That is surprizing to me. My "seat-o-pants" attendance meter was higher than the last 3 years. Maybe because everyone was expecting a low attendance.

All in all, a great OSH.
 
The campground filled up faster than last year; that much I can attest to. Maybe they didn't get the drive-in types to the extent they needed to.

I suppose that means they'll be bringing in even MORE warbirds now. :rolleyes:
 
Bob Collins said:
I suppose that means they'll be bringing in even MORE warbirds now. :rolleyes:
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Maybe they need to put more kitchen supplies next to the pots and pans vendor? Maybe get GM or Snapper involved? Maybe bring in more Mercury boat engines? :rolleyes:

I sincerely hope Paul is not scratching his head too hard trying to figure this out.
 
rvatornate said:
Is there a problem with that?
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Assuming your question's not sarcastic, I believe Bob's comment comes from the fact that EAA stands for Experimental Aircraft Association.

EAA has been sliding away from it's roots for many years, catering to the the money versus their original "customer" base.

Personally, I like a balance. I enjoy the variety at the shows. Just as long as EAA leaders remember who brung them to the dance!
 
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Low Pass said:
Assuming your question's not sarcastic, I believe Bob's comment comes from the fact that EAA stands for Experimental Aircraft Association.

EAA has been sliding away from it's roots for many years, catering to the the money versus their original "customer" base.

Personally, I like a balance. I enjoy the variety at the shows. Just as long as EAA leaders remember who brung them to the dance!
Click to expand...

Not being sarcastic at all.

We need to grow aviation. We need to attract more young people to our ranks. We need to remember our history also. Warbirds; from the slowest Bird dog to the the beautiful jet black Hunter are part of that.

Yes, EAA stands for Experimental Aircraft Association, but if we start taking an us vs. them attitude within the small community that is aviation, rather than us (all those who enjoy the unique freedom we have in this country to get in our airplanes and fly) vs them (those in and out of gov't that would like to get all those pesky little prop job airplanes out of the sky) we will quickly find ourselves without the freedom to do what many of us spend every extra penny and every extra second doing.....flying.

So I say bring on the warbirds, bring on more LSA's bring on the RV's, Zeniths, and Lancairs. Bring on the Bonanza's and Mooneys. Bring on the VLJ crowd. And even, bring on the Ford and John Deere, Mercury boats, etc... You know, I spent the entire week at OSH and never once went into the Ford tent or JD or Mercury, although I must admit I sat on one of the Harleys at their display. I have friends this year that never got more than 100 yards from the ultralight runway, and others that never left the North 40 except to go to a nice resturant for dinner. Were either of them wrong? No, OSH is what you make it, and if bringing in a few more P-51s gets Dad to bring his son/daughter to the show and that kid gets the spark to start down the path that is aviation addiction then great!
 
I would like to see an RC segment started at OSH. RC stuff is really getting cool. Locate it in the area south of the camping area.
 
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EAA

well...
They have always over emphasized the warbird thing IMHO. There is a place for them for sure, just not THAT big of a place. Beyond that, my dues money buys their gas just to show up, but not mine for doing the same thing. What does that tell you about who is more important? Personally, I haven't bothered to walk through the warbird area for years.
Reality? The Hellcats and the Harleys bring in the folks that otherwise would show no interest... and as you know, rule one governs... money talks...etc etc.
Even in our beloved EAA.
Flying an experimental into OSH "ought" to get you a free pass on the admission at the very least... anyone wanna suggest that to Tom? :)
DM
 
Oshkosh attendance

They must have had a LOT bigger crowd on Saturday. It was really fairly sparse on Friday. I hadn't attended in about ten years and it appeared to me that it was a smaller crowd. I know Friday would be smaller historically. However, there were a lot of empty parking places for both planes and cars. Actually it was kind of pleasant as you could walk thru the exhibit areas and talk to the vendors without fighting the crowds. It was great fun!
 
Great Idea

Geico266 said:
I would like to see an RC segment started at OSH. RC stuff is really getting cool. Locate it in the area south of the camping area.
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The AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) is and has been very active in the EAA. They have a booth every year in one of the Exhibition Halls. U control is done by the Museum

I think it would be great to have an outdoor RC area and an indoor electric area. This could be a large tent. The out door area might be problematic depending on the location.

I have seen guys flying electrics in the camp grounds.
 
rvatornate said:
Not being sarcastic at all.

We need to grow aviation. We need to attract more young people to our ranks. We need to remember our history also. Warbirds; from the slowest Bird dog to the the beautiful jet black Hunter are part of that.

Yes, EAA stands for Experimental Aircraft Association, but if we start taking an us vs. them attitude within the small community that is aviation, rather than us (all those who enjoy the unique freedom we have in this country to get in our airplanes and fly) vs them (those in and out of gov't that would like to get all those pesky little prop job airplanes out of the sky) we will quickly find ourselves without the freedom to do what many of us spend every extra penny and every extra second doing.....flying.

So I say bring on the warbirds, bring on more LSA's bring on the RV's, Zeniths, and Lancairs. Bring on the Bonanza's and Mooneys. Bring on the VLJ crowd. And even, bring on the Ford and John Deere, Mercury boats, etc... You know, I spent the entire week at OSH and never once went into the Ford tent or JD or Mercury, although I must admit I sat on one of the Harleys at their display. I have friends this year that never got more than 100 yards from the ultralight runway, and others that never left the North 40 except to go to a nice resturant for dinner. Were either of them wrong? No, OSH is what you make it, and if bringing in a few more P-51s gets Dad to bring his son/daughter to the show and that kid gets the spark to start down the path that is aviation addiction then great!
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Well said with regard to the diversity of the event, Nathan.

