Arlington lays some eggs

wrote

I belive the Girl Scouts have the same legal restrictions the Air
Cadets do, but not sure anymore. Worth taking a look at. I was
thinking Boys & Girls Club too, but the one thing that CAP and Air
Cadets brought to the table was a command structure and some
discipline, something that has been exhibited to be missing from many
groups.

Perhaps you are unaware of another branch of Boy Scouts, which is the
Explorers. They specialize, along career, or just special areas of
interest.

At Airventure, there is a base camp of around 100 boys and girls camping on
the grounds. They are Aviation Explorers from a wide area of the country
coming to participate, and volunteer their time, around 3 hours per day,
plus 20 or 30 adult advisors that also volunteer. The youth and adults get
some basic aircraft handling instruction, and I believe you could get a copy
of the tape. Training also helps looks after itself, in the fact that there
are almost half of each year's group returning for the next year.

Did you know that all of the aircraft parking at Airventure in the homebuilt
showplane area (mostly push in and push out to the burn line) is done by
Aviation Explorers? The adult advisors can get special training to do the
directing on the taxiways on the north half of 18-36. The only safety
restriction from the Boy Scouts is that they can not go past the burn line
until they are 16, and they may not touch a prop or spinner. The adults on
point have to be 16 (or 21) and have to attended 3 years before.

It takes a local core to organize the base camp (a local EAA chapter) and
see to the feeding and logistical needs of the group, but it is a great
success, and a very important part of the success of the show.

Look into it. Sounds like you could use the help.

(Anyone), E-mail me if you would like some further info. on Explorers, and
would like to have your EAA sponsor starting a local group. Our youth need
it! Eliminate the capital letters in my addy, and include Aviation
Explorers in the subject line.
--
Jim in NC

wrote in message
ups.com...
Volunteers that are there for setup and/or teardown should get a
camping spot for free. If he was there during that time, he was given
wrong information. He should contact NWEAA for a full explination.

Being a volunteer doesn't mean you get a complete free ride. I've been
going there for years. Even though I can now get in for free, I still
pay for the days I'm there. If everyone got freebies, then where will
the money come from to put on the show?

If there is a shortage of volunteers at any event, then laws of supply and
demand dictate that changes need to be made. When camping requires very
little monetary output by the show organizers, they would be out very little
money by letting the volunteer work a stated number of hours and camp for
free for a day.

They could still pay to get in. It would not be hard to have a ticket given
to a volunteer for working X number of hours, then given to the camping
attendant for N number of free days camping for those hours worked, and
those days free camping refunded.

Some thoughts on the signage. Many places have permanent road signs that
fold in half, and are opened up for the event. Perhaps that could be used
for the sign problem. Also, signs with a picture of an airplane on them and
an arrow showing which way to turn are a common thing in most communities.
It sounds like more are needed. If there were a signpost, it would be a
simple thing to bring out another sign to bolt onto the signpost with the
extra information, such as camping, or general admission parking.
--
Jim in NC

Jim,

When I worked the Wings Over Houston show in 2003, I noticed that they
had a very effective portable signage system. This consisted of a
series of folding "sandwich-board" type signs made from 1/2-sheets of
plywood, OSB, etc. hinged at the top, with a short section of rope
attached to the backs to keep the signs from spreading open too far.
Both sides of the sign were painted white. In foot-tall black letters,
the front of the sign simply said AIR SHOW. Under this was a large
plywood arrow painted day-glo orange. It was bolted to the sign at its
center so that the arrow could be pointed in the proper direction by
the sign crew no matter where the sign was placed. Simple and to the
point. Of course, there were a few other more specific signs like AIR
SHOW VENDORS, PARKING, GATES / TICKETS, EXIT, etc.

This type of sign could be made by a troup of Boy Scouts for under $15
each and would probably last a few seasons. And since they are fairly
small, they could be placed on the side of the road at critical
intersections on the days of the event, and then quickly removed,
provided the county sign Nazis would grant a waiver for the event days.

Just a thought.

Harry

("wright1902glider" wrote)
When I worked the Wings Over Houston show in 2003, I noticed that they had
a very effective portable signage system. This consisted of a series of
folding "sandwich-board" type signs made from 1/2-sheets of plywood, OSB,
etc. hinged at the top, with a short section of rope attached to the backs
to keep the signs from spreading open too far.


We're lucky, we have an old trailer for all of our signs.

We use 50-70 lb sandbags under each sign:
1.) Wrap a short bungee cord around the sandbag.
2.) Hook a couple of bungees, from the top of the sign, down to the sandbag
bungee. Easy and quick ...and cheap.

Good point on the spinning arrows! More people need to do that when creating
signs.


Montblack

On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 wrote:

Volunteers that are there for setup and/or teardown should get a camping
spot for free. If he was there during that time, he was given wrong
information. He should contact NWEAA for a full explination.

