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Thread: Why doesn’t EAA allow Fifi and other Warbirds to Charge for rides?

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  1. #1

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    Why doesn’t EAA allow Fifi and other Warbirds to Charge for rides?

    Hey Sam- I just watched a video explaining why Fifi didn’t come to Oshkosh this year. It essentially said that since EAA doesn’t allow Fifi to charge for rides and experience flights, they can’t cover their costs or make money for their operation. So they don’t come. Why is this a policy for EAA? I come to Oshkosh for the Warbirds as I’m sure many do. If EAA is going to make it so they don’t show up what exactly is the end game in that? Thanks!

  2. #2

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    You realize that (other than the tri-motor), EAA doesn't use its aircraft to give rides at Oshkosh. They give rides on the B-17 and B-25 from Appleton, IIRC.

    Cycling a warbird (worse - a big one like the -29) through the field every hour or so would have a huge adverse impact on all of the other inbound and outbound traffic. In addition, there's the ramp space issue. Where is EAA gonna find the ramp space to properly manage a ride program on a B-whatever without sacrificing a chunk of Aeroshell Square or the entire ramp at Basler (which EAA doesn't control anyway).

    I just don't think it is practical without a substantial negative impact on all of the other things going on at Oshkosh.

  3. #3
    PaulDow's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kyle Boatright View Post
    ...without sacrificing a chunk of Aeroshell Square...
    The Boeing people won't like it called that. AeroShell was two sponsors ago. They aren't even an exhibiter there this year, although happily they are still the primary sponsor of the aerobatic team.

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    You hit it on the head Kyle with the rides being staged from Appleton. In years past, that’s exactly where the B-29’s have staged from. But from the video I watched, apparently EAA is not allowing Fifi to do that either. Obviously they’re not going to stage rides from Oshkosh itself. Clearly that’s not logistically possible. But not letting the CAF or Other warbird organizations charge for rides in general is going to stop them from coming to Oshkosh all together. They have to be able to have a source of income to cover their expenses.

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    I’m just looking for some clarification from EAA on what the actual policy is so we can know what the facts are. If it’s true that they’re not allowing the Warbird Organizations to charge for rides in general if the Warbird is going to be on the ground in Oshkosh at any point during the show or affiliated with the show in any way- then I don’t see how any of the big warbirds will continue coming to the show. I’d like to know what the actual facts are behind all of this.

  6. #6
    EAA Staff / Moderator Hal Bryan's Avatar
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    Hi Mark - Apologies for the delay in getting back to you, but I'm sure you understand given the time of year. Without having seen the video, we can't comment on exactly what was said, but here's the message I got back from the powers-that-be:

    The CAF is welcome to provide flight experiences with FIFI out of Appleton just as other groups do, such as Doc’s Friends with their B-29 and Yankee Lady this year with the B-17. Those operations are held in Appleton because of the air traffic in Oshkosh throughout the day, and the tower’s ability there to slot them in between the commercial traffic. It would be much more difficult to do that in Oshkosh during the fly-in. There is nothing stopping any group from providing those flights up there.

    So, whoever told you that we "don't allow" the CAF to charge for rides was wholly mistaken.

    Hal Bryan
    EAA Lifetime 638979
    Vintage 714005 | Warbirds 553527
    Managing Editor
    EAA—The Spirit of Aviation

  7. #7

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    Thanks for the clarification on it Hal. I appreciate it. We have to be doing everything possible to ensure that Fifi and Doc are back flying together at Oshkosh next year. With each passing day, the first hand history and accounts of WWII are being lost. It’s absolutely imperative that the younger generations understand the lessons from WWII and what exactly happened and why. It’s one thing to read about WWII in history books. And it’s decisively another to tell the story of the WWII experience through Fifi and Doc. Airventure is Masters Class in WWII History. But that class is woefully incomplete without Fifi and Doc flying together. So Let’s do all we can to honor our WWII Veterans by telling their stories in the most impactful and powerful way possible. It’s just too important.

  8. #8

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    Ya I agree. I said fond du lac but I guess it is Appleton I was thinking of. Don’t know how EAA can stop them. I like seeing fifi do fly overs.

    I don’t want to add bad info, but I do recall in past years I would see the p51s running more often. Often I would see a passenger In the back. I had assumed the passenger was a fare paying customer but maybe they were photo flights. I assumed it was a win-win. EAA has more planes and pays nothings. The airplane. Owner makes some money to keep the plane flying. And I get to buy a $10 burger and watch a p51 do it’s thing. If I had to choose between letting the warbirds make money or keep the airspace open for the random 150 to land at noon on Wednesday. I would prefer seeing the warbirds flying. At the end of the day folks with a lot more money and say are better positioned to negotiate this with EAA. And at the end of the day, can’t believe EAA really wants to discourage unique planes from showing up and flying


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  9. #9
    rwanttaja's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tnathan View Post
    I don’t want to add bad info, but I do recall in past years I would see the p51s running more often. Often I would see a passenger In the back. I had assumed the passenger was a fare paying customer but maybe they were photo flights. I assumed it was a win-win. EAA has more planes and pays nothings. The airplane. Owner makes some money to keep the plane flying. And I get to buy a $10 burger and watch a p51 do it’s thing. If I had to choose between letting the warbirds make money or keep the airspace open for the random 150 to land at noon on Wednesday. I would prefer seeing the warbirds flying. At the end of the day folks with a lot more money and say are better positioned to negotiate this with EAA. And at the end of the day, can’t believe EAA really wants to discourage unique planes from showing up and flying
    Speaking of bad info :-) I've heard some rumors over the years. In the good 'ol days, airshow organizers would fill up the tanks for any warbird, as long as it was at the show. What I've heard is, due to the rise in gas prices and other hassles, many shows now only provide the fuel to fly in any displays at the show itself. In response, it seems many warbird owners are less willing to spend their own coin to fly to the events.

    Ron Wanttaja

  10. #10
    FlyingRon's Avatar
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    I remember someone asking Scotty Crossfield whether he thought the new adminsitration (I think it was George W. Bush at the time) would increase the funding for those flying old military aircraft.

    He his answer was quite acerbic. "I'm tired fo fighting WWII. We could go to the moon again with the money wasted on this. Put one of each type in a museum and recycle the rest into canoes."

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