I hate to see and hear all of the complaining and negativity about EAA and Oshkosh (Airventure...depending on how long you have been attending). I have been coming to Oshkosh every year since I was 4 years old except for 3 years and am 35 now. I have grown up around aviation and Oshkosh, I feel like it is my second home and the Poberezny's extended family and almost celebrities. I hated seeing Paul driving around in a Ford Fusion or riding a golf cart this year, up until the time I seen Red 1 was put in the museum, then realized that EAA wanted to preserve that part of its history, not eliminate it. Last year there was a huge negativity push from the Vintage area, this year there were more antiques and classics than I can remember seeing up there for years, there was a grass runway, and the huge Cub celebration. I love the antiques, mainly because that is my interest, but instead of just being negative and complaining, look at all the people that stepped up this year and made a 180 degree turn around from last. I was able to fly my Cub up to Oshkosh with my son this year; it was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life, something I had always wanted to do since I was a kid. I hope that my son has that opportunity to experience in the future, but unless we stop complaining and start doing, I'm afraid that he may not have it.
I am not an employee of EAA; I am a member, over the years look at all that EAA has done for aviation. Look at all that they have done to improve the facilities at Oshkosh. They are focused not only on preserving aviation they are protecting it, but they have to survive as well, and to ensure that they have made some sacrifices over the years. Change is a given and in order to survive it is something that will always have to be dealt with. Instead of all of the gloom and doom, propose or recommend changes, ideas, anything that you think might help keep Oshkosh around for my kids and yours.
I hope nobody makes too much fun of me for writing this; I'm not a journalist or reporter so my sentences and grammar maybe incorrect, but I do love Oshkosh, EAA, and more than anything I love airplanes and flying them. I hope I'm not the only one left that can see the positives.