Common Cause
Splashkosh
Did you fly to Oshkosh in late July for AirVenture 2010? Did you have as much ‘fun’ as I did? Bet not. I left Thurs July 22 from KHEF, but had to lay down in CQA and VPZ along the way waiting for storms over Chicago to pass. I couldn’t get as far as MKE due to IFR and heavy rain, so I diverted to ENW; had to stay there for two days due to 7 inches of rain and the MKE airport was closed due to flooding. Took a risk and flew into OSH on Sat 24 July, only to be parked at a FBO for $35 per night, and forced to unpack my camping gear and schlep it around the airfield to a temporary camping area. Hundreds were forced into the same predicament; the NOTAM didn’t say no camping was available due to flooded fields, and neither did the ATIS at Ripon. The fun had just begun.
The weather improved Sun and Mon, helping to dry out the North Forty camping area, but OSH was declared closed for camping. Trouble was they didn’t tell us or anyone who was inbound; and they continued to arrive by the hundreds, and were forced into the same circumstances as us pioneers. Many hundreds of others elected to land at outlying airfields and camp in unexpected circumstances. The mass formation fly-ins by several type clubs were trashed. Finally on Tues 27 July, inbounds were allowed to park on the grass fields and camp. Then Tues night we had a bad thunderstorm, wind and rain that lasted thru the night. Lots of folks left Wed morning, their fun meter pegged. We even got to drag our camping stuff back around the airfield to the FBO so we could leave.
All was not lost, however, as the concert by Chicago turned out to be excellent under perfect skies Mon evening. Even thought many vendors were a day or two behind their arrival and setup schedules, the show pace picked up as the week progressed. The airshows were not of the usual high caliber of past years, and the attendance was noticeably down as well. EAA just was not prepared for this weather contingency. Even the arriving warbirds were stacked together on the ramps and taxiways, as the ground was too wet and muddy to park them in rows. The DC-3s suffered the same problem.
Some planning errors were obvious: they placed the International tent adjacent to the incredibly noisy FORD freefall demonstrator, thereby making it impossible for our foreign guests to communicate. And while the new bathroom and shower facilities were welcome additions, they had a fundamental flaw: the sinks had no mirrors above them. Instead, the mirrors were placed on the opposite walls, twenty feet behind the sink user.
The new bathrooms next to Exhibit Hall “C” had the same design flaw.
As usual, the exhibit areas were full of new ideas, products, and planes. Folks seem to be shopping with care this year, asking more questions, comparing prices, and weighing the value. Many were comparing stories about the trip into OSH. The new plane prices and LSAs still defied economic reality, the declining pilot population, and the enduring value of most of the legacy aircraft people flew into the show. The sweat equity of the home-built experimentals continue to demonstrate the best value of time and materials for the performance available.
Common Cause: This years’ show was an exercise in patience, fortitude, and endurance.
With no help from EAA, most pilots rose to the occasion, improvised, and smiled, meeting the challenge of the situation the same way they fly. Many had enough and left early. Many made good judgement calls and landed safely along the way, letting the situation sort itself out before proceeding. Many found new airfields and new friends. My Canadian friends in a three-ship flight eventually made it in for a few days.
I’m sure your have a story to tell as well; let’s hear it!
Mike Sullivan
SMEL, MEI, COM, INST
C177pilot@live.com