EAA Forums - My long-winded thoughts on the culture, etc.

[vaflier]

Hal, I agree with. All you have said, and I do beleive that even out of strong disagreements great ideas can emerge. If we all thought alike it would be a very booring world. Since you hear day after day the complaints of others I would very much like to hear your ideas to improve the organisation and Airventure. As an insider you must have a very different point of view from the rest of us. Please understand that I am not being sarcastic, but you have access to information the rest of us may well be ignorant of. Hence I suspect you may have some ideas that the rest of us have not considered. Your thoughts ????.Randy Powell

[Kyle Boatright]

Hal, thank you.

Some of us had this discussion over a beer at Oshkosh. Essentially, the idea is to challenge ideas and policies, not people. Saying "Joe from Omaha, you're an idiot." isn't constructive. Saying "I disagree with that idea and here's why (or here's a better idea)" leads us to constructive discussions. I think we all enjoy those.

[rickatic]

Hal

Another "well said"...your contributions to content and civility are so appreciated

Keep up the great work

Regards

[Jim Heffelfinger]

Thanks from me too Hal. Seems as though other forums are also experiencing similar grumpy-itis attacks. Could it be heat?
jim
sacramento

[steveinindy]

Thank you Hal. I would agree with the assessment that most of the problems on this forum stem from a handful of people who simply want to gripe about why they aren't getting exactly what they want when they want it from an organization that has to- by it's very nature- cater to a very diverse population and has done so since it's inception. What's bad is that the remainder- yourself and Chad especially given your ability to remain positive despite how nasty this place gets- are one of the primary reasons I haven't become a complete and utter misanthrope.

Seems as though other forums are also experiencing similar grumpy-itis attacks.

Today is the first time I've logged on in a while and seen more discussion about, you know, airplanes on the list of active threads than "The EAA sucks because...." or "Rod is a huge sellout because..." threads. I'm a member of a couple of other forums (HBA being the one I am most active at) and haven't noticed folks being any grumpier than normal but then again with places like VAF, POA and the Purple Board, it's kind of hard to tell.

[Racegunz]

Hal, I don't think anyone here hates airplanes, they just hate flying them! HAHAHAHA! But good point as long as it doesn't turn into a "all is roses" atmosphere where everyone ignores the the issues that are let's say controversial.

[steveinindy]

But good point as long as it doesn't turn into a "all is roses" atmosphere where everyone ignores the the issues that are let's say controversial.

LOL Agreed. The polarization of the EAA's membership (or at least the minorities directly represented by the members of this forum, including those who share my own take on things) is what is the clearest and most distinct danger to the organization. The "traditionalists" want to get rid of the turbine and glass cockpit crowds because they think those factions are trying to marginalize them out (or simply because "This is not what Paul had in mind!" or "This isn't what I grew up with!") without considering for a second that they are more or less asking for the thing they fear most to be done to another group. Basically it's the aviation equivalent of race baiting or hate speech: you blame all your problems on another group so that one does not have to take the time to look and see what it would take for a real solution to the problem (or if there is even actually a problem).

I can understand why people get all bent out of shape over the "this isn't the EAA I grew up with!" because even though I'm in my thirties, this isn't the EAA I grew up with. When I first learned of the Association, I was a wide-eyed kid who marveled at anything that left the ground. A lot of the designs that the same people who gripe about the changes to the EAA fly did not exist when they first learned of the organization. The problem isn't progress or decline, but how one wants to view it. A lot of it comes across as the "You darn kids, get off my lawn!" at times. Technology has moved past the wood and fabric designs that predominated when the EAA was founded. Even the "gee whiz" designs that were new or relatively so when I was a kid are now celebrated as "classic homebuilt designs". One of the key "tenets" I have always understood the EAA to have is that we are supposed to help move aviation forward. While if your thing is a classic like a Pietenpol or one of the other planes that looks like an extra from a WWI movie, that's fine that doesn't mean you should try to push out or marginalize those who don't think like you do. I'm a contradiction in terms myself: I love to see anything fly but don't have much interest in "flying for fun" anymore. It's point A to point B, the "airplane as a tool" mindset. There are few things that bring me to the verge of tears (the obvious like a kick to the groin notwithstanding) and one of them is the sight of a B-17 or DC-3 (not the hideous Baseler turboprop conversions....that's a crime against nature) or Fifi flying. Similarly, my fiancee said she's never seen me as excited in public as the other day when I discovered a private airfield with an Ercoupe on short final while we were driving past. Not bad for a guy who thinks anything under 250 knots is "slow" but who just started building a self-designed LSA, eh?

