Questions: What appeals more? large or small airshows.

[Mark Allen M]

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Last edited by Mark Allen M on Sat Sep 01, 2012 11:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

[TAdan]

I prefer smaller shows, less crowded, less traffic in and out. You can usually get closer to the flight line, static displays, talk with the crews, etc.

I'd love to get to Oshkosh, and it is on the "bucket list" but as far as the local shows go I prefer something less crowded.

[SPANNERmkV]

In my unbiased opinion (yeah rooooight!)
BOTH!!!

Small ones give you the up close... but the big ones give you the awesome Congregating of seeing a bunch of stuff in one place.

This weekend I am going to two small shows and in June- DUXFORD- Wright Patterson in August for the 381st re-union (small gathering) and October will be Midland and WINGS OVER HOUSTON.

So there is the unvarnished truth as only I can lacquer it all up and put some lipstick on it to boot!

SPANNER

[Jerry O'Neill]

Both.
I like small shows with a focus, (the ones I usually am involved in producing) and I like the big ones (the ones I'm usually involved with Operations)
A nice blend is good.
Jerry

[The Inspector]

Last Summer, on a whim on a sunny Saturday I jumped on the Victory and buzzed up to Concrete WA for their 'fly-in'. I went back in time about 40 years! A nice, calm, quiet gathering of fliers and the public @ a very small paved strip lined on both sides with classics, antiques, homebuilts and the obligatory 23 straight tailed CESSNAS from the 50's (ever been to an airport anywhere that didn't have at least 25 straight tailed 172's & 182s?).

No admission fees, rode the bike right through the gate and parked within 75 feet of the active, next to a very nice museum and restoration facility. No screaming CAP 12 years olds telling me 'you can't stand THERE!' every 15 feet.

Saw lots of amateurs shooting touch and goes, several passes from two RC-3 SEABEES in echelon and John Sessions flew up in his Spitfire with Impatient Virgin on his wing and they did a couple of salute passes. Had a great time talking to owners of some pretty interesting types including a really cool T CRAFT with an all glass cockpit and a really neat owner to boot. Got a chance to wander through the museum and look @ what they were working on, all very low key.

There are a dearth of airshows around here anymore, the McChord show when and IF they hold it, jams the freeway and off ramp to the base and lots of folks miss the show because of it. The Show @ Olympia is a really nice but growing turnout.
As I get older and more caved in from arthritus, the less inclined I am to feel like walking 2 miles to the show line from where I had to park the car just to listen to some wigged out mom yelling at the top of her lungs as her house apes run through you food.
Stopped going to ARLINGTON when it became 'the big new airplane and accessories show, with a couple older airplanes' Concrete is what Arlington was 40 years ago.

[RyanShort1]

I'm in the both crowd. What really matters is how they are managed and run.

Ryan

[SPANNERmkV]

I know y'all can't hardly get an opinion out of me... but...

Go to ALL of them.
You NEVER know who will be there or what will be there and you cannot tell if this is the last chance you will get to see a Veteran and hear a story OR if it is the last time a plane will be there.
Who could have EVER guessed that Thunder Over Michigan would be the last time some of us would see Liberty Belle or that one year after another we would lose Tex Hill and Archie Donahue?... But then the next meet Bud Anderson.

Go see some Airshow OUT OF YOUR REGION... Large or small!

Last weekend me and Bud Bearce were in our flight suits at a BBQ joint after a small Open House and a veteran approached us and told us stories that we would never have heard otherwise.

THESE ARE OUR GOOD OLD DAYS!

[kalamazookid]

I enjoy the small airshows a lot more, but attend a mix of small and large.

With the larger shows, you generally have a pretty close to exact idea of what the lineup is going to be, what's going to be there, when everything is flying, etc. I like the surprises smaller shows have in store. There's something special about pulling into a small airport and seeing something unexpected on the ramp. I get way more of a rush out of that than a big show. There's nothing like standing on a ramp full of T-6s, hearing a roar, and seeing a Sea Fury pop through the overcast unexpectedly to make a pass before landing. SWEET!

Another thing I like better about the small shows is the access. Being able to stand right off the wingtip of a Corsair while an R-2800 roars to life isn't something you're able to do at the larger shows. Being able to meet the pilots and chat is also one of my favorite things about the small shows. The people are great- no rush to meet a schedule, just all the time in the world to talk flying and share their expertise. Hangar flying is always something fun to listen in on.

The lack of a concrete schedule at fly-ins and smaller shows is also pretty neat too. There are always aircraft coming and going, and random fly-bys throughout the day. I've seen more unique formations at small shows simply because of a couple pilots deciding they wanted to fly together at 10. Seeing a P-51, Sea Fury and Corsair in formation is something I will never forget.

I do like and attend both. It's awesome seeing the large numbers of aircraft, and some of the rare aircraft I otherwise would never get the chance to see at the big shows. The small shows just hold a more special place for me.

[bdk]

You probably should do Oshkosh at least once. As noted, it is the great commercial extravaganza now- not as cool as it used to be in the old days. It's too much like a concentration camp with all the guards directing you in and out of various areas on a set schedule.

I much prefer the little shows like the Cable Air Faire. They are family friendly too.

[tulsaboy]

I've only been to small ones, but they've been a lot of fun. Having 10-50 airplanes, mostly vintage, with a bunch of really dedicated owners who are willing to share their aircraft with folks is incredible. And allowing folks to walk up and down a row of active airplanes is fun. Our museum sits on an active runway of an international airport, but we have a good enough relationship with the FAA and local airport folks that we have the runup area closed, the taxiway closed, and allow folks out on the taxiway to see aircraft up close and personal. Whey they're ready to fly, we scoot everyone back and off they go. It makes the events quite personal, and lots of fun.

kevin

[Mark Allen M]

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Last edited by Mark Allen M on Sat Sep 01, 2012 11:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

[mustangdriver]

We should be happy that more and more people attend airshows. If warbirds and general aviation for that matter are going to coontinue, we have to get others interested.
Oshkosh will always hold a special place for me. It is a time to see so many of my friends that I only see there and maybe a few other times a year. Oshkosh is holy ground for all things aviation.

[Mark Allen M]

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