Airshow Horror Stories

[ZRX61]

I announced airshows for ten years and saw way too much nonsense. People are stupid, not ignorant, stupid. You always have to watch for the fabric thumpers, leaners, smokers, control surface flippers, prop spinners, and the ones who want to put little Johnny in the cockpit for a picture.

I scattered a few people today from under the F7F when I reached up in the nacelle & hit the switch for the scavenge pumps

[tigercat200]

Some of the posts have talked about the "security" people letting their egos write checks they couldn't cash reminded me of an airshow I announced where some overzealous guys weren't going to let us out to the announcing trailer. I finally told him that I didn't want him to be the one responsible for the show being delayed, drove off, and left him standing there with his mouth hanging open. I never did suffer fools well and the older I get the less patience I have for them.

[rreis]

Just crossed this, thought it was a good idea and decided to post here. It's a card that is printed by this guy everytime he takes his bird to an airshow:

http://www.iflyez.com/Placards.shtml

RULES
FOR LOOKING AT AIRCRAFT





1) KEEP HANDS IN POCKETS. Look only, do not touch without the owners permission.



2) WATCH YOUR CHILDREN, They are curious and love to run, climb, and touch everything. The number one cause of damage to display aircraft, is children running. And guess who gets injured when the aircraft gets damaged.



3) MOVE SLOWLY, NO RUNNING, USE CAUTION When walking around aircraft, stay alert. They have all kinds of stuff sticking out of them that can be damaged, broken, or cause injury to you or your children.



It has been our observation at many airshows across the nation, the display aircraft are now being roped off to keep the general public away from the planes. This is because of damage being caused by spectators to the display aircraft.



In every case, the reason is the lack of knowledge by the spectators on the appropriate method for viewing aircraft up close. Its not their fault, no one has taught them how to act, move about, or what their responsibilities are, when they enter this new environment called “The Ramp”.



Airplanes are very fragile when sitting on the ground. They’re not like automobiles that seem to be designed in a robust manner and can take it when subject to a fair amount of abuse.



In most cases, the primary design goal of an aircraft is not aimed at providing maximum protection to a child who is running aimlessly around the aircraft. Nor does the aircraft design take into account self-protection from a curious 5 year old who doesn’t think twice about swinging on that tube that’s sticking out of the wing.


By following the three simple rules above, you’ll help protect the aircraft and yourself from damage. And hopefully, we won’t have to rope off the display aircraft.


THANK YOU

You can add "And leave your cigarettes in your car" to that.

[the330thbg]

Just crossed this, thought it was a good idea and decided to post here. It's a card that is printed by this guy everytime he takes his bird to an airshow:

http://www.iflyez.com/Placards.shtml

Very nice! Finally a mature, adult solution is posted.

Thank you very much!!!!

Overall, it is not most peoples intention to harm your aircraft. For most people they just want to touch it just to feel the history. Maybe they lost a loved one and this way they can feel connected.., more often than not people are 'tactile'. They like to touch and feel things to experience it fully. Look at how museums post a replica piece of a dinosaur down where people can touch it and rub it.,. notice how typically they are worn to shreds. It is human nature.
Contrary to treating the public to a lesson in 'plane etiquette' is yelling at them and making them feel completely stupid so much so that they will stop coming to the airshows and stop writing checks as well. They will stop buying t-shirts, baseball caps, keychains and refrigerator magnets. It is a double edge sword and finally someone posted a mature solution. The airshow sponsors need to educate the public by posting the 'do's and dont's' in BIG LETTERS at the entrance to their events.

just a thought!

by the way.., whoever was flying their beautiful shiny aluminum B-17 over NY Harbor this weekend.,. thank you soooo much. It made my week to see her circling the Statue of Liberty!!!!

Last edited by the330thbg on Mon Sep 21, 2009 10:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

[ZRX61]

Overall, it is not anybodys intention to harm your aircraft. For most people they just want to touch it just to feel the history.

