By Barbara A. Schmitz
to most, safari conjures up images of flying around Africa and looking down at amazing vistas and animals usually seen in zoos. But a group of Israeli and Dutch pilots had a very different view as they arrived at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh on Monday.
The group of 23 participants and seven flight instructors arrived in 10 airplanes as part of their Flying Safari around the United States.
Bill English, assistant chief instructor with Aviation Adventures, based in Manassas, Virginia, said the group rents airplanes and uses their instructors. The Israeli and Dutch pilots have different flying skills and experience, from sport pilot to airline and military pilots. Some have been to Oshkosh before; others not. Their instructors ensure everything is legal and safe.
“Planning here starts in January,” Bill said. “The group decides where to stop, and we just handle the logistics.”
This year’s route had them leaving Virginia, going to Dayton, Ohio, flying the Chicago skyline, and arriving in Oshkosh on Monday. The group will leave AirVenture on Thursday, continuing on to Mackinac Island, Niagara Falls, and the New York City/Hudson corridor before returning to Virginia. “We’re not a mass arrival or formation,” Bill said.
“We [are] just people trying to arrive in Oshkosh at the same time.”
Trip organizer Ben Zion Meir, a flight instructor from Israel, said the group has flown to Oshkosh eight times since 2006. Each time, he tries to give the pilots an adventure that shows them what is happening in the aviation market. In addition, no flight is longer than two hours, allowing everyone a chance to fly with controls.
“I look to give the group the best experience in terms of aviation … so they can see other aviation cultures that are different from what we have back home,” Ben said. “We are a small country that is very limited in general aviation. You fly one hour to the north and are at the bor-der, and you fly two hours to the south and you are at the border. The quality of airports here, the service they pro-vide, the fact that you have equal rights in the air … is something that is new to most of them.”
Leo Vanderveen, from Amsterdam, Netherlands, was new to the group and came to Oshkosh for the first time.
“It was on my bucket list for a long time,” Leo said. “I’ve heard about there being plenty of planes, and from what I’ve seen so far, that is an understatement. It’s crazy. … There are more planes here on the premises than we have in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg combined.”