Under the wing

For many years I camped in a tent at Camp Scholler during EAA AirVenture. Not owning an airplane at the time, I loved the convenience of camping just a short walk or bus ride from the airshow action. But when I walked the show, I was always envious of the campers who had—by my way of thinking—the primo camping spots: the airplanes on the vintage flight line. In 2013 I purchased an inexpensive vintage 1947 Cessna 140 to experience the joy of camping under the wing of an airplane with my then-10-year-old son.

My 140 has a useful load of only 424 pounds but my son didn’t weigh much, and I could top off the fuel tanks and stuff everything that would fit in the baggage compartment and still be under gross weight. I never would have guessed the 140 could fit two small tents, sleeping bags, camping pillows, battery-powered fans and lights, clothes, towels, aviation gear, folding chairs, tools, tiedowns, and more in that little area behind the seats.I invite you to discover one of general aviation's truly special social opportunities.

The flight line camping experience was everything I hoped it would be: Dedicated time with my son, watching the airshow from under the wing of our airplane, sharing flying stories with hundreds of like-minded aviators late into the night, and waking up in the morning at the airport. There was no other place I would rather have been.

Each subsequent year that we flew to Oshkosh—or Antique Airfield (IA27) in Blakesburg, Iowa, for the Antique Airplane Association Fly-In, or Triple Tree Aerodrome (SC01) in Woodruff, South Carolina, for the Annual Triple Tree Fly-In—the quantity of fuel or gear we could carry shrank as my son grew. For a decade I sourced the lightest possible camping gear so that we could continue our aerial camping adventures in the 140. But two years ago, when we could only fill the fuel tanks half full because of weight limitations, I finally bought a larger airplane. My (still-vintage) 1953 Cessna 170B with an 826-pound useful load fits our current camping mission perfectly, and my son has been using the 140 to earn his private pilot certificate. He reached a big milestone when he soloed in June of this year.

Prior to the 170, our camping trips were limited to three or four nights; I couldn’t crawl around in a small tent or sleep in a lightweight sleeping bag on the hard ground for much longer than that. Now the 170 easily carries me and my fully grown son and full fuel—and a six-person stand-up tent, air mattresses, full-size pillows, ice chest, and larger folding chairs. I’ve found these are the items that make camping even more enjoyable and enable me to camp next to the airplane for more than a week.

Over the past 12 years, I’ve also learned lessons about what not to do when camping with my airplane. Initially, I didn’t know I should use a tent footprint (or a tarp) under my tent to prevent moisture from seeping through the tent floor—or worse, a twig poking through the floor. Yup, I learned both lessons the hard way.

I learned from other’s misfortunes not to inadvertently place my tent in a low spot near the airplane, lest a rainstorm flood the tent and soak your clothes. I also discovered an airplane wing can shed a huge amount of water during a storm, and learned not to place the entrance to my tent directly below the trailing edge of the wing.

I learned that while tent guy lines seem pointless when setting up a tent in calm weather, I really needed them when the wind began to howl (my son still talks about a memorable tent-collapsing episode). And I learned to use the most secure airplane tiedown kit and control locks I could find. There is nothing worse than worrying about your airplane blowing away—or your control surfaces getting damaged—during a storm.

If you haven’t yet camped next to the airplane you fly, I invite you to discover one of general aviation’s truly special social opportunities. There are still plenty of fly-ins remaining this fall that encourage camping, and the cool evening weather will be a refreshing break from our recent hot summer days. We (the campers) look forward to seeing you, your airplane, and your tent at the next fly-in.

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