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#1
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Arlington lays some eggs
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!!! |
#2
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Arlington lays some eggs
We too, attended Arlington this year - flying in from CYBW (Springbank near
Calgary, Alberta). We have been at the show several times over the past few years, and were also somewhat disappointed with this year's offering. I've been to Oshkosh and Sun & Fun, and I've always seen the Arlington show as a more accessible and friendlier evernt, with more of a concentration on the affordable and homebuilt/experimental side of aviation. We arrived on Friday morning and had the usual competent assistance from the ground controllers at Green Valley in touching down safely. After landing and parking we took a tour of the grounds.The layout was a little different from our last visit a couple years ago, but we did see most of the regular vendors - Van's, Cirrus, New Glasair/Glastar, Murphy, etc. Eggenfellner was there with a couple examples of the 4 and 6 cylinder Subaru conversions in flying airframes, which was new from our last visit. Some great Republic Seabees there, especially an award winning example with a Corvette powerplant. Among the few warbirds were a couple of Alphajets and a couple of Thunder Mustang scale replicas. The first thing that struck me was the RV section of fly-in aircraft was substantially down on plane count from previous years - normally a huge turonout of RV's at Arlington. We heard that the weather had been poor earlier in the week, which may explain part of that (along with the lesser number of other fly-in traffic parked on the field) - but Friday was perfect flying weather, and we didn't arrive until almost mid day. There were a few examples of LSA aircraft manufacturers in a new lineup across from the Ultralight area, probably less than 10. You could have fired a cannon through the middle of the Ultralight section and not hit a plane - where in the past there has been a lot of aircraft and exhibits, this year it was pretty sparse. We were considering staying on Saturday as well, but other than new planes flying in Saturday there just wasn't any more that we needed to see. We were able to flag down the fuel truck on Friday night, so we headed out on Saturday morning. Based on this year's showing, we most likely won't be back next year - I hope that this event was an abberation and not an indication of a downward trend for the NWEAA show. "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!!! |
#3
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Arlington lays some eggs
You are more than welcome to come volunteer and help out in the setup,
running and teardown of the Fly-In. The only way this even happens is buy the good graces of 300 volunteers. People who give up free time to hopefully make your weekend fun and pleasurable. 1. Your comments on the signs will be sure to be forwarded to the appropriate organizers. They should have been by the freeway. That being said, in the 12 months between events, holes have a tendancy to get filled or destroyed by road work. Property owners change and suddenly we can't use a spot we've used for years. I've done sign setup, it's not an easy task to get every single one put up. 2. No comment, I never made it to the parking lot this year. 3. I'd suggest directing your comments to the Warbirds. No other EAA division gets money to attend a Fly-In, why should they? If they want to buy a million dollar airplane, they should be able to afford the gas. Otherwise you, the attendee, will end up footing that fuel bill. The organizers are trying their best to fill in that particular gap. 4. People come and go all the time during the Fly-In, constantly changing what the overall parking aisles look like. When a group comes and goes together, that will often leave gaps in the parking areas. We try to fill those as quickly as possible. Or perhaps they were in the flyby pattern? I know when all the amphibians went up it made that one row look very empty. And they were gone for a while over to Lake Goodwin for the Splash In. 5. Ah... the CAP kids. I suggest talking to the Canadian Air Cadets legal department. They made a determination that the cadets should not be around spinning propellers. Brilliant, eh? Well we did have some Boy Scouts this year to help fill the gap, but yes, there were not enough kids to help out. The CAP needs to grow their membership in order to fill that gap left by the Air Cadets. We are also open to suggestions to other youth groups that show a level of responsibility and can help out. 6. Who did you ask for information? (As in which department, not which person) Where did we have a break in communication? 7. I thought, foot traffic was up. But last year I was in a totally different area. So until I see gate numbers, I really can't say. 8. That's the trouble with those tents and the reason for the new building you mention later. 9. Thanks. 10. Good comments, and they will be forwarded. The information you got on the building is way wrong. Nobody is going to be displaced by its construction. Of the five hangers that will be torn down, two are used for storage and there are 5 empty hangers currently to house the 3 planes that will be displaced. So no one is losing their home. As a result of the new building, we will have a large, cooled, area for the vendors and possibly the forums too. This will open up more space to allow even more room for aircraft parking, and moving those currently placed in the "back 40" closer. All in all it's a win-win situation. And it's being funded by donations. The flying community is telling us if they want that building or not. The eye is definately on the ball. Again, if you have time, volunteer. That is the ONLY why this Fly-In happens. Offer up your ideas to the organizers, not just in forums like this. |
