The Vintage email newsletter today told of a meeting last weekend for planning Vintage activities at Oshkosh 2014. Among many other things, it says: "Rick Larsen, EAA Vice President of Marketing, joined the meeting for over an hour to update the team on changes necessary for the T-Birds airshows..."
Anybody know what those changes are going to be?
VP of Marketing is doing this? Yep, unfortunately, that sounds about right.
MEdwards,
Both Rick Larsen and Sean Elliott met with our flight line operations chairmen and volunteers to discuss the changes in normal flight lines ops that hosting the Thunderbirds presence. Rick Larsen is not only the VP of Marketing but is the VP of Features and Attractions for AirVenture and is pilot and aircraft owner that is quite knowledgeable in the field of aircraft and airshow operations. There are many very talented people working on the logistics behind bringing in the Thunderbirds and working to ensure that it is a success.
Last edited by Max Platts; 04-16-2014 at 07:06 AM.
Thank you. I'm sure he's a fine fellow, and I have no quarrel with the need for marketing of EAA, AirVenture or General Aviation (or the Air Force!).Originally Posted by Max Platts
I asked, "Anybody know what those changes are going to be?" Obviously somebody does. Is anyone saying, or do we not have a "need to know"?
Last edited by MEdwards; 04-15-2014 at 03:26 PM.
Down at Lakeland they seem to have scrubbed some of the close in crowd (particularly the campground) out of the way during the Blue's performance (the campsites stayed there but the people were forced out).
I asked, "Anybody know what those changes are going to be?" Obviously somebody does. Is anyone saying, or do we not have a "need to know"?[/QUOTE]
At the present time we are just working to get a time finalized for the T-birds performance and working to ensure that they have the proper aerobatic box for their performance. Once everything is finalized we will let members and the general public know what the changes for the days that the Thunderbirds perform will be. As for right now we are still in the planning and logistics phase of hosting them.
Thursday has been "jet day" for the last 10 years or more. Seems like Thur afternoon or on Wed afternoon with the Vietnam acts would be a good time for them to fly.
Bill, the days are set in the Thunderbirds schedule online. Max said they're just working on the time. The weekend, Sat, Sun. Probably a good move. Many, including myself, often don't stay for the weekend, but this will be an incentive.
Today the answer came as to what changes to the flightline and camping areas will be required to accommodate the Thunderbirds. In today's Vintage Air Mail the president of VAA says: "The size of the [Thunderbirds' performance] box will require us to shift the show line by 120 feet to the west, which will put the burn line at the speaker poles on all three of those days [Fri, Sat, Sun]. Presumably that will be for certain hours during those days.
That will move the burn line a little less than half the distance from the normal burn line toward Wittman Dr. About three average aircraft wingspans. So anybody parked in the first three spaces won't be able to get to their planes during those hours. I assume Vintage will still be parking people in those first three spaces earlier in the week, or we'll all be squeezed down to North Fond du Lac.
Doesn't sound too onerous to me. As the VAA president admits, however, it will take some work to enforce it because it's a pretty major change to what people have been used to for years.
At SnF the Blues pushed everybody out of the runway side of the campground for the duration. It wasn't a big thing. We had to scrub everything from the road to the taxiway a couple of years ago after one-eyed-Jack's crash, so I don't think this will be too difficult.
It was a pain at SnF when the Blues' schedule changed and we were blocked from our camping area (food, vehicle, shelter, chairs, etc.) for several hours instead of the advertised hour window. That shouldn't be the case at Osh, but the military teams have a big impact on these shows.
It isn't clear to me whether the revised show line at Osh will be in place for just the T-birds show or for the entire show on Friday-Sunday. Can anyone clarify?
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