Changes for the Thunderbirds

[Hal Bryan]

Here's the summary, Kyle:

• There will be full access to the entire flight line until 1:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, August 1-2. However, there will be announcements and signs informing those who set up chairs and blankets in front of the Thunderbirds crowd line that they should set up behind that line.
• From 1:30-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, the area between the Thunderbirds crowd line and the regular crowd line will be cleared of people, except those needing access to their aircraft. Those people will be escorted to and from their aircraft.
• From 5-6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, no one will be allowed between the Thunderbirds crowd line and the regular crowd line. Following the Thunderbirds’ performance, operations will return to normal.
• In addition, the entire aircraft parking area and Seaplane Base bus stop south of the ultralight airstrip will follow the same restrictions schedule. That will allow the Thunderbirds entry and exit from the aerobatic box.
• On Sunday, August 3, the crowd line will be moved at noon and the no-access time will be 3-4 p.m., because of the earlier start to the air show and the Thunderbirds performance that day.

[Kyle Boatright]

Here's the summary, Kyle:

• There will be full access to the entire flight line until 1:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, August 1-2. However, there will be announcements and signs informing those who set up chairs and blankets in front of the Thunderbirds crowd line that they should set up behind that line.
• From 1:30-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, the area between the Thunderbirds crowd line and the regular crowd line will be cleared of people, except those needing access to their aircraft. Those people will be escorted to and from their aircraft.
• From 5-6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, no one will be allowed between the Thunderbirds crowd line and the regular crowd line. Following the Thunderbirds’ performance, operations will return to normal.
• In addition, the entire aircraft parking area and Seaplane Base bus stop south of the ultralight airstrip will follow the same restrictions schedule. That will allow the Thunderbirds entry and exit from the aerobatic box.
• On Sunday, August 3, the crowd line will be moved at noon and the no-access time will be 3-4 p.m., because of the earlier start to the air show and the Thunderbirds performance that day.

Thanks, Hal.

[Aaron Novak]

Hey Hal,
Any truth to the word going around that the Thunderbirds might be a no-go due to one or two homeowners that do not wish to vacate their property?

[Hal Bryan]

Aaron - I don't honestly know about that, but I know that we are waiting on a handful of details before we make the big push announcement-wise. The details I posted above were from our volunteer newsletter. It may have been premature to share them publicly, frankly, but I wanted to give some clarity since the topic was already being discussed.

[Roger Janssens]

I've just had another look at the implications of the Thunderbirds displaying and am still not convinced that I should book flights etc. to attend AirVenture this year. My main interest is photography, and I was e.g. looking forward to the CAF B-24 displaying on the Friday this year. But if I have to take (take-off or landing) photos from the speaker line, I might just as well not bother.
Of course the rumoured Vietnam focus during the Wednesday airshow might have changed things, but that doesn't even feature as one of the 'daily themes'.

[FlyingRon]

I've just had another look at the implications of the Thunderbirds displaying and am still not convinced that I should book flights etc. to attend AirVenture this year. My main interest is photography, and I was e.g. looking forward to the CAF B-24 displaying on the Friday this year. But if I have to take (take-off or landing) photos from the speaker line, I might just as well not bother.
Of course the rumoured Vietnam focus during the Wednesday airshow might have changed things, but that doesn't even feature as one of the 'daily themes'.

The speaker pole line will only be in effect in the vicinity of the Thunderbirds performance. At other times you should be able to walk right up to the old burn line (well the modified burn line we've used for the past dozen years, it was moved back after the DC-3 ended up in the ditch on takeoff a while back).

Sun n Fun moved things back (mostly evicting people from part of the camping ground) for the Blues.

[Roger Janssens]

The speaker pole line will only be in effect in the vicinity of the Thunderbirds performance. At other times you should be able to walk right up to the old burn line

Thanks for your reply, Ron, but Hal (and the volunteer newsletter) said people wil have to move back from the burn line at 1.30 pm. That's about the same time that the sun actually moves to the west side of 18/36 and runway photos start to be possible. Morning photos on 18/36 are useless. So the Thunderbirds displaying means I will not be able to take photos on the main runway until after 6 pm on the Friday (typically main warbird airshow day) or the Saturday.
Moreover many people will wonder what the 1-hour gap before their actual flying display signifies.

[FlyingRon]

My guess it's to keep sweeping the area to make sure that they've gotten everybody out.

[nigel hitchman]

Hi Roger,
yes its going to be real pain for photos during the main warbird airshows on Friday and Saturday. The best area for photography is usually on the flighline south of where the Cessna 195s are and this year we aren't going to be able to get there for the whole time of the warbird airshow. Not only is the new line going to be too far away-the current burn line being just close enough for photos of the fighters takingoff and landing even with my large 400mm lens,but worse there are going to be lines of parked aircraft in the way, giving only a small gap where the aircraft are in view. If we have to have the Thunderbirds why not move the big warbird displays to Wed and Thur before the T-Birds arrive.
During the afternoon airshow is also a great time to visit the "south 40" beyond the ultralights and away from the loudspeakers and crowds, but we wont be able to do that now. I bet all the warbird parking will be off limits for hours now too.

Why does Oshkosh need the Thundebirds? I don't understand. Ive had almost 30 years of going without any jet teams and its been great. Last year with no modern military at all was one of the best years in recent times. Oshkosh is way better, has way more to see and is a much better event than all those other shows that need the jet teams. We have a unique event bettered nowhere, why take this massive backward step.

Hasn't EAA seen what has happened to Sun+Fun, once a week long great fly-in, but now half empty parking areas, a shadow of the old event and all happened since they started to invite the jet teams and close the airspace for hours while they arrive/practice/display. Sure they might get lots of local public at the weekend, but they have driven a lot of the core EAA members away.

Please don't let Oshkosh go the same way! Personally I cant really see that with the fantastic array of warbirds, vintage, homebuilts, ulralights already on display, how having the Thunderbirds is going to persuade someone not interested to come before to now decide to spend their money and come in to Oshkosh. Im sure the Thunderbirds will generate a lot of non paying locals on the outside though!

Im leaving early this year, after the warbirds on Friday. I think a lot of others will be leaving early before all the restrictions too.

[FlyingRon]

We;ll have to see how it goes. I can't tell you the number of times the question has been asked "Why doesn't Airventure have the Blues or T-birds?" asked over the past 20 years. This will be an experiment in how compatible it will be. Frankly, I'd rather see the blues or tbirds than the Jet Powered port-o-let or whatever Shockwave is supposed to be or the Masters of Stupidity type demonstration.

Sun-n-Fun