He was there 2 days before the show started -- obviously not just trying
to get a freebie -- and intended to work from then until the end of the
show. He was asked to pay $10/day to camp starting from the moment he
arrived, and told only those who had helped the previous year (not _a_
previous year, like he has) could camp for free. He did verify the info
he was given.

If everyone got freebies, then where will the money come from to put
on the show?

I don't know, but it shouldn't come from those who are donating their time
to make the show possible. As someone else noted, that's really going to
cut down on your volunteer pool. I'm sure my friend isn't the only one
who doesn't like it, and no doubt you never hear about most of them.

-Dan

his was just a one
year thing, and that next year will be the biggest and best yet. AND FOR
HEAVEN'S SAKE, GET THE CIVIL AIR PATROL BACK!!!



The very best part of Arlington this year was the ABSENCE of the CAP.

Everything runs smoother without the input from this group of marching
morons.

Karl
"Curator" N185KG

("karl gruber" wrote)
The very best part of Arlington this year was the ABSENCE of the CAP.

Everything runs smoother without the input from this group of marching
morons.


How so? Do the kids lack ...focus, or are there other issues - at the
command (adult) level?


Montblack

The very best part of Arlington this year was the ABSENCE of the CAP.

Everything runs smoother without the input from this group of marching
morons.


How so? Do the kids lack ...focus, or are there other issues - at the
command (adult) level?

Yes! g

Only speaking from my experience from camping right next to the capies at
OSH, I have a little insight that may carry over when talking about
Arlington.

The commanding officer is all important, when it comes to the attitude of
the boys, but that does not go "all of the way" towards fixing all of the
problems. Some years (read most) the capies yell at the top of their lungs
while they are doing morning formation and exercise, "wake up boy scouts"
over and over again. Our boys do not need to be on duty for an extra hour,
and even then, that is only the people scheduled for the first shift. Many
of them are typical teenagers, and sleep in, or try to, with all of the
yelling going on. There is no room, or need, for that kind of behavior, and
the commander needs to be all over that kind of thing. Most did not correct
it, or even make an effort to, even after the problem was pointed out.

At OSH, the capies compete from all over the country for the right to be
there. Strike one. They all (or many, at least) have a "I'm better than
all of the rest of you mortals" attitude.

It is a semi military unit. Perhaps an "all of the way military" unit.
They are constantly ramped up, gung ho, get it done, "I know what all of the
answers are." Strike two. They are given far more authority (at least
they think they have) than they have answers for, but they would rather
bluff their way through, than admit they don't know something. At times, it
appears as they need a better adult-student ratio, so they are more closely
supervised by someone who is experienced in what needs to happen to get the
job done.

The regimented structure and "only one right answer" is a good thing at
times, but there are times where things do not go as planned, and
improvisation is needed. Strike three. When more flexibility is needed, it
requires judgement; possibly beyond their years, and most definately beyond
their experience.

By the way, most of the youth in the Aviaton Explorers unit do not
appreciate being called Boy Scouts. Many of them are girls. g Only a
few of them know how to tie a knot or start a campfire. Aviation Explorers
are a branch of BSA, called "Learning for Life.")

The Boys Scouts at OSH always have an adult within quick reach, that has
been doing the same job for many, many years. About half of the youth are
returners from previous OSH years, and that helps them know what to expect
and what to do. Add to that, the fact that most of the units help with 1 or
more airshows per year in their own communities. It all adds up to youth
and adults with more airshow specific experience, and more adults to keep
things straight when things don't go as planned. Granted, things still do
not always go as planned, but that is not for lack of effort and desire.

I don't want to come off as totally badmouthing the Capies. Many of them are
fine young boys and girls, who really want to do a good job. Unfortunately,
when they all get in the group, they lose some of their personal idenity,
and some of them get carried away, and get a little too much "mob
mentality."

I am just pointing out a few of the reasons (IMHO) that some people have
mentioned that things went better without them there. I was not there, so I
can't make a call on that one. I would think that if no group stepped up to
fill their place, they would be missed.
--
Jim in NC

I was there Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Weather delayed many arrivals until Friday, but there was a very good
turnout of homebuilts and factory aircraft on Friday.

Personally, I was glad the warbirds were not there in any number. I don't
want any of the gate money going to warbird owners. Let them pay their own
way like everyone else. (When they do show, don't let them dominate the
airshow.)

I noticed that the CAP was not there, but they weren't missed.

The two vendors that I talked to about business both said that business was
good.

Arlington is an excellent fly-in. It is not a crassly commercial airshow /
fair / circus / flea market like Oshkosh and Lakeland have become.

I highly recommend it to anyone interested in homebuilding and or sport
flying.


BJC

"Ken Finney" wrote in message
...
This will be a negative post, but hopefully, constructive criticism. I've
been to Oshkosh once, lots of small fly-ins, and every year for the past
eight years to the Arlington Fly-In (www.nweaa.org). Oshkosh is SO big,
it is difficult to take away a lot of lessons that are applicable to
smaller fly-ins, but I regard Arlington as the way things should be done.
Not this year. This year I spent a lot of time building up Arlington to
the non-aviation people I work with, and hopefully, several of them
attended. I hope they weren't disappointed. Below I've listed some of my
observations.

