What a sight...and what a sound

Exactly, he was doing his (volunteer) job. However, there's a difference
between "excuse me, could I ask where you're going?", and "Hey you- where
are you going?"

He had no authority, and probably actually didn't belong on the airport
himself- no plane or hangar on the field, and no airport ID. He probably had
a lot less right to be there than I did.

Still, it was a beautiful day, and hopefully the 6-7,000 folks who saw the
B-17 actually fly enjoyed the experience. Although it was irksome, one bozo
won't ruin the memory.

On Jul 2, 4:53 am, "Viperdoc" wrote:
We had the EAA B-17 on our field all weekend, with perfect weather (high
70's, no clouds, and no humidity). They gave over 400 rides, and had between
6 and 7,000 tours of the plane- a great turnout.

There were a bunch of T-6's, a T-33, as well as a P-51 on static display.
At one time there were well over 100 people in line to go inside the B-17.

The only downside was that some of the EAA volunteers were on a little power
trip. I rode my bicycle down from my hangar to the ramp, and upon returning
got yelled at by some guy: "where are YOU going?" I told him I was returning
to my hangar, if that was OK with him. He didn't say a word, and I kept on
going- not a great representative.

Yes, everyone's a volunteer, and they were there to protect the ramp and
prevent runway incursions, but some instruction in being polite and
courteous would have gone a long way. They were there to also promote
aviation and generate interest, and a couple of guys who were on a power
trip doesn't foster that attitude. All of the other volunteers were great,
thanking people for coming and when they left, helping people into and out
of the plane, etc.

Anyway, it was a great day to promote aviation and see a piece of history.
Hopefully out of the 6-7,000 we will see some new student pilots.

I had a similar experience with a ramp volunteer for the Collings
bunch back in April of last year. I flew down to Tucson to go for a
ride on their B17 and I guess I caught them by suprise by walking
across the ramp. The guy was like "Where'd you come from...How'd you
get out here?" Great look on his face when I gestured over my
shoulder to the C172 I'd just tied down. LOL.

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ
www.pbase.com/flyingphotog