#4
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Arlington lays some eggs
wrote)
5. Ah... the CAP kids. I suggest talking to the Canadian Air Cadets legal department. They made a determination that the cadets should not be around spinning propellers. Brilliant, eh? Well we did have some Boy Scouts this year to help fill the gap, but yes, there were not enough kids to help out. The CAP needs to grow their membership in order to fill that gap left by the Air Cadets. We are also open to suggestions to other youth groups that show a level of responsibility and can help out. Church groups and Girl Scouts. Ask them now - for next season! For the Church groups: Men's clubs, Ladies clubs, Youth groups, Neighborhood Outreach programs, etc. Senior condos and/or Senior apartments are another great source of willing people. Bus them over and back, give them a pancake breakfast (and/or lunch), give them a t-shirt, and they'll give you many hours of enthusiastic service. Take care of the Seniors and they'll take care of you! :-) Don't forget the bathroom breaks and "refreshment wagon" for your volunteers. Bottled Water is the drink of choice for many on a hot day. ALWAYS have lots of COLD bottled water in the cooler. Also, some Aviation programs "require" this type of civic service/volunteering - credits toward graduation. A few years ago we had a group of 20(?) students from a college aviation program get credit for working our Airport Open House. Montblack |
#5
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Arlington lays some eggs
Montblack wrote:
Church groups and Girl Scouts. Ask them now - for next season! For the Church groups: Men's clubs, Ladies clubs, Youth groups, Neighborhood Outreach programs, etc. 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. Senior condos and/or Senior apartments are another great source of willing people. Bus them over and back, give them a pancake breakfast (and/or lunch), give them a t-shirt, and they'll give you many hours of enthusiastic service. Take care of the Seniors and they'll take care of you! :-) Don't forget the bathroom breaks and "refreshment wagon" for your volunteers. Bottled Water is the drink of choice for many on a hot day. ALWAYS have lots of COLD bottled water in the cooler. Good ideas. All volunteers get a free lunch every day, all the water they can drink and a t-shirt. They have staff and golf carts dedicated to just provide water and food. Also, some Aviation programs "require" this type of civic service/volunteering - credits toward graduation. A few years ago we had a group of 20(?) students from a college aviation program get credit for working our Airport Open House. Which college? The Aviation High School idea someone mentioned is good, if we can get them to organize something during summer vacation. |
#6
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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 |
#7
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Arlington lays some eggs
wrote)
Which college? The Aviation High School idea someone mentioned is good, if we can get them to organize something during summer vacation. http://www.stcloudstate.edu/aviation/ St Cloud State - University Central Minnesota. 75 miles (NW) of the Twin Cities. Some still call it St Cloud Teacher's College, years later it became SC-"State", recently they added University for: SCS"U". In the 70's and 80's it had the reputation as "party school". Montblack |
#8
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Arlington lays some eggs
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#9
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Arlington lays some eggs
We flew in a big aluminum tube and found time during a week of visiting
old and new friends to see Arlington for MY first time. Aside from a frightful sunburn (note to self: it's an airshow, I'll need my hat!) I found it entertaining and fairly busy. Even got to meet the charming and talented Ron Wanttaja, who can look relaxed and at ease lounging in the shade of a LOW wing homebuilt...pretty good for a guy who's not short! |
#10
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Arlington lays some eggs
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? Dan Youngquist wrote: A friend of mine went with the intention of volunteering all week, but came home few days early. He was a little put out at having to pay $10 a day to camp, when he was there to work for free. It does seem reasonable that, if someone is helping out, he should be able to pitch a tent for free. -Dan |
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