Sorry for the long post but now that I'm home and had time to consider whether I should write this or nor, I feel compelled to share my thoughts about the "Chalets".
EAA has the right to provide and sell these "high roller" amenities as they see fit. But the location used this year was too conspicuous and fed the feelings shared by many that EAA leadership has lost touch with many of the members and is moving the organization away from membership services; that the membership is there to serve the association instead of the other way around.
EAA, I urge you to send out a membership-wide survey to find out if the direction you're moving is what the membership wants. Make it a fair survey. We all know that a good statistician can shape questions to evoke the response you want to hear. At the very least, don't go out of your way to alienate those that think this is a membership driven association. The Chalets could have been located so they were more discrete, didn't take away homebuilt display spaces, or block the sight line of such a large portion of the flight line and air show. But the Chalets are just a symptom of what many believe is a bigger problem. Is EAA still the organization we all love and respect?
Respectfully,
Dave Sirota