EAA's Extraordinary Lack of Leadership

[Dave Stadt]

Todd makes sense to me. FAA planned to close the tower. That Class D reverts to Class G. Read the NOTAM, do what it says, be courteous. No tower, big deal.

FAA would change that in a heart beat.

[Jim Hann]

It looks to me like the EAA leadership was forced to make a choice. Are they about AirVenture, Inc, or promoting and protecting general aviation? They chose AirVenture, Inc and forever sullied the EAA logo as "The First to Pay" for user fees in the USA.

Incredibly saddening.

Wrong, Sun N Fun was first.

[Jim Hann]

The EAA should have simply said " OK, don't show up" then put out a new notice, we will have no tower this year.

And the FAA would cancel all the waivers that are required for people and aircraft in the safety zones which would eliminate most of the camping and showplane areas. The "old-timers" would get their wish, the show would be dramatically smaller!!!

[Bill]

Todd makes sense to me. FAA planned to close the tower. That Class D reverts to Class G. Read the NOTAM, do what it says, be courteous. No tower, big deal.

Since the FAA has delayed closing of any control towers until after the end of this fiscal year, the Oshkosh Class D will continue with, presumably, the current staffing levels. So there will be no reversion to Class G and, absent the EAA payment for extra controllers, the normal staff would only allow the level of traffic into and outof Oshkosh that they could safely handle. AirVenture would be decimated.

[WLIU]

Perhaps one of the older members, or an EAA staffer can answer my wife's question. She seems to recall back in the mists of the OSH event's early history, the FAA controllers actually volunteered their time, took vacation time, and maybe even took care of their own housing, to participate in the fly-in operations. Was that the case or did we just misunderstand?

The fly in has hundreds of volunteers. If the ATC staff used to be actual volunteers, what changed their participation into a government junket?

Thanks,

Wes
N78PS

[RV8505]

Perhaps one of the older members, or an EAA staffer can answer my wife's question. She seems to recall back in the mists of the OSH event's early history, the FAA controllers actually volunteered their time, took vacation time, and maybe even took care of their own housing, to participate in the fly-in operations. Was that the case or did we just misunderstand?

The fly in has hundreds of volunteers. If the ATC staff used to be actual volunteers, what changed their participation into a government junket?

Thanks,

Wes
N78PS

As far as I remember it was they vouluntered for a paying assignment at Oshkosh.

[JimRice85]

What would a lawsuit over this do to the EAA/FAA relationship? I think it would likely cause irreparable damage which would cause more harm than benefit to general aviation. Because of the reasonably good relationship, the FAA tended to listen to EAA on various subjects. I think that would likely end if EAA brought legal action.

I don't like the fees either and think this is typical bureaucratic chickenschiess on the part of the FAA but at the same time, EAA has a great deal at stake. The FAA, not so much.