Airventure doesn't get it.

[Dan K]

Well, it would have been worth the trip to meet Gary I suppose, but I already know Kevin and we have plenty of guys with funny hats in California.

Yeah, I included Kevin to prove that--even though we try hard to keep Californians out of Wisconsin--some still slip through the cracks.

[Taigh Ramey]

[mustangdriver]

Yeah, really nothing to see there.

[Taigh Ramey]

[spookythecat]

[quote="Taigh Ramey[/quote]

Why on earth are the guns in focus and not the girls? C'mon, Taigh, you gotta get your priorities straight here.

[Zachary]

Didn't know P-38s had bigger guns on the starboard side than on the port. That one pair of guns is about ready to burst out of their housing...

Zack

[rwdfresno]

Taigh, you paint a pretty grim picture I must say. That judging gig looks like a rough deal but I guess someone her to do it. I hope you gave all the girls good marks.

Ryan

[Obergrafeter]

Obscene waste of perfectly good green material. Those outfits could have been made with yards less. Except for maybe that one set of guns on the starboard side.

[Mark Clark]

I had to toss out my thoughts on the subject of OSH, Warbirds and the Worlds Greatest Aviation Gathering.
I have been to OSH every year since 1970- the first one. I grew up in Rockford- the former home of the EAA convention. Yes it used to be a small intimate gathering. Yes you knew everyone. Yes it is crowded. Yes it costs money.Yes it is commercial.Yes it has changed. Good or Bad who knows. Do I miss some of the old days? SURE DO. Do I miss some of the people who have gone before or who have gone elsewhere? Sure DO. Do I wish there were more opportunities to fly while there? Sure DO.

This will be my 38th year. I have taken aircraft there every year except one during college. I will tell anyone that cares to listen, when I turn final and see the mass of aircraft all over the field or when I turn off Hwy 41 and look down the length of runway 9 with planes lining both sides---It is like coming home! I get a warm and fuzzy feeling. Try taking a walk in Aeroshell Square about 11PM after a light rain. Seeing the aircraft under the lights, be it a B-17, F-15, Boeing 307, P-51A, Super Corsair, DC-3 in old airline colors, Eclipse Jet, LSAs and who knows what else is pretty magical.
If a person has an interest in aviation and can't find it there, then I guess you really aren't that interested.
OSH has been a big and important part of my life and I am a better person for it.I would not trade the experiences I have had and people I have met for anything.
The EAA is doing a great job in trying to support all types of aviation and they have a big task to do.I have been a part of several working groups with the EAA and the FAA.The most recent involved a trip to DC to meet with high level FAA types regarding the operating limitations for Warbirds. I know that I as a private owner would not be able to get in the door at 800 Independence Ave.( FAA Headquarters), but the EAA got our group in last March. The work is slow but last fall we get the 300/600 radius removed and are working on a number of things that will help us keep our Warbirds in the air.

See you all shortly !!
Mark
EAA 42114
Warbirds of America #188
AOPA
NBAA
etc.

[mustangdriver]

Very well stated Mark.

[Bill Greenwood]

I have changed my mind, maybe Eric is one of the people who don't and won't like Oshkosh and should not go. It is easy to point out things we wish were better. I'd like to do a better Spitfire display, with some rolls and tight 360 turns as I've done elsewhere. Instead we just follow the leader, same pattern year after year. Rooms have gotten very expensive. Parking leaves you with a long walk, and the food is about a 6 on a scale of 10.

But, in the end, I am like Mark, when I turn final or pull into parking it feels like going home.

I've gotten to meet many interesting and nice folks, even if I don't know everyone's name. It's like summer camp for adults , and we don't have to run in full gear in Texas heat.

One of the most special things to me is that for one week, in that one place, Paul Poberezny has created in effect a small town, and for the most part this one is miraculously free of crime, violence, and aggression. Litter is a minimum, and many times cameras or other valuable items have been returned to an owner. Even the Cops are friendly, and almost anywhere you go for miles around, Appleton to Fon du Lac, the folks are glad to have us.

[bdk]

It's like summer camp for adults , and we don't have to run in full gear in Texas heat.

You mean it gets hotter than 100*F with 99% humidity in Texas?

You are right about the people at OSH and their lack of agression (except for the guys I mentioned in the golf cart).

[spookythecat]

[quote="bdkThe last straw was when I got kicked out of the warbirds static display area (not even the hot ramp which is closed off) at dusk by two warbird "official" youths on a golf cart. Apparently there is an unwritten law that you can't take photos when there aren't 1,000 people surrounding an aircraft. Doing exactly the same thing in Aeroshell Square is OK though for some reason.[/quote]

Well, that very well may have been me or one of the people I volunteer with. This has been the case for the 20+ years i've been doing this job. We try to keep people out after dark to protect the planes from any potential damage or theft. While you may not think it's fair, it's the job I do and many pilots that realize we are there appreciate it. You wouldn't believe how many people we've caught tearing through the warbird area on bicycles in pitch darkness with no lights. What happens if they hit a wing? Well, they'd probably end up suing because the area wasn't lit up and we all know how much people love to sue. Who knows. I'm sure 99.9% of the people are fine but all it will take is one bad apple. Ask any pilot who attends AirVenture on here if they would rather have their planes being looked after or not. I am very forgiving to the dusk shooters and ask that they hurry up but allow them to take shots as well. Hell, if you ask for me i'll escort you around there myself and let you get as many shots as I can. We are not a bad group, believe me. There is one guy on night security who is an ass and he is basically a rent-a-cop. The rest of us being my parents and a couple close friends go out of our way to accomodate the late night lookers. The thing is if we have a few people on the field, others will follow suit and it just becomes a pain in the rear. As for Aeroshell Square, they have their own security and if they allow people then that's their business. I work for the Warbirds and those are the rules i'm given. You could always join us and spend the night cruising in a Gator.

[Lynn Allen]

I kind of like seeing the Viking Warbird with the "uh" lady at the top getting ready to sing.... I which I heard stood down a few years ago

Lynn

[Eric Friedebach]

I remember the first time I heard someone blow their stack at OSH. It was 1979 or 80, and they guy finished by saying “and you didn’t see this kind of crap going on at Rockford!”

LOL, some of you guys should go to Sun N Fun. I was there for the first time in a while a few years ago, and it still has that small show vibe that I remember from the early 80s.