"idiots at airshows" threads

[TAdan]

People that we knew did ask us where we going, we just replied "shopping ! "

Thats a good one

The worst I've seen has been the "usual" knocking on the side of the aircraft, tugging on the trim tabs, etc...

[Cubs]

If I had been one of those kids, my mom or dad would have jerked a knot in me that would have given me whiplash. Whether it's a million dollar airplane or somebody's $300.00 automobile, the key phrase is " don't touch, it's not yours". I try to teach this to my child about anything, whether it's momma's handbag or pencils on my desk. She can ask to use or touch them.

[mustangdriver]

If I had been one of those kids, my mom or dad would have jerked a knot in me that would have given me whiplash. Whether it's a million dollar airplane or somebody's $300.00 automobile, the key phrase is " don't touch, it's not yours". I try to teach this to my child about anything, whether it's momma's handbag or pencils on my desk. She can ask to use or touch them.

Same here man. I come from an Italian family, so I would have had some concrete slippers.

[RickH]

I think I would have told him to pi$$ off and let him come back with more muscle ! That would have been fun !

[chico]

Famous quotes heard at airshows;

" How'd ya'll get this here ? "

" How long did it take ya'll to put this together ? "

You've completely missed the crowning question. The one that is asked at every airshow, big or small. Doesn't matter if the airshow is in New York City or Timbuktu. You will always hear:

"When are the Blue Angels going to get here?"

I've been to shows that have never had the Blue Angels. Been to shows that had the Thunderbirds the year before. They're almost like a curse. Once they do a show, people will ask about them for years to come. I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that every last person working thunder next year will hear that question a dozen times. I guess that just shows how popular they really are.

One of my personal favorites;

Man says to small child, "Grandson, there'll never be an airplane as fine as this B-29",...said as he slaps the tire on a B-17 !

Of course a common question asked while manning the question line with the A-26;

"Is this the one they call the Widowmaker ? " or " What's the difference between a 25 and a 26? ". That last one is asked over and over in the course of a weekend.

The following passage needs a giant I love airshow duty, and interacting with the public.

I have no problem with hearing questions like that a hundred times over the course of a weekend. I treat it as the "cost of doing business." In exchange for getting my hotel room covered, all-access passes, and getting to fly down to a show in vintage aircraft, I have to do the following:

-Wake up at 0-dark-thirty, make myself presentable (a chore for me) wolf down a continental "breakfast" (watery OJ, last year's cornflakes, or hockey pucks masquerading as muffins.)

-Be on the ramp at 0800, getting dirty looks from the guys with photo passes because I'm interrupting their shots by doing petty stuff like "walking props" or "wiping down oil"

-Bake (or Freeze) on the ramp, ending up a beautiful shade of bright pink from a Sun burn or a Wind burn because the Sky Soldiers are using those giant green leaf blowers to clean the ramp

-Answer where the bathrooms are, and break the hearts of every airshow visitor when I tell them that the Blue Angels won't be here.

-Be treated to the absolute worst versions of "In the mood" or "Sing Sing Sing" played ad nausea over a PA system that was government surplus in 1931. I believe there is a conspiracy among the record labels to see who can produce the worst versions of those two songs. Seriously, would it kill you to dig up some Artie Shaw? Maybe some Tommy Dorsey? Think of the children...

-Answer where the bathrooms are, and break the hearts of every airshow visitor when I tell them that the Blue Angels won't be here.

-Get a civil liberties lesson from someone who has the god-given right to smoke a cigarette while standing on top of a leaking 55 gallon drum of gasoline if they should so desire.

-Enjoy a healthy, nutritious meal of airshow food (fried onions and peppers are on the same level as broccoli, right? Remember kids: Sausage is a vegetable.)

-Get a lesson in tax law which explains to me how income taxes paid by a person born after 1960 covered the cost of an airplane built in 1945, and why said taxes should make touring and flying in said aircraft all complimentary.

-Apologize to irate parents for rudely suggesting their child should remain behind safety lines. Their precious snowflake should be allowed to get as close to moving props, hot exhaust pipes, and dripping oil as they want. See also: tax codes.

-Answer where the bathrooms are, and break the hearts of every airshow visitor when I tell them that the Blue Angels won't be here.

-Get back to the hotel and try to get a decent nights sleep knowing that you have to repeat all of the above the next day.

Once I've accepted all of that, I have no problems with "What's the difference between a B-25 and a B-26" or "Oh, is that a P-51 Lightning?!?" or "I think my great uncle's neighbor flew a B-39 just like this in Vietnam!" When I hear things like that, I get a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside. "Wait, you're asking me an aircraft question? You mean you actually want to learn something? Holy smokes, I think I just pee'd myself a little with delight! Woohoo! I actually get to help educate someone!" When people ask and actually want to know the answer, that's fantastic. That's why I got to airshows in the first place.

Sure, there are whack jobs but like I said...price of doing business. I can't wait for airshow season to start back up again.

[FX]

We've seen quite a bit of lunacy at the Amercian Airpower Museum/Republic Airport Farmingdale, NY.

