Oshkosh Part 5: Curse you, Red Baron!

In the few days since I met him here at Oshkosh, it's become abundantly clear that Calin Gologan, designer of Elektra One, is not a man who gives up easily.

Every time there's been an obstacle here at AirVenture (and there have been many), he has responded with a German-accented, "Oh, zat's easy!"

But Calin may not be able to overcome a decision by show organizers this morning that Elektra One will not fly today. He still hasn't given up; I saw him pressing his case to an official a little while ago. But the combination of last night's epic rainstorms and two planes that went off the end of the runway yesterday — including an F-15 that evidently experienced a mechanical problem without injury in either case, other than to pride and wallet — has bottle-necked the flight schedule.

Weather is no deterrent to catching the action

Consequently, the entire Elektra One team is looking a bit morose, despite today's glorious flying weather. I am certain that Calin will pull every string he can grasp to get his pride and joy into the air. But I may not be here in Oshkosh to report on it.

As for other news from the show, today's star attraction was the arrival this morning of the brand-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. I happened to be on a shuttle bus when it was spotted on final approach, so the driver pulled over to the delight of the photographers aboard.

Dreamliner over Wisconsin cornfield