sprucemoose
Well Known Member
Fellow VAF'ers,
The proliferation of S-LSA RV-12s has brought up an issue that needs to be addressed, which is this- whether these aircraft should be parked with the other RVs at Oshkosh. It seems like a simple question and a no-brainer (an opinion shared by people on both sides of many debates...) but it is a little more complicated then that. It's something that we (as the Oshkosh parking folks, both volunteers and EAA staff) have been discussing amongst ourselves and have yet to come to consensus. So, I thought I'd throw this out to the VAF world for discussion and a poll. Please note- this poll is not a binding referendum. OSH is not a democracy, more of a benevolent dictatorship... sort of like VAF.
To be clear from the start- we are only discussing -12s that are S-LSA (store bought, factory built airplanes.) This discussion does not concern -12s built from kits, be they registered E-LSA or E-AB. The latter are homebuilts and will always be allowed.
The basic issue is this- the various showplane parking areas (homebuilts, warbirds, vintage, ultralights) are restricted to those airplanes which meet those criteria. North 40 (and Fond du Lac/ Appleton when that fills up) is for everything else. Each area sets their own definitions and requirements as to what can park in their area. Vintage is a good example- there is a cut off year for airplanes that are old enough to park there. They are very strict about enforcing that and they need to be, because space is limited. EAA has a longstanding policy of never turning away a showplane, and one way to ensure that we don't run out of showplane space is to restrict what parks there.
Brining it back to homebuilts- every year we see a number of folks taxi up to the homebuilt area in their (172, Cherokee etc) dutifully holding a "HBC" sign. When questioned, the answer is usually some version of "my buddy has an RV-7 back there and I want to camp with him." Sorry Charlie, not gonna happen. The RV buddy is more than welcome to camp with you in the N40 if you like, but we are not going to let your spam can park with the homebuilts. This has ruffled a few feathers over the years but it's the way we do things. If we let one in, what's to stop the next few hundred from following suit, and pretty soon we are out of space and sending RVs to Fond du Lac.
About 10 years ago, when the LSA thing really took off, we saw more of this. Folks taxing up in their new (insert brand of European fiberglass Rotax microlite job here) thinking that they get to park in showplane because, well, just because. We saw the same thing with some of the early Cirrus and certified Lancair Columbias. No matter how new, expensive and pretty it is, it's no different than a 1971 Cherokee, and it parks in the N40.
Which brings us to the RV-12 S-LSAs. They have arrived on the scene in sufficient numbers that it is going to be an issue and we need to address it. No they are not homebuilts but yes they are RVs, so what do we do with them? Allow me to lay out the pros and cons as best I can.
Pros:
- RV-12s are RVs, not much different from the other RVs.
- There are not that many of them so what's the big deal?
- Many RV-12 S-LSA owners are former builders of other RV models, so they've "earned the right" so to speak.
Cons:
- They are not homebuilts, but store-bought airplanes.
- While they are small in number now, that number grows every year and will be a space issue eventually.
- If we let Van's S-LSA models in, how do we turn away other S-LSA versions from other kit manufacturers?
- It is challenging for the volunteers, in the heat of battle, to differentiate. Yes they are labeled as such, but we're not always looking at them from the correct angle to see the little "S-LSA" on the side.
So, I'm looking for some opinions on this questions- Should factory-built RV-12 S-LSA models be allowed to park in the homebuilt parking and camping areas at Oshkosh?
The proliferation of S-LSA RV-12s has brought up an issue that needs to be addressed, which is this- whether these aircraft should be parked with the other RVs at Oshkosh. It seems like a simple question and a no-brainer (an opinion shared by people on both sides of many debates...) but it is a little more complicated then that. It's something that we (as the Oshkosh parking folks, both volunteers and EAA staff) have been discussing amongst ourselves and have yet to come to consensus. So, I thought I'd throw this out to the VAF world for discussion and a poll. Please note- this poll is not a binding referendum. OSH is not a democracy, more of a benevolent dictatorship... sort of like VAF.
To be clear from the start- we are only discussing -12s that are S-LSA (store bought, factory built airplanes.) This discussion does not concern -12s built from kits, be they registered E-LSA or E-AB. The latter are homebuilts and will always be allowed.
The basic issue is this- the various showplane parking areas (homebuilts, warbirds, vintage, ultralights) are restricted to those airplanes which meet those criteria. North 40 (and Fond du Lac/ Appleton when that fills up) is for everything else. Each area sets their own definitions and requirements as to what can park in their area. Vintage is a good example- there is a cut off year for airplanes that are old enough to park there. They are very strict about enforcing that and they need to be, because space is limited. EAA has a longstanding policy of never turning away a showplane, and one way to ensure that we don't run out of showplane space is to restrict what parks there.
Brining it back to homebuilts- every year we see a number of folks taxi up to the homebuilt area in their (172, Cherokee etc) dutifully holding a "HBC" sign. When questioned, the answer is usually some version of "my buddy has an RV-7 back there and I want to camp with him." Sorry Charlie, not gonna happen. The RV buddy is more than welcome to camp with you in the N40 if you like, but we are not going to let your spam can park with the homebuilts. This has ruffled a few feathers over the years but it's the way we do things. If we let one in, what's to stop the next few hundred from following suit, and pretty soon we are out of space and sending RVs to Fond du Lac.
About 10 years ago, when the LSA thing really took off, we saw more of this. Folks taxing up in their new (insert brand of European fiberglass Rotax microlite job here) thinking that they get to park in showplane because, well, just because. We saw the same thing with some of the early Cirrus and certified Lancair Columbias. No matter how new, expensive and pretty it is, it's no different than a 1971 Cherokee, and it parks in the N40.
Which brings us to the RV-12 S-LSAs. They have arrived on the scene in sufficient numbers that it is going to be an issue and we need to address it. No they are not homebuilts but yes they are RVs, so what do we do with them? Allow me to lay out the pros and cons as best I can.
Pros:
- RV-12s are RVs, not much different from the other RVs.
- There are not that many of them so what's the big deal?
- Many RV-12 S-LSA owners are former builders of other RV models, so they've "earned the right" so to speak.
Cons:
- They are not homebuilts, but store-bought airplanes.
- While they are small in number now, that number grows every year and will be a space issue eventually.
- If we let Van's S-LSA models in, how do we turn away other S-LSA versions from other kit manufacturers?
- It is challenging for the volunteers, in the heat of battle, to differentiate. Yes they are labeled as such, but we're not always looking at them from the correct angle to see the little "S-LSA" on the side.
So, I'm looking for some opinions on this questions- Should factory-built RV-12 S-LSA models be allowed to park in the homebuilt parking and camping areas at Oshkosh?
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