Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the Country Inn and Suites, 6 p.m., July 27th. In the hotel pool, a lone six-year-old blonde boy cavorts under the watchful eye of his father. The dad and I get to talking. He’s Greg Brandes, here with his son, John. This is Greg’s 35th consecutive Oshkosh; he’s been bringing John since he was two. This is, however, the first time in more than three decades that Greg has come without his father, as the senior Brandes has had a stroke two weeks ago. Although doing well and on better medications, he couldn’t travel this time, this year.
Thirty-five consecutive trips across the country every summer with your dad; a gift most of us will never know. Now Greg is beginning a string with his son. I ask about what kind of airplane he flies. None, says Greg. I am not a pilot, he adds. He’s not in aviation. He is, in fact, a lawyer. A lawyer with a penchant for warbirds. We talk some more and Greg agrees to give me a Cook’s tour the next day of the warbirds section of AirVenture.
