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08-01-2013, 05:49 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Hubbard Oregon
Posts: 9,035
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Quote:
Originally Posted by duckguy
Guys I have to say after visiting the booth this and last year, this one in specific with my fiancee hoping it may light a fire under her to start a RV8 build that Vans really needs to work on it. For such a huge community and following that booth is lame city. Nothing going on, not super friendly folks and the same tired planes, with the exception of the new 14. I cant believe they don't have some exceptional builds in there to really get people excited. Heck there wasn't one taildragger in there. I spent my time looking at that incredible 8 over in the vans parking in the front row.
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It's already been said, but a lot of the reason those airplanes look the way they do is because of how they get treated when they are at the booth (we refer to them as playground equipment because that is how a lot of people treat them). Part of that is our own fault... because of making the airplanes so accessible. Visit some of the more friendly kit venders and you will likely find ropes around the airplane(s) and you have to survive an interrogation before they will consider letting you sit in it.
To be honest, with the things I have seen the public do to the company demo planes, I don't see why anyone would want to put there own airplane on display at the tent, unless they stood guard from dawn to dusk.
As far as glitzy display booths are concerned... My observation has always been that the companies with the glitzy displays are also the ones with the sky high price tags.
__________________
Opinions, information and comments are my own unless stated otherwise. They do not necessarily represent the direction/opinions of my employer.
Scott McDaniels
Van's Aircraft Engineering Prototype Shop Manager
Hubbard, Oregon
RV-6A (aka "Junkyard Special ")
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08-01-2013, 05:52 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Hubbard Oregon
Posts: 9,035
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DonFromTX
Never have figured out what is really going on there.
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Maybe everyone know who you are now Don...... 
__________________
Opinions, information and comments are my own unless stated otherwise. They do not necessarily represent the direction/opinions of my employer.
Scott McDaniels
Van's Aircraft Engineering Prototype Shop Manager
Hubbard, Oregon
RV-6A (aka "Junkyard Special ")
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08-01-2013, 06:02 PM
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VAF Moderator / Line Boy
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dayton, NV
Posts: 12,256
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hydroguy2
I sure Vans would allow any of you to take your exceptional build award winning RV and park it at the tent. Just remember those planes get poked at, crawled on, leaned on, stepped on, etc.
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The day we arrived, Joe told us that the EAA folks had let them know that all the space behind Van's was available to park airplanes if they wished, and Joe invited us to park wither of out planes there. He then pointed out the kind of abuse the places can rake, and essentially said he wouldn't put Tsam there if it was his...
I've visited most all of the kit plane company booths this year, and the ones that have some of the top airplanes are all pretty low key. They are all friendly if you ask questions, but not pushy.
__________________
Paul F. Dye
Editor at Large - KITPLANES Magazine
RV-8 - N188PD - "Valkyrie"
RV-6 (By Marriage) - N164MS - "Mikey"
RV-3B - N13PL - "Tsamsiyu"
A&P, EAA Tech Counselor/Flight Advisor
Dayton Valley Airpark (A34)
http://Ironflight.com
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08-01-2013, 06:09 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Marshall TX (KASL)
Posts: 1,783
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That's an interesting observation about the opportunity to market to the real decision makers (spouses - at least from the veto POV!). I remember waaaaaaay back in the late 70s or early 80s Beechcraft was starting "Aero Clubs" where you could (expensively) rent their planes after (expensively) joining and (expensively) paying monthly dues. My wife still (heatedly) recalls the sales guy saying to her "And look at this great lounge with TV for the ladies while the men are flying!" The purpose of a booth is marketing and, frankly, Vans could do a better job of it without being "salesly."
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08-01-2013, 06:57 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Estes Park, CO
Posts: 3,947
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Vans booth
I stopped by too. The young lady at the counter was very helpful with my question but I was not asking about the models. I already took the expensive ride.