The DC3 I work on has some jackasses initials carved into a fairing....

[rreis]

I think if you would have such a card you would reduce significanly the number of problems. Lack of knowledge goes a long way to increase this problem, don't you think? Maybe it will not solve everything but it's a positive step, me thinks.

[RyanShort1]

The airshow sponsors need to educate the public by posting the 'do's and dont's' in BIG LETTERS at the entrance to their events.

This.
By the time they get to your plane the one's you're worried about aren't the ones stopping to read the plaques.

Ryan

[rreis]

The airshow sponsors need to educate the public by posting the 'do's and dont's' in BIG LETTERS at the entrance to their events.

This.
By the time they get to your plane the one's you're worried about aren't the ones stopping to read the plaques.

Ryan

But probably you will be worrying about _less_ people and _increasing_ the number of well behaved, no?

[tigercat200]

Speaking as an ex airshow announcer, I made many announcements through the day about proper etiquette around the airplanes and a lot of people still didn't get it but, it helped I think. It always worked best if there were people who stayed with the airplane to keep an eye out and head off any problems. Still some get through. I fear that it's a problem that will never go away either from ignorance or arrogance.

[the330thbg]

Placard to hang from the wing tips and stick on blades!!

Please
Do Not Touch

No drooling within 50 Feet!

Any questions????

Please ask

oh.., and a big guy thumping a 3 foot cylindrical shiny piece of pine in their open mits over and over while pacing back and forth in front of the aircraft.

Last edited by the330thbg on Mon Sep 21, 2009 10:56 am, edited 3 times in total.

[the330thbg]

Overall, it is not anybodys intention to harm your aircraft. For most people they just want to touch it just to feel the history.

The DC3 I work on has some jackasses initials carved into a fairing....

Exceptions to EVERY rule!

Again, the higher the admission price., generally the higher the intelligence.., aka.., a free airshow brings out the worst in people and generally the ones from the shallow end of the 'gene pool'!

[ZRX61]

Here we are a year later & it appears the morons were holding a convention at Camarillo airshow last weekend....Personally saw several incidents of aircraft being messed with, including one gal who dropped the ladder on the F7F. Some fat kid & his equally rotund dad messing with the Mk14 (kid trying to pry the canopy open while dad wagged the rudder as far as it would go).

The scavenge pumps once again did an admiral job of scattering people poking things inside ther nacelles..

[RareBear]

The Morons are a rather large group, and they hold conventions and reunions at most airshows across the country. They have a chapter in most large and many smaller cities, and I feel certain they hold classes on the best to provoke a warbird owner.

Walt

[K5DH]

Getting back to the topic of air show horror stories. . .

The owner of the yellow SNJ that was at the Alliance Air Show a couple of weekends ago owes me a "Thank you". As I walked toward the plane to shoot a picture of it, I spotted a boy with both hands on the pitot tube, about to hoist himself into the chin-up position! This kid was about 8 or 10 years old and hefty enough that he would have destroyed that pitot tube. He was also old enough that he should have known better. I hollered at him, "Please don't touch the airplanes!" He whipped his head around and looked me over for a split second, then immediately took his hands off the plane, stuffed 'em into his pants pockets, and said, "Sorry". I was wearing my B-17 crew flight jacket, aviator sunglasses, and an ID badge (though not from the air show), so I guess I looked "official" enough that he didn't question my "authority". His father was right there, too. Dad looked at me and gave me sort of a sheepish grin, mumbled an apology, grabbed Junior by the arm, and THEN started angrily explaining that he shouldn't be touching the planes because he could cause damage, they were an important piece of history, the owners put a lot of work into them, blah-blah-blah. Of course, Daddy-o was right about all of that. What I want to know is. . . why hadn't he explained any of that BEFORE his kid almost broke that Texan? Why was he standing there, looking right at the kid, watching him about to cause damage, and saying nothing to him, until I yelled at him?

Makes my blood boil. . .