“The most unusual Airshow Non Organization around”
Wayne calls it “The Gang”; others call it “Wayne’s Gang”. Sixty four people from twenty states and Canada, ranging in age from 11 to 86. What could an 11 year old and an 86 year old have in common? That’s the magic in being an “Aviation Buff” or as I call an “Airshow Nut.”
The Gang…It’s not a club, it’s not a fraternity, it’s not an organization. There are no fees or membership dues, no requirements or regulations, no weekly or monthly meetings, no annual convention, but a close knit group of airshow fans, performers, announcers, show managers, air bosses, photographers, writers, private pilots and airline captains all sharing the same passion…the air show industry.
For Wayne it began as a boy about age 8. His family visited relatives in the town of Roanoke, VA, whose property adjoined that of Roanoke Municipal Airport. Wayne could hear the noise from an airshow and Wayne’s curiosity drove him to climb a tree to see what was going on…He could not see the show line but every time a plane did a vertical or a loop he was right on top of it. Wayne often calls it a disease and it must have struck him that day. Apparently that disease is quite contagious for now this group which he calls “The Gang” numbers 5 dozen and continues to grow.
Wayne retired in 1999 after 32 years in a large food service distribution organization. His career was marked by an extraordinary passion for his work. In his work, he flew millions of miles on commercial airlines all over the world. His love for air shows came second to the duties of his job but he still managed to get them in when timing and location were convenient. (Actually, he began to schedule his work around the airshow calendar.) Today when Wayne travels he often wears his Atlantic Flyer shirt, people notice the shirt and stop him to share their enthusiasm about airshows. Wayne’s connection to Atlantic Flyer magazine is a major part of his airshow love.
In 2001 we attended 11 air shows, with the last being Willow Grove just hours before 9-11-2001 thus many shows were cancelled. Spending hours and hours on the computer Wayne discovered there was a big world of air show people out there as hungry for interaction as he was. The effects of 9-11 soon gave way to renewal of many airshows in 2002. We became active in a local show and met hundreds of people involved in the airshow business. When we were no longer active with the show, the gang began to form and took the shape it has now.
12 are current or former pilots, 5 are airline captains, 10 are performers or performer spouses, 3 are announcers, 10 are airshow managers, 6 have their own airshow websites, 1 sells airshow merchandise on his website, 1 is a World War II aviation vet and very skilled artist, many submit airshow articles and photo’s to five different air show publications, many post airshow photo’s on several internet airshow sites, many exchange and share airshow video’s, magazines and programs…some phone the others from airshows as they attend, some assist others in obtaining media credentials, many have ridden as guest in performer aircraft and vintage bombers, some have held the poles for ribbon cuts, many are x military personnel representing all branches, enlisted and commissioned and including the civil air patrol, several are or were sky divers, several are radio controlled model builders and one built his own sail plane, and one is a medical professional. A gang doesn’t get better than that.
Gee-Whiz facts…Collectively the gang will attend 100 different shows in the 09 season.
Gang members and their wives often meet and attend shows. At Oceana the gang will have at least 7 representatives. Gang members often travel six hours to reach an airshow, and, in one instance last season a couple drove 1500 miles to a show and it was not Oshkosh.
Wayne does not exercise any control over the gang and wishes not to even try. If he has one wish for them it is this…a group photo of all with wives, children and special pals, in front of the Oshkosh main entrance. “But who would take the photo all the true expert photographers are in the gang.”
Story by Betty Gauldin
Photo by Doug Treat