The Good and Bad and Other of Oshkosh 2014

[FlyingRon]

Thankfully, the cell companies did an admirable job of bringing in extra cell towers. 4G coverage was excellent, which enabled us to set up WiFi hot spots as needed.

Not my experience. ATT, Verizion, and T-Moblile all crapped out as the crowds started to arrive.

[Fastcapy]

I agree. Between my wife, brother, and half a dozen friends, all with different phones and carriers, we could not get wifi anywhere on the grounds. 4G data was hard to connect to and 3G was even sketchy most of the time.

As others have said the wifi was disappointing to say the least.

My voice coverage and text messaging was fine however.

I wonder if the "gray trailer" had anything to do with a data bottleneck maybe causing or magnifying the problems.

[Byron J. Covey]

Most of the Airventure grounds is a hayfield in the offseason. They switched to using a very heavy reaper/bailer machine and for practical purposes it runs perpendicular to the rows causing bad rutting any year it's the least bit soft (which includes this year and last).


Every year I bitch about no wifi in Vintage and the EAA IT guys swear it works, then I tell them I'm behind the Hangar Cafe and then they admit that it will never work there because they put some piece of junk consumer grade thing that will never be upgraded.
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That explains the ruts, but does not excuse them.

Excellent WiFi is expected by the younger generations that EAA and the rest of GA need to attract.

[Cardinal729]

Would definitely pay for a photo. Beautiful landing on the green dot this year too!

[Jetguy]

I was there Monday thru Friday. I had a Sprint phone and a ATT Lite capable Ipad. I tried everyday at multiple locations from the north 40 to the south 40 to Paul's Woods and was never able to connect to the EAA WiFi. I would suggest EAA get a refund. However both the phone and the Ipad worked great on the cell network.

[BeagleOne]

I'm still waiting and hoping for the return of the Eisenhower jacket! I like seeing all of the new merchandise with the vintage logo on it...but I want a jacket!

[Bill Greenwood]

What no wi-fi at Oshkosh? There's no reason to even fly all the way there and spend all that money then is there?
You could just stay home and play with your cell phone and ipad. Wouldn't that be fun and not have to walk a long ways or worry about waiting in lunch lines or tram ride lines or jet noise or water that costs a dollar more per bottle than back home.

I admit to being a bit older and maybe a lot more old fashioned than perhaps some on this forum or at EAA, and I don't own or know how to work an ipad or most of the electro gizmos.
But I have been coming to Osh since 1984, before there was any cell phones or wi fi to bitch about and I had a great time back then and every year since.
Did you ever notice the airplanes at Osh or try playing with them instead of the little gadgets? Is that a radical and old fashioned idea?

I am lucky enough to have flown into Osh many years in one of the best flying, best looking, and most historic, and overall greatest planes to ever visit Osh and I have loved it, in my ignorance. I just realized that while it has probably the best wing ever put on an airplane and one of the best engines, but I must be missing out all these years since it doesn't have any cell phones or ipad or computers or wi fis in it at all. It just flys.

Maybe when I get too old and too jaded to fly, I can buy all those cool gadgets to bring to Oshkosh and complain about how they don't work as well as they do in some other more boring location.

And maybe I am seeing it only from the point of view of a pilot/owner and if I didn't have an airplane, the gadgets would be the next best substitute.

[1600vw]

What no wi-fi at Oshkosh? There's no reason to even fly all the way there and spend all that money then is there?
You could just stay home and play with your cell phone and ipad. Wouldn't that be fun and not have to walk a long ways or worry about waiting in lunch lines or tram ride lines or jet noise or water that costs a dollar more per bottle than back home.

I admit to being a bit older and maybe a lot more old fashioned than perhaps some on this forum or at EAA, and I don't own or know how to work an ipad or most of the electro gizmos.
But I have been coming to Osh since 1984, before there was any cell phones or wi fi to bitch about and I had a great time back then and every year since.
Did you ever notice the airplanes at Osh or try playing with them instead of the little gadgets? Is that a radical and old fashioned idea?

I am lucky enough to have flown into Osh many years in one of the best flying, best looking, and most historic, and overall greatest planes to ever visit Osh and I have loved it, in my ignorance. I just realized that while it has probably the best wing ever put on an airplane and one of the best engines, but I must be missing out all these years since it doesn't have any cell phones or ipad or computers or wi fis in it at all. It just flys.

Maybe when I get too old and too jaded to fly, I can buy all those cool gadgets to bring to Oshkosh and complain about how they don't work as well as they do in some other more boring location.

And maybe I am seeing it only from the point of view of a pilot/owner and if I didn't have an airplane, the gadgets would be the next best substitute.

Times are a changing. If you do not change with them this new generation will just leave you behind. Don't be surprised when you are the only one standing in a field of airplanes. Sure you will have your other old timers there with you but none of the younger ones. Eventually there will be no one.

Does this sound at all familiar.

[Bill Greenwood]

I never took a Young Eagle for a ride and had them get out afterwards and say, "That was okay, but not as cool as my ipad."

[Jim Rosenow]

I have to agree with Bill, even tho he's a short-timer (only since '84?) :-)

I just don't see the big deal about wifi. Most any phone or phone-connected tablet can be your personal wifi portal if you choose to do so. "I'm going to spend a week camping under my wing (or in my camper) in a hay field with no electricity" seems somewhat at odds with "but there'd better dang well be super-fast wifi". My opinion only, of course.

Young people at OSH....my perception is that the young people who 'get' aviation will be there, with or without camper electricity, wifi, or concerts. Those who don't, I'm happy to have them leave me behind. They have no idea what they're missing. It's a choice.

A scenario for those whose who absolutely require wifi.... There's a place where you have wifi, probably a comfortable chair, the food choices vary according to your particular tastes, and (bonus) there are no travel expenses involved to get there. Paul and Todd do a tremendous job of providing a vicarious visit to OSH via the webcams.

Jim
EAA 64315 (1/1/71)