OSH '05 Comments

Another great OSH. The number and quality of the exhibits seems to
improve each year. I especially like the Miller Welding trailer. My
girlfriend even got to play with the plasma cutter, and she liked it
(maybe helping me justify a future purchase ;-)...

We met the MotoArt guys (from the now discontinued TV show "Wing
Nuts".) They said there is a 'lost episode' they are trying to air that
will answer many questions regarding Tim before he died.

Wicks had a much smaller display this year with no parts, just pilot
supplies. They should probably move to the Fly Market and provide more
selection next year.

I am not sure about the new scheduling, starting on a Monday. Crowds
seemed VERY light on Monday (which was good for us, but not sure for
the vendors.) It will be interesting to see how this weekend works out
for them. The North 40 was filled by Sunday night, but emptied out
considerably by Wednesday afternoon (when we left.)

The comaraderie of campers in the North 40 was as good as ever. We
really enjoyed talking with all our camping neighbors. And as full as
the North 40 was, we didn't have problems getting in and out of the
showers! The storm night was quite exciting, but largely uneventful.
One lesson for our fellow campers - don't expect a cheap Wal-Mart tent
to keep you dry in a major OSH T-Storm (we had a Mountain Hardware tent
that kept everything out, and didn't collapse or break a pole!)

The one thing that really ****ed me off this year (and I will proceed
to rant about) was the invasion of the 'obese scooter people'. I don't
ever remember getting run down by OSP in the past at OSH. There is now
a large 'scooter rental' right inside the gates. Granted, some people
actually NEED these things to get around, but I didn't see any, and I
doubt they would hold an airman's certificate. They were ALL George
Costanza wannabes (recall the Seinfeld episode with the 'great scooter
chase'), and I don't think ANY were paid EAA Members. So, EAA won't let
me ride my bicycle from the far end of the North 40 to the Forum
Pavillions, but OSP can run people down in the exhibit hangars and go
wherever the hell they want? It makes NO sense to me, I am more afraid
of the 300lb'er not looking where they are driving their scooter. I
made a comment to EAA about this, it really bothered me. If you have a
note from your doctor, OK, but just being lazy ****es me off. If the
invasion of the OSP continues, it will eventually be enough to dissuade
me from attending in the future...