My point is that we're all airplane geeks and need to focus on what makes us similar instead of what have differ in. In the 20-something years where my involvement has changed back and forth from "hangar rat" to "member" I have never met anyone through the EAA that I don't have a shared interest or experience with. You can tell an EAA member because they are the ones that reflexively look up when something passes overhead.

As far as "what Paul had in mind", I think the only thing we can decidedly say that he did have in mind was that he wanted a group for people who love to fly in all its wonderful and often weird permutations and to keep the ability to do that in place for future generations. He's publicly said things to the effect of "there's room enough for us all" under the banner of the EAA. If there isn't, then we might as well turn in our certifications because if we can't live together as brothers we shall perish together as fools.

[rosiejerryrosie]

Hal, I was going to be the first to thank you for your essay here, but I see that I'm a day late and a dollar short. Still time, though, to say thanks. One of the reasons I became involved in this flying thing was because of the people who were already doing it. My personal belief is that anyone who flys anything is a brother/sister and if they need help, I'm there!

[Bill Greenwood]

Hal, re your new idea of a VTOL 200 hp LSA sounds great to me. You're no idiot, just a visionary. As a matter of fact I am working on a new cold fusion powerplant, have almost perfected it, and if you act now you can get in on the ground floor as one or the co investors. Just email me your American Express card number.

I do just have one small question about your airframe to resolve, before I get too far with the final version of my engine. And no, it is not about structural integrity; with your riveting skills you have set a whole new standard there.

Will your plane be available in any color other than yellow and brown?

[Hal Bryan]

Hal, I agree with. All you have said, and I do beleive that even out of strong disagreements great ideas can emerge. If we all thought alike it would be a very booring world. Since you hear day after day the complaints of others I would very much like to hear your ideas to improve the organisation and Airventure. As an insider you must have a very different point of view from the rest of us. Please understand that I am not being sarcastic, but you have access to information the rest of us may well be ignorant of. Hence I suspect you may have some ideas that the rest of us have not considered. Your thoughts ????.Randy Powell

Randy -

I don't want your greatly-appreciated question to get lost in the shuffle here, but I also don't want to just respond off the cuff and not give it the attention it deserves. I thought it over last night a bit, and some more today, but, in the interest of total transparency, today's my first day off in about 3 weeks - no complaints, mind you! - and it's been devoted to taking out the trash, taking a couple of naps, and taking my wife to a movie. That's about as coherent as it gets today. Let's see where my brain is tomorrow...

In the meantime, though, I can tell you that, as far as my little piece of EAA staffdom goes, my singularly top priority is to make sure that all of our online communication channels stay open, and to do my best to facilitate multi-way communication here and in our social media properties as well.

As for this ...

Hal, re your new idea of a VTOL 200 hp LSA sounds great to me. You're no idiot, just a visionary. As a matter of fact I am working on a new cold fusion powerplant, have almost perfected it, and if you act now you can get in on the ground floor as one or the co investors. Just email me your American Express card number.

I do just have one small question about your airframe to resolve, before I get too far with the final version of my engine. And no, it is not about structural integrity; with your riveting skills you have set a whole new standard there.

Will your plane be available in any color other than yellow and brown?

Bill, you've got a deal. My Amex # is 7. The airplane will be riveted within an inch of its life, and, I'm thinking of a kind of chartreuse with faux-woodgrain, sort of a flying family truckster. If only I had a name for that color scheme...

Thanks for the laugh.

To the others of you that have responded here, thanks so much for your kind words and favorable responses. Let the discussions continue...!