Ok, the air show season is running down, and once again I ask, Why does
the Pilot parking empty first. For years I worked at the Medford National
Air show, Medford, Oregon. We had a Pilot/Performer parking lot that held a
couple hundred cars. Without exception, the Pilot parking emptied first.

My only thought was cooperation. The pilots seem to space themselves out
approaching the gate. With two car length spacing, two rows "feeding" into a
gate, the streams can merge with about 1/2 car length spacing at the gate.
Of course like a fire hose and nozzle, rapid acceleration takes place right
at the narrowest point. I've never seen a pilot stop at the gate to say
"After You". But it happened all the time at the public parking gate. The
pilots seemed to act as one under the "Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way"
protocol.

My wife says that they are all going to the same place, the Bar just
down the road. With formation driving, and even though they circle the bar
parking lot once on their way in, they can fill the Bar lot rapidly and
sequentially, like 50 "Blue Angels"(My apologies to the NAVY).

My son says that it is the "school of fish" theory as applied to the
stop sign at the gate, and the speed limit on the dirt road. If you are a
cop, and you have 100 smoothly moving cars, (even at high speed), do you
mess with It? Who do you stop? How? Stop 'em all? (the Mayor is probably in
there somewhere).

Your Thoughts?

Al