However, the bottom line of the gathering is money. Someone is paying for the fuel the heavy iron machines burn and it is not the aircraft owners. The little guy flying his homebuilt in picks up a portion of the tab. We little guys pay every step of the way. If attendance is down, it is because some are beginning to resist the cost of attending and the public may be getting a little bored with the same basic stuff every year.

A fly-by showing the timeless beauty of a P-51 is totally cool, worth seeing and paying for, but the boom-boom-boom of fake bombs is stuff of Hollywood. I could do well without it.

I have never subscribed to a need of "selling aviation" to anyone. Aviation sells itself and will always attract those who are called.

The best part of the event is walking up and down the line and quietly looking at beautiful airplanes - all kinds of them. :)
 
Warbird funding

I am not so sure that the statements of the warbirds getting gas money is true. I know a local airshow organizer who says that they do not get gas money in OSH and that is the reason you did not see alot more warbirds this year. If anyone has any facts otherwise Id be curious to hear.
I whole heartedly agree though if you fly in a homebuilt aircraft there needs to be some kind of compensation, for that matter if you fly in a show plane period you should at least get your flight line passes for free or very discounted as you are part of the show. I know I know then everyone who flys in will want something for showing but come on a run of the mill machine out in the north or south 40 doesnt need any compensation.
Maybe the criteria should be.......if you fly in a homebuilt that YOU built, so I suppose if you can show your repairmans cert then you should get in for free. Where is the flaw in that plan....I mean except the one that puts more money in Tom's pocket.?
 
I was suprised by the line of people waiting to ride the mechanical bull at the ford "hangar". I dashed from one place to another and still saw only a fraction of the aircraft related goodness I wanted to get to.

This year was my first trip to Oshkosh, and I'm going to spend the whole week there next year :)
 
Certain warbirds do get fuel to, from and to fly in the show. Most warbirds flying in the show will get fuel providing the hold a commercial ticket.
 
Dmadd said:
well...
Personally, I haven't bothered to walk through the warbird area for years.
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As an opposing view, I wouldn't miss the warbirds. Same with my wife, as she's a P-51 fan. I suppose it's the reason we like going to Reno too!

L.Adamson --- RV6A with "invasion stripes"
 
My understanding is that Warbirds of America (not EAA) provides two wrist bands per engine to warbird crews. Bring a B-36, and you get 20 wristbands. Bring a Stearman and you get 2. Warbirds of America buys the wristbands from EAA. I do not believe EAA provides fuel, although I don't have a specific reference on that.

I do agree that the warbirds are over-emphasized, as are the LOUD acro acts. Sean Tucker, Patty Wagstaff, etc. are tremendous, but I don't need to see a dozen of those acts every afternoon.

I would really like to see more antique and classic action at the show. Imagine a sky full of radial engined biplanes. How about a dacron overcast - Champs, Cubs, Tayorcraft, etc. I'd love to see that.

Also, I'd love to have an afternoon airshow at least one day during the week without announcers or smoke systems. Just the pilots, planes, and engine sounds...
 
As long as we are discussing what we like/don't like about OSH, I might as well jump in. My favorite thing is showing new people around. Did that with four this year, and one came back a student pilot. I don't care that the time it took to show them around took away from my "experience." My next favorite thing is just meeting the people. I got to meet a few of you guys this year, and that was special.

Oshkosh mirrors life; everyone has different interests. I find the mix very satisfying, although I only make it to the seaplane base every five years or so. I don't spend that much time in the warbird area. But I was surprised at how little time I spent in the RV parking area this year. Maybe it is because mine wasn't there. Take anything away and someone will be unhappy. There is plenty to go around and we can ignore what we are not interested in. And as far as money getting into various pockets, I could care less. It's a great show and it makes me feel good for months, just to have been a part of it.

Bob Kelly
 
The EAA believes its the warbirds -- not the homebuilts -- that bring people into the gate. So if they want more people to show up, they'll need to make the warbirds more prominent.

They'll also have to bring in more over-the-hill rock bands and comedians to try to get people in when the show is over.

I have no opinion whether that's good or bad. I'm still trying to get the word "luxury" out of my head when talking about the future plans for the AirVenture grounds.:D
 
War Birds

I go to OSH to visit with friends and meet new ones.

The War Birds are a great attraction for me as well. Flip flopping arco is not my interest. They could lose that. But not the WW II fighters! I will never have the $$$ to own one so it is a treat to be up close and personal.
 
Bob Collins said:
The EAA believes its the warbirds -- not the homebuilts -- that bring people into the gate. So if they want more people to show up, they'll need to make the warbirds more prominent.

They'll also have to bring in more over-the-hill rock bands and comedians to try to get people in when the show is over.

I have no opinion whether that's good or bad. I'm still trying to get the word "luxury" out of my head when talking about the future plans for the AirVenture grounds.:D
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Speaking of "luxury", I heard there is a possibility all dorm rooms will be air conditioned next year....that would be nice.

Scott Hall was heat sink last week and did not cool down until 3 am.
 
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