What was good and bad about OSH2011...

[MNWORD]

We have a large-scale AirVenture debriefing coming up next week - I'll bring a copy of this thread and make sure that all of the concerns are heard, I can promise you that. I can't speak to all of them, but I can say that nobody will be griping louder than me about the vehicle traffic backup problems - I had to leave the grounds one afternoon and run home. My (normally) 12 minute return trip took nearly 90, so I'll be beating that drum from personal experience.

Hal How did the debrief meeting go?

Thanks mnword

[Hal Bryan]

They went really well. There were no surprises in terms of the issues raised, especially with respect to traffic, parking, ongoing site improvments, etc. This meeting was the largest, so far, but far from the only debrief - managers and directors and senior staff met multiple times with their groups to collect feedback in advance, and now each area will delve back in and continue working out how to build on the things that went well and improve in those areas that did not.

One very specific bit of good news that came at the meeting was that the organizers of a major music festival that takes place just across the highway announced that they are rescheduling their event so that it no longer overlaps with AirVenture. That's not a specific improvement from this year, of course, but we're all breathing a sigh of relief knowing that at least traffic won't be several (tens of?) thousands of people worse...!

Anyway, while I'm confident that the concerns that have been raised so far have been heard, and then some, I hope all of you will please keep the feedback coming. We're always looking for ways to improve.

[Ken Finney]

Hal-
This might not belong here, but this does seem to be the most active "post-Airventure" thread. For EAARadio, please, please, please in the future provide just a pure mp3 audio feed. It wouldn't take a lot of bandwidth, and it would be nice if it was not on the same system as the webcams, so that when the webcam traffic spikes, the mp3 audio doesn't get screwed up. All these proprietary formats used (e.g. "shockwave flash audio" cause all sorts of problems for many users, whereas mp3 works with everything!.

[codetalker]

Hal-
This might not belong here, but this does seem to be the most active "post-Airventure" thread. For EAARadio, please, please, please in the future provide just a pure mp3 audio feed. It wouldn't take a lot of bandwidth, and it would be nice if it was not on the same system as the webcams, so that when the webcam traffic spikes, the mp3 audio doesn't get screwed up. All these proprietary formats used (e.g. "shockwave flash audio" cause all sorts of problems for many users, whereas mp3 works with everything!.

Ken,

First, EAA Radio is an ALL-VOLUNTEER venture. Although Hal is a frequent on-air guest, he is not at all involved in the operation of the station. In fact, all operations are handled by volunteers. We do have two EAA staff liaisons, but their role is much different than tasks related to station operation.

Second, EAA Radio is utilizing an IceCast stream - a PURE mp3 stream. The player on the webpage is there for those without the know-how to setup/configure a player. If you'd like, you can try connecting to an address below:

http://listen.eaaradio.net:8000/eaaradio64.m3u

or

http://listen.eaaradio.net:8000/eaaradio64

One of these should work for you.

If you have any further issues, please feel free to contact me at codetalker@eaaradio.net

Thomas Balistreri
EAA Radio, Station Manager

[Hal Bryan]

Thanks for jumping in, Codetalker! And Ken - sorry I didn't spot your message and ask one of the experts to chime in sooner. I read every thread every day, but just somehow managed to miss your post...!

[codetalker]

"...and it would be nice if it was not on the same system as the webcams, so that when the webcam traffic spikes, the mp3 audio doesn't get screwed up."

Ken-

I forgot to address this part of your message in my earlier response, but suffice to say we have more bandwidth than we will ever use. The collective webcam/radio stream traffic spikes are barely making a dent in the available bandwidth.

Again, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me directly.

[itsmee]

Osh was good as usual this year , these are my observations

I also would have liked to see a showcase flying before the airshow , there was none the 3 days i was there , be nice to see some of the manufacturers and homebuilts actually flying for us all to see whats out there.

I agree the last 2 years the Eagle Hanger has been set up with chairs and you could not get in there to see anything.

And way too much golf-cart / vehicle traffic inside the grounds , you could hardly walk without someone trying to squeeze their way by you or worse flying by you going way too fast.

Mud was terrible in Camp Scholler , i know its natures fault , but i think if they had used some of those wood chips i saw inside the grounds at least at the intersections of the worst muddy places in Camp Scholler it sure would have helped.

And what was with the traffic this year , got there on Friday morning and ALL traffic going to the airshow was diverted off the highway onto the side road that goes by Camp Scholler entrance made for a very long line and wait to actually even get to the turn-off for Camping Registration , i do not remember this configuration last year.

All in all another fun year at Osh and seeya all next year in Camp Scholler , we used to get a hotel every year and after just 1 time using Camp Scholler we'll never do anything but camp now , your camping facilities are the best i think.

[rawheels]

On the Friday before the show we needed to get to building D to pick up our vendor passes from a co-worker. I really appreciated the fact that the person at the gate allowed us to enter the grounds to go to the booth to pick them up. They could have been really strict and made the person bring the passes to us. I really appreciated the common sense. Actually got stopped a second time on the way to the booth by teen “security” and had the same result.

I enjoyed the Fly-in theater again this year (although I skipped “True Grit”, let’s not repeat the non-aviation movie idea please). It always amazes me that even the side events, like those, happen so well at AirVenture. They’re doing a great job with the short pre-movie presentations too. A lot better than the way-to-long versions the first couple of years.

I enjoyed seeing the Rutan designs up front this year. It was great to honor a living legend, but I also hope it doesn’t mean that the Wittman aircraft have permanently lost their spot. It has always been a fun thing to point out to guests that those aircraft get the front spots to honor Steve @ Wittman Airport.

[steveinindy]

the Wittman aircraft have permanently lost their spot.

It's odd because I wouldn't know a Wittman design if it clipped me with its wing until the NTSB preliminary report came out. I know I have seen them before but they just blend in so much with the rest of that category of aircraft that it's hard for anyone but a true fan to be able to go "That's a _______". I think the reason why Rutan got so much attention is because his work really pushed the field forward beyond simply being fabric, wood and aluminum copies of existing designs. The ignorance of folks like myself on the matter of Wittman's designs is probably a good reason why he should be given a similar "review" as what Rutan received.

[rawheels]

It's odd because I wouldn't know a Wittman design if it clipped me with its wing

Google "Wittman Tailwind" and if you've been to the show before, I bet you'll recognize them; they're pretty unique and usually right up front near Aeroshell Square. Make it a point next year to read up on Steve at AirVenture 2012. There is information on him at the pioneer airport and the museum (and probably others). In the meantime check out the short blimp here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wittman

I've never owned one of his designs, but respect him for his many aviation accomplishments.