rvatornate said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this new policy the same as what has been going on at OSH.
Yes, it is the same, and that was my point about making the same mistakes that EAA made at Oshkosh. Many people have related various horror stories in this thread. As a long time Oshkosh volunteer, I've seen all of these and worse.
For all those with the "we should let people in to expose them to aviation" attitude, here's my problem with that. At some point, you have to decide, what is the purpose of large airshows (I'm refering to OSH, because it's what I'm most familiar with.) For the first 40-odd years of it's existance, the show was known as the "EAA Fly-In Convention." Emphasis on Convention, as in a gathering of members. Not an airshow/ trade show/ circus to attract the general public, but a gathering by and for the members. This was the (highly successful) formula that EAA used until the early 90s. Let's face it, what we do is so darn cool that the general public is more than happy to be allowed to come inside that gate and hang around near us, just watching us do what we do, through the fence. And they came in droves, larger droves than they do today.
Now, in the early 90s, with the leadership change at EAA, the philosophy began to change from that of a convention to that of a circus, to attract people. I think it was '98 that they coined the term "Airventure" to replace "Fly-In Convention." To this day, the use of the term convention is officially frowned upon by those in the head shed at OSH. They very purposefully began to change from a "gathering of members" to a "circus" and letting the general public into the flightline, which began in the mid 90s, was a natural and logical result of this mindset change.
Unfortunately, letting the unwashed masses play around the airplanes had predictable results. I know of many old-timers who flat out refuse to bring their airplanes to OSH any more because of the lack of decorum around planes. And that is really too bad. What is even worse is that EAA doesn't seem to care. Ever notice that the convention grounds are growiing, as the number of airplanes is shrinking? Concert stages and big Ford tents have replaced cool airplanes as the main attraction, all a result of the circus mentality.
Now, as it applies to SnF: I don't know much about the historical background of SnF. I've only been there once, in '05. In almost every respect, it is essentially a mini-OSH. They may or may not have the "convention" background that OSH does. If they have made a conscious decision to go from convention to circus, then so be it. They may attract more of the general public at the cost of less pilots/ planes. If this is what they desire, great. But OSH was, and hopefully will be again, first last and foremost a convention, and I for one really miss the convention atmosphere of OSH in the 80s.
