Quote Originally Posted by Old Timer View Post
On what basis do you claim to speak for the majority?
Same question to you.

I'm only claiming to speak for myself and my view is that the EAA is doing its best to meet the wants, desires and needs of a broad population and accommodate as many folks as possible (Paul's old saying that there's room enough for everyone). My contention that the various factions are minorities is an educated guess since most pilots are not air racers, aerobatic types, etc. Simply look at the number of members in the "main" EAA versus the various specialty clubs. If everyone is so dedicated to whatever little faction you wish to point out, then why aren't they members of the club for it?

The difference in opinion seems to largely break down (anecdotally) along age lines. The 'old timers' (no offense intended) seem to want to see the good ol' show with lots of daring do and classic light aircraft and showcase their love for the mystique of aviation. Those of us under the age of say 40-50 want to see aircraft that we identify with or want to fly and those tend not to be the Piets and other antiques except for the warbirds. We don't tend to have the same form of love for aviation (the 'mystique' versus a love for a fun form of transportation) and we are a little more focused on the latest technology so it tends to grate on the nerves of our parent's generation of pilots.

They don't seem to realize that there is room for us all here but resources are limited so not everyone is going to get their way. Failure to realize that the EAA is a business (and businesses have to make tough and sometimes unpopular decisions to survive) is at the heart of this entire mess. Sometimes we are going to not like the decisions that have to be made (example in my case: the Warbirds taking that chunk of parking to let the reenactors have their little encampment; that space could be used much better to showcase something really aviation related) but in the wash it all balances out.

Let's all stop bitching at one another and play nice. No one is out to run anyone else off so long as they can stay civil. We're all airplane geeks and so it's about time that we stop bickering and realize we either live together as friends or perish apart as fools.