Everything from a kid trying to do chin ups on the air scoop of a P-51 to some guy poking a hole in the fabric of our C-47 right after being told not to touch the control surfaces!

It get's even more interesting when we go offsite with the aircraft. Last year at a show several of us had to repeatedly remind visitors that it was a bad idea to smoke around hundreds of gallons of 100LL on a warm summer day. All of them were old enough to know better, especially the cigar smoking active military type. Back at the ranch we're all pretty much No Smoking Nazis and the place has more No Smoking signage than a munitions plant.

Also, is it just me or don't people seem to keep an eye on their offspring these days? Can't count the number of times I've seen young kids roaming about the hangar with nary a parent in site.

FX

[Sean Curtiss]

This is quite the same involving most of you folks. But this time it happened with 2 morons that I believe were 17 or 18 years old. Museums are normally quiet places (depending on the hour of the day), and these two f&** ups were already making a lot of loud jabbering when I encountered them. Although I’m not a hot headed guy I let them pass with a disapproving and vicious look. That’s when these two SOB’s began playing, climbing and touching everything, in spite of the PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH sign, that I got so pissed that I started yelling at them so loud that everybody around me got scared. Of the 20 or more words I spoke, every one or two had F**K associated. These two defied me since they had the advantage over just one single guy. But who am I to back off in these situations. Finally, three security guards showed up and backed me off, since they saw these clowns from the beginning. They were politely invited to evacuate the premises. In the end I felt awfully ashamed for cursing that loud. I could have taken a different approach, but some times I JUST CAN’T. I put myself in automatic and there’s no stopping. It’s not a recommended attitude, but it worked…

[Bill Greenwood]

Most

Last edited by Bill Greenwood on Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Bill Greenwood]

Most of my airshow experience has been positive. I like people and find 9 out of 10 of them are nice folks. Yes, sometimes you have to ask them to look and not touch, but it is easy to say please, and it is easy to put a sign on the plane. Best if all, the airshow should have signs and a program note as well as the announcer covering such points as not smoking. At Thunder in 2006, some people were smoking near planes being fueled so I spoke to one of the ladies in charge and she had an annoucment made which solved the problem. A well run show.
I don't think there is usually a reason to yell, and certainly not curse at kids. Ask them and their parents nicely, maybe try to make some friends for aviation and warbirds.
I would much rather go to a show that is friendly and the crowds enthusiastic rather than one with Gestapo type security.
Remember, without public support it is pretty hard to fund an airshow. Also we need their votes when something comes up like the Bush administration call for higher fees on gen aviation.

Chain smoking "trailer trash" people who throw garbage everywhere and walk around with 12 crazy kids who all look incestually strange and of all the clam, the 4 year old is the only one that's under 300 lbs. They all are holding balloons, Pepsi's, two hot dogs each, snow cones and the wife has a miniture dog and half the kids are throwing balsa airplanes in the air, which of course crash into all the warbirds they walk by. And then there's always the wagon loaded with chairs, food, more balloons, more dogs and more kids ..... and then, of course they always camp out right next to you, so you have to hear kids fighting and running around and yelling ... "mine!, mine!, mine! .... stop touching me!, mine!, will you stop touching me!, mine! mine! ... gimme that back!, mine! ..... quit hitting me!, mine! .... .... and then there's always the kid from this wonderful family who could care less about the airshow, but rather stands a foot away from you stairing at you picking his nose and pissing is pants. ... What? ... this is only happened to me? ....... UGH!!!!!

[Bill Greenwood]

Hellcat, Sounds like you were on your way to the show at Chino and got off the freeway a few exits too soon. That was the big Monster Truck, Ultimate Fighting, and Mud Rasslin Annual East L. A. Expo. Next time look for the planes overhead don't stop til you see the P-38.
And when you pull into the parking lot, if there are bumpers stickers that say, "My pit bull can eat your honor student", you are likely in the wrong place.

[Tigercat]

I was pretty impressed last Fall when I attended the GML in Columbus, in that people seemed to be uniformly respectful of the parked Warbirds that covered the ramp area.

I was somewhat apprehensive about the crowd being able to get right up to the aircraft without any restrictive rope lines. But in my experience over the three day run of the GML, I don't think I noticed anything really inappropriate or yelling taking place.

I am not saying it did not happen.......I just did not see it. All in all I was pleasantly surprised at how well people acted.


Ted

"My pit bull can eat your honor student",

Funny, the father of that family had a T-shirt on that said that. Or did it say "My wife can eat your honor student" ....

[Airlift48]

But Does it fly?

[Eric Friedebach]

As silly as it may seem, Fouga, your issue with the security nazi is exactly why we wear a flight suit when we are with the aircraft at an airshow.

I’ve had several instances when that seemed to work against me. One time I was dang near arrested for not having the flight line credential in the right place on our courtesy car. A major point of contention was that I was in the “Air Force” and should know how to take orders.

Well, there’s the USAF and the CAF, me being in the latter. But I’m not in the habit of getting into arguments with LEOs!