1. Where were the signs? Maybe the person that puts up the signs on the
freeway and all the intersections on the way over-slept. But on my way
in, the normal signs weren't there. I even missed a turn and had to
backtrack a mile or so.

2. I got there about 30 minutes after the gates opened on Saturday, and
there were less cars than when I normally get there 15 minutes before the
gates opened.

3, Walked through the gates, and "Where are the Warbirds???" Last year,
the Warbirds and Arlington had a public falling out, but supposedly had
made up. I guess someone forgot to tell the Warbirds. I hadn't realized
it, but the WWII "stagedoor canteen" display was put on by the warbirds
folks, and a lot of people noticed it wasn't there. (I guess it wasn't
there last year either, and I didn't notice?)

4. Noticed a lot of empty airplane spaces. Was told that they had been
occupied on Friday, but that those airplanes had already left. I don't
know if in previous years the closer spots were allocated to planes that
were going to be there for a longer period of time or what. Maybe they
back-filled those spots when the previous airplanes left. Maybe it was
just luck. But it makes a bad impression when the spaces closest to the
public are largely empty.

5. Where was the Civil Air Patrol??? Normally, there are about 180-200
Cadets in attendance, doing outstanding duty. One of the Senior members
told me that he showed up and was shocked to not find any Cadets. Someone
else told me that it was a known thing that Cadets wouldn't be there.
About 17 Cadets were there, but it was a disaster. The Arlington
organizers went nuts trying to find any warm bodies to backfill, but it
was a losing proposition. Those volunteers in attendance did a yeoman's
duty, but were over-whelmed.

6. Information was hard to obtain. Were the winds too high for a balloon
glow or not?

7. I don't know the attendance figures (it did pick up quite a bit on
Saturday afternoon), but several exhibitors said their foot traffic was
down by 50% from last year.

8. The exhibition tent was HOT, and the tables weren't being manned with
any regularity. This isn't the organizers fault; exhibitors, if you are
going to spend the money for space, make sure someone is there the whole
time! If you can't tag team and have to take a break, leave a sign that
says when you'll be back, not "Back in 15 minutes", because the shoppers
won't know when the 15 minutes started. This applies to the exhibitors
outside the tent, too.

9. Not everything was negative. The food was great as always (but a
little more expensive, I think). The shuttles were running all the time.
The antique tractor people were there with a good display, as always.
Good airshow. Good runway movies, which leads to #10 below.

10. The runway movie on Saturday night was "One Six Right". Good movie,
also a good movie for boring the kids to sleep! One thing that was
stressed over and over again in the movie was the need for aviation people
to involve non-aviation people. Aviation people talk to each other about
how great aviation is, but their outreach to others is very poor. This is
biggest problem I saw this year. There were radio commercials, but the
url they gave to get more information was long, I couldn't remember it.
The newspaper "things to do this weekend" didn't list the Fly-In. (I have
a pet peeve against the term "fly-in" itself; why would a non-aviation
person be interested in a fly-in? I much prefer the terms "aviation
fair", "aviation celebration", "air fair", "air show", etc.) If I was
going for the first time, I don't know how long it would have taken me to
find it; the first time I went (1998?), there were lots of signs, it would
have been impossible NOT to find it.

Arlington is planning on building a convention center, which will cause
the destruction of many hangers (they will be replaced), and I think this
contributed to "taking their eyes off the ball" and letting the fly-in
proceed on momentum. In the past years, Arlington has gotten better with
each year; not this year. A fly-in (sic) is an organic thing, and it
needs constant care and nurturing or it will decline. I hope this was
just a one year thing, and that next year will be the biggest and best
yet. AND FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, GET THE CIVIL AIR PATROL BACK!!!

Dan Youngquist wrote:
On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 wrote:

Volunteers that are there for setup and/or teardown should get a
camping spot for free. If he was there during that time, he was given
wrong information. He should contact NWEAA for a full explination.


He was there 2 days before the show started -- obviously not just trying
to get a freebie -- and intended to work from then until the end of the
show. He was asked to pay $10/day to camp starting from the moment he
arrived, and told only those who had helped the previous year (not _a_
previous year, like he has) could camp for free. He did verify the info
he was given.

If everyone got freebies, then where will the money come from to put
on the show?


I don't know, but it shouldn't come from those who are donating their
time to make the show possible. As someone else noted, that's really
going to cut down on your volunteer pool. I'm sure my friend isn't the
only one who doesn't like it, and no doubt you never hear about most of
them.

-Dan

Following your logic I spend a lot of money flying my experimental
aircraft to the show so that others can come and see it. Seems like that
I should get in for free also :-) NOT!!!


Jerry