Cessnas Mass Flight
Into Airventure 2008
by Gil Velez

On July 26th of 2008, the Saturday before the start of AirVenture 2008, the Cessnas 2 Oshkosh group (www.cessnas2oshkosh.com) will conduct a mass arrival into the Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It will be the third for our group and the first in partnership with the Cessna Pilots Association. Participating pilots will gather at Dodge County Airport in Juneau, Wisconsin. The mass arrival will consist of seventy-five Cessna airplanes departing Dodge County Airport for the 35 nautical miles flight, joining in formation and breaking for a landing sequence into the Wittman Regional Airport. The airplanes will form 25 elements arranged in a “Λ” shape. Each element will consist of three aircraft of the same model, one in the lead position and one in each of the wing positions.

Many Cessna models will be represented among the participating aircraft. But without a doubt, the most popular among them will be the venerable C172 Skyhawk, followed closely by the C182 Skylane. The first time this event took place, the year of the 50th anniversary of the Cessna 172, Cessnas 2 Oshkosh accomplished the feat of flying 50 aircraft in formation into Oshkosh. The landing sequence from the time the first aircraft in the formation touched down to the time the last airplane was off the runway taxiing on its way to the North 40 took 11 minutes. It was an exceptionally well planned and executed operation. The events that followed at Cessna Base Camp in the North 40 were really unforgettable for all the participants. More than 500 Cessna owners and pilots joined in the celebration.

As has been the case with other events in aviation history, the origin of the Cessna mass arrival can be traced back to a group of pilots searching for a way to fly and spend time together. In the summer of 2005 a small group of Cessna owners led by Fred Johnson met on the grounds of the North 40 during the celebration of EAA AirVenture to figure out how to fly into Oshkosh and camp together under the wing of their airplanes. The ultimate goal was to share the passion for aviation and have a good time together for a whole week. These friends, all experienced pilots, concluded that the only sure way to accomplish these goals was to organize a mass arrival as it is done by other groups like the Bonanzas to Oshkosh and the Mooney Caravan.

The word went out initially through the Cessna Pilots Association website and later through a website setup for this purpose by Fred Johnson, developed and maintained by webmaster Dennis Angelo. Rodney Swanson, an experienced ATP, former military pilot, and current Director of Training and Operations for Cessnas 2 Oshkosh 2008 developed the training program. This thoroughly designed program was distributed in a package to other experienced pilots and instructors who organized clinics around the nation. Enthusiastic pilots with no previous experience in formation flight took part in these clinics and prepared to fly the arrival using this training program.

Safety, first in the minds of the founders is still our main concern. We have established two strictly mandatory requirements that must be met to fly the arrival. Pilots must complete training in at least one clinic and be present at the final brief in Juneau on the day of the arrival at 12:00 Noon. Cessnas 2 Oshkosh has planned formation flight training clinics in many locations around the United States to assist pilots in meeting the first of these requirements.

To date, over fifty pilots have registered for this year’s mass arrival, and two clinics have been completed - one in Southern Pines, North Carolina and the other in Santa Maria, California. Three more clinics are scheduled in Dothan, Alabama, Port Huron, Michigan and Juneau, Wisconsin. Three more are in the planning stage in San Antonio, Texas, Wentzville, Missouri and White Plains, New York.

We are confident that this year’s mass arrival will surpass previous years’ results. We invite all Cessna owners and pilots to rediscover their passion for aviation and come join us in the fun.

For more information, visit the group's website: www.cessnas2oshkosh.com