I did notice they were not actively selling. I suspect the product sells itself thanks in part to a huge community.
I did want very much to look at the RVs parked in the lot but decided not to after reading posts about owners upset about visitors touching their pride and joy. I promise I would have kept my hands behind my back! Maybe next year.
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Larry Larson
Estes Park, CO
http://wirejockrv7a.blogspot.com
wirejock at yahoo dot com
Donated 12/03/2019, plus a little extra.
RV-7A #73391, N511RV reserved (2,000+ hours)
HS SB, empennage, tanks, wings, fuse, working finishing kit
Disclaimer
I cannot be, nor will I be, held responsible if you try to do the same things I do and it does not work and/or causes you loss, injury, or even death in the process.
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08-01-2013, 07:00 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,516
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Hey Duckguy, maybe you need to look for a new fiance instead of a new airplane design. If you need to be sold, you are not ready to build an airplane and Vans is not going to talk you into it, they never have.
The marketing strategy may not be as flashy as the one that supported
Felix Baumgartners parachute jump from space but designing the best kit plane in the world and having more completed kit planes flying than all other experimentals combined speaks volumes for Vans Kit Planes.
Vans has an excellent sales force of 8288 happy customers/sales people,
who, after referring a new customer will receive a generous merchandise credit. I have done it twice and if you decide to buy a tail kit be sure to refer my name to Vans just don't tell your fiance about me.
If you want flash, glitz and schmoozing hang out at the Skoal Tobaco tent
maybe they are not in OSH but they will be at the Reno Air races 
__________________
Ernst Freitag
RV-8 finished (sold)
RV-10 Flyer 600 plus hours
Running on E10 mogas
Don't believe everything you know.
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08-01-2013, 07:10 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 15
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Was the Van's area like the Piper or Cessna areas, heck no and thank goodness or the cost of the kits would go up quite a bit. We both went for an expensive ride today (okay, we already spent the $$, this just confirmed we would be happy), and everyone in the booth answered any questions we had over the last few days. We may be different since we did a plans built previously and a quick build kit is a breeze in comparison, but I would rather the company money be spent wisely rather than on schmoozing. Compared to what Nat used to do for the Cozy space, the Vans area is really nice.
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08-01-2013, 07:15 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Defiance, MO
Posts: 1,674
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Quote:
Originally Posted by duckguy
Guys I have to say after visiting the booth this and last year this one in specific with my fiancee hoping it may light a fire under her to start a RV8 build that Vans really needs to work on it.
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Van has a booth? When did this happen? I thought he just had a field full of several hundred flying models as his display at OSH. That sold me on the RV and should make the spousal unit less apprehensive then a pretty model in short shorts handing out glitzy brochures.
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Philip
RV-6A - 14+ years, 950+ hours
Based at 1H0 (Creve Coeur)
Paid dues yearly since 2007
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08-01-2013, 07:31 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: KASH
Posts: 498
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There have been a couple of company folks over the years who seem like they've been asked the same question one too many times. Perhaps I'd be the same way if I had to staff the tent all week, but still it can be a little off-putting.
As far as everything else...in an interwebs world, superior products like the RVs, honestly advertised and solidly supported, tend to market themselves. Certainly worked for me, 'cause Vans has a lot of my money!
__________________
Dave Setser
RV-7 N701ED FLYING!
Nashua, NH (KASH)
Last edited by Thermos : 08-01-2013 at 07:40 PM.
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08-01-2013, 08:24 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 31
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Marketing and promotion costs money. Heck, for some companies that's the single biggest expenditure on their books. This money has to come from someplace. How much more would we want to pay for a Van's kit, to get a nicer booth and presence at Oshkosh?
I saw the other day that Van's will give you a $60 dollar credit for building a RV-14A. The time and effort necessary to pass along a $60 dollar credit for an aircraft costing 70+ thousands dollars is remarkable. The majority of companies wouldn't even have noticed and just made a little more profit.
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