Gripes

[FlyingRon]

They used to have "NO SMOKING" on the wristbands but they changed it to "SMOKING IN DESIGNATED AREAS". The stupid thing is that there's no indication *ANYWHERE* what a designated area is.

[flyboycpa]

Did anyone notice all the people smoking this year? I've never ever seen a smoker on the grounds before and this year, it seems like every corner I turned I was choking on cigarette smoke. Not on the flight line, but all the building around the tower. People sitting out smoking everywhere. Since when is this allowed?

Yes, people were smoking everywhere. Each time I took my 7-yr old to the restrooms near the B-Bldg or C-Bldg you had to work your way through the fog of cigarette smoke. I'm not interested in my kid (or me) inhaling cigarette smoke. I don't go fart in your face, don't put your cigarette smoke in mine.

Sam Swift

[FlyingRon]

At least you can dodge that. What I could never understand is the people who smoke INSIDE the portolets.

[Mayhemxpc]

And from everything I saw during the week -- and from comments on another thread about the absence of Protect Our Planes volunteers -- there nothing to keep such people from smoking in the near proximity of the airplanes! I never saw it happening, but there was nothing and no one to inform people that it was both forbidden and genuinely dangerous. Just from the numbers, I am guessing that many more than half of the people attending are not pilots and they should not be expected to know about smoking and airplanes.

I was at another event some time ago, where my airplane which had, again, been over fueled. A couple of men came up with lit cigarettes. They looked the kind who came in on Harley's rather than in Pipers. As they got inside of the 50 foot circle I asked, "Would you smoke around a race car?" The light went on and I politely added, "Same fuel, same spillage problems." They were apologetic and immediately put the cigarettes out. It is not that many smokers are trouble in and of themselves -- they just don't know. Pilots are not always near enough to their airplanes to explain it to them.

[JimRice85]

Sure, we all know not to smoke around airplanes. However, if airplanes and smoking are apparently an automatic catastrophic conflagration, why did manufacturers build them with cigarette lighters and multiple ashtrays for several decades?

I used to smoke. I didn't smoke around the outside of the planes, especially when fueling. I did, however, smoke while flying. They ashtrays on top of the instrument panel of a Stinson 108 were really handy.

[Bob Meder]

At least you can dodge that. What I could never understand is the people who smoke INSIDE the portolets.

I was thinking what might happen if just the right, um, fuel air mixture was achieved in one of those...

[Bob Meder]

Regarding wifi, my suggestion to EAA is to look at whatever you did for exhibitors and try to replicate it for the public. As an exhibitor, I only had one problem connecting with either our PC, or my iPad, and that foe just a few minutes. Admittedly, the data rate was a bit slow (had to wait to get to the house to send pictures from our breakfast to our editor after transferring them from my DSLR), but for text and email, it was acceptable.

[mmorrison123]

I just got back from spending the week at Airventure 2013 and what a great time it was. I want to thank all the EAA employees and volunteers for all the hard work. Your dedication makes it possible for the rest of us to attend the worlds’ greatest aviation event.

This year I noted some improvements and firsts for me that I really appreciated. The food selection was greatly improved which was nice for those of us spending several days onsite. As always the number and variety of forums was tremendous. I really enjoy the flying at the ultralight strip, and the seaplane base. The list goes on and on.

However, there were a couple things that could be improved on also. First, the number of golf carts and gators was out of hand as was the speed that they were traveling. I understand the need to move supplies around the grounds and I have no issue with that. But many, if not most were being used to strictly for transportation. There were people roaming the flymart isles in golf carts doing shopping. There were families (mom, dad, and the kids) riding around through the crowds. People drove their carts into the crowd to watch the concerts. This really got under my skin and should be stopped. Additionally, all carts and gators need visible signs indicating who is responsible for them so that misuse can be identified and reported.

Second, this was my first year camping in HBC. I arrived on the first Saturday and was parked back in row 304 with my Titan Tornado. Part way through the week I got a new neighbor in a nice RV-8 who wondered why he was parked in the back with the rest of the odd ball aircraft since in past years they have reserved the front rows for the RV’s. I don’t know if that’s true, but you would be hard pressed to find someone that didn’t think that it was. RV’s are great and I would love to have one. They are the most popular kit aircraft ever and we all get that. But there are so many other designs being built currently and in the past and they are invisible in back of the mass of the Vans Air Force. I would really love to see the first 4 or 5 rows in HBC (closest to the forums) reserved for non-RV aircraft. This would help showcase the true variety of homebuilt options for prospective builders that can’t afford a Vans kit, and give the rest of us some different types of aircraft to look at. I had looked at the HBC area on past trips and assumed that it was an RV type only area, as I know others have. Let’s get some variety on display and show others that there are viable alternatives in the homebuilt arena.

I think that these improvements would make Airventure safer, less frustrating, more interesting for all.

Keep up the great work and I’ll see you in 350 days.

Malcolm Morrison

[Fastcapy]

I always enjoy Airventure, and have attended the last 14 consecutive years, and will continue to do so, but here are some things on my list this year.

Pros:
1. New food vendors were great!
2. Liked the jumbotron idea for stuff like Jetman
3. The Sunday airshow was awesome, better than I remember in years past. Team AeroDynamix (RV's) was great as well.

Now the Cons:
1. The reduced number of cars on the grounds was great, but the golf carts and gators...Yikes, like others said they were everywhere and ran around the grounds like a bunch of idiots...I felt I was always looking behind me so I wouldn't get run down.
2. The showcase mixed in with the airshow, yuck. The others in my group also were not pleased with the set-up of that. Also in the airshow arena, disappointed I didn't get to see Kyle Franklin fly Dracula.
3. WIFI was spotty, especially in the north parts of the grounds.
4. I saw a lot of people leaving garbage laying around and a lot more smoking than in past years.
5. Bag checks at the front gates were pointless.
6. On Sunday, Family day, so much stuff was being packed up by 10am. I understand the vendors want to get home but a lot of locals go that day and I think it is a turn off to getting local people more interested in EAA and aviation.
7. My biggest gripe. The north 40 buses. I hate getting on the bus only to stop to let 1 person off at a specific row, then the bus moves and someone else stops the bus literally 4-5 rows later...seriously annoying and creates a lot of congestion during busy times. I think 5 or 6 dedicated stops would make the north 40 bus run so much smoother. Stops at the gate, the showers, at the end of 9/27, Friar tucks, the Hilton and the Fire Dept. would get people close enough to where they need to get to. Mark the stops and make it so the buses only drop and pick up there, just like the trams on the grounds.

Can't wait until AV14!!!

[glefave]

I was there for 6 days, and agree that it was a grreat show this year, with some very nice improvements.

I think the bike path between the N40 and Camp Sholler has been a great improvement. But like others have mentioned the golf carts were a real hazard. The path is simply not wide enough for bikes , pedestrians, golf carts and motor bikes. This was not much of a problem before this year, not sure what put the carts and motor bikes on the path. This problem was worse at night, as the cart lights were blindingly bright.