karlynleth
I'm New Here
As we near the 30-day countdown for #OSH23, I can’t help but think back to #OSH22 as it will forever be the year we flew our RV-12 into AirVenture for the first time. It was a full circle moment for my father and I.
It was #OSH11 – my dad was at the Van’s tent, and I was somewhere running from one seminar to the next. I get a call from him saying meet me at the Van’s tent now, so I hustle over as fast as I can. Next thing I know, we were signed up for a test flight in the RV12. I remember that flight clear as the sky that day and when I landed, I had my first RV grin. To keep it short, we ordered a kit that day. Once we completed the build and had it flying, the dream of flying our homebuilt into Oshkosh became more of a reality. 2022 seemed to be the perfect year, especially since Van’s was celebrating their 50-year anniversary. We spent hours reading over the NOTAM and watching videos of people flying the approach procedure.
The Sunday before the show comes around and we go pre-flight and make sure the GoPro is set up for our 5AM departure the next morning. I could hardly sleep that night, full of excitement and nerves (the good ones), wondering how the arrival will go tomorrow. Morning rolls around and we depart our homebase of Dodge Center, MN (KTOB) and head East into the most beautiful sunrise. It was a smooth and quiet morning.. until we arrived just West of the Endeavor Bridge.
We quickly made it into the conga line, flying along the lakes, through Ripon and then to Fisk. Once we arrived at Fisk, we rocked our wings and turned East to follow the road for a 36L landing. On final, tower calls out “blue RV, cleared to land 36L, yellow dot”. It all happened so quickly but I vividly remember turning base to final and seeing all the aircraft parked in the South 40 and the runway just ahead. This was the moment we had dreamed about and prepared for. We touched down on the yellow dot and taxied off the runway and that’s when I saw everything that was so familiar but from a different view: the red vintage tower and the iconic vintage planes that we all sit around watching the airshow, Aeroshell square (I will forever and always call it that), and then the tower. I turned to my dad and said, “this is awesome!” with the biggest RV grin. He smiled back and said “yes, it is.”
Once we parked and had everything situated, I wasted no time going to register the plane and buy my “I flew to Oshkosh” shirt that I patiently waited 14 years to get. It was a special year as we met many other RV owners and participated in the Van’s events throughout the week. I had the privilege of telling Dick himself we flew our RV12 into the airshow. My dad and I also talked with Doug Reeves and got to thank him for VAF, which has helped us many times while building the 12.
When I took that first test flight in 2011, I was a student pilot, now flying into Oshkosh as a commercial/instrument pilot in my own plane. What made it so special was doing it with my father, who is the reason I am even a pilot. AirVenture seems even more magical having flown in and I am looking forward to #OSH23 – you can catch me wearing my “I landed on the yellow dot” shirt
Karlyn Leth
N142KL
RV12
It was #OSH11 – my dad was at the Van’s tent, and I was somewhere running from one seminar to the next. I get a call from him saying meet me at the Van’s tent now, so I hustle over as fast as I can. Next thing I know, we were signed up for a test flight in the RV12. I remember that flight clear as the sky that day and when I landed, I had my first RV grin. To keep it short, we ordered a kit that day. Once we completed the build and had it flying, the dream of flying our homebuilt into Oshkosh became more of a reality. 2022 seemed to be the perfect year, especially since Van’s was celebrating their 50-year anniversary. We spent hours reading over the NOTAM and watching videos of people flying the approach procedure.
The Sunday before the show comes around and we go pre-flight and make sure the GoPro is set up for our 5AM departure the next morning. I could hardly sleep that night, full of excitement and nerves (the good ones), wondering how the arrival will go tomorrow. Morning rolls around and we depart our homebase of Dodge Center, MN (KTOB) and head East into the most beautiful sunrise. It was a smooth and quiet morning.. until we arrived just West of the Endeavor Bridge.
We quickly made it into the conga line, flying along the lakes, through Ripon and then to Fisk. Once we arrived at Fisk, we rocked our wings and turned East to follow the road for a 36L landing. On final, tower calls out “blue RV, cleared to land 36L, yellow dot”. It all happened so quickly but I vividly remember turning base to final and seeing all the aircraft parked in the South 40 and the runway just ahead. This was the moment we had dreamed about and prepared for. We touched down on the yellow dot and taxied off the runway and that’s when I saw everything that was so familiar but from a different view: the red vintage tower and the iconic vintage planes that we all sit around watching the airshow, Aeroshell square (I will forever and always call it that), and then the tower. I turned to my dad and said, “this is awesome!” with the biggest RV grin. He smiled back and said “yes, it is.”
Once we parked and had everything situated, I wasted no time going to register the plane and buy my “I flew to Oshkosh” shirt that I patiently waited 14 years to get. It was a special year as we met many other RV owners and participated in the Van’s events throughout the week. I had the privilege of telling Dick himself we flew our RV12 into the airshow. My dad and I also talked with Doug Reeves and got to thank him for VAF, which has helped us many times while building the 12.
When I took that first test flight in 2011, I was a student pilot, now flying into Oshkosh as a commercial/instrument pilot in my own plane. What made it so special was doing it with my father, who is the reason I am even a pilot. AirVenture seems even more magical having flown in and I am looking forward to #OSH23 – you can catch me wearing my “I landed on the yellow dot” shirt
Karlyn Leth
N142KL
RV12
