ll resume normal programming and finish up my training.  Enjoy.

Then I found out some good news from Rod at MyTransponder.  I was scheduled to do a media flight in a brand new G1000 Cessna 206 Thursday morning. Stoked. Unfortunately, we woke up this morning to pretty heavy rain, and the media demos were postponed.  Not sure if I’ll still get to fly it, but hoping for a reschedule soon.

The best part, though, is the I got to finally meet up with so many people that I haven’t seen in a while and meet some other friends that I’ve never met face to face.  Steve Tupper, Jason Miller, David Allen, and a couple others did a little jam session, so we got to listen to some music, catch up, and basically have a good time.

Tonight is the MyTransponder party in our campground, and I’m really looking forward to that.  If anyone is here at Oshkosh, follow MyTransponder and/or me on Twitter for more information.  http://twitter.com/MyTransponder and http://twitter.com/billwil. I’ll see you all there!

Okay, I’ll try to keep you posted as we go, here.  In the meantime, enjoy a shot taken by Mike Miley of MyTransponder of work being done on the Ford Tri Motor.

Mike’s Oshkosh Photostream

In this episode, we did a dual night cross country from KCHD (Chandler) to KAVQ (Marana) which is in north Tucson.

KCHD-KAVQ (around Eloy)

Thanks again for listening, everyone.  I hope to see you at OSH!

It’s actually difficult to explain to someone who hasn’t been how incredible this gathering is, so I won’t try.  If you’ve been, then you know what I mean and we’ll leave it at that.  This is only my second year, and thanks in part to great new friends I made last year, I can’t imagine this year being any better…but I’m sure it will be, as I expand that list of aviation friends once again.  Last year, Kent (of The Pilot Cast), graciously picked me up at MKE in his Skylane and allowed me to experience the “fly-in” arrival as it was meant to be my first time.  Since I was a kid I had dreamed of that arrival, and I finally did it.  Twice, actually, as we picked someone else up later in the week.  Camping under the wing of a trusty Cessna 182…isn’t that what it’s all about?  Thanks, Kent.

This year, while arriving a bit later, I’ll be staying until the bitter-sweet end, all the way through Sunday.  Again, I’m camping, but this time I’ll be camping in the “drive-in” camping area of Camp Scholler.  A whole new experience to be had, I’m sure.  I’ll be near the base camp of many of the other new media folks who are gathering around MyTransponder’s RV.  I can’t wait to be there, and especially to be giving updates to all of you.

Now…to the real hope I have for this post.  Let me know if you’re going to OSH09 this year.  If so, and our schedules line up, I would love to meet you, the listeners and followers of Student Pilot Cast.  Use the contact link to let me know…or send me an email directly (listen to any episode for the address).  I firmly believe that the best part of this gathering are the personal relationships made or re-kindled, so let’s meet face to face if you’ll be there…have a beverage, and talk about learning to fly.  Follow me on twitter if you haven’t already, and send me a message there if you want to meet up real-time…that works, too.

If you’re not going to be there, stay tuned on twitter as well, as I will be updating what is going on as much as I can.  I’ll be attempting to release small episodes while there as well, but last year I was hampered by very limited connectivity.  Hopefully this year is better.  The only luck I ever had was the press link, but I had to be at a specific place on the grounds, and even then it was iffy.

In any case…that time of year is here again, and I feel very blessed to be a part of this great aviation community in general, as well as be amongst the great folks who represent new media in aviation.  I’m also very grateful to once again be making the annual migration to aviation Mecca.  I hope you all can join me there; if not in person, in spirit.  I’ll try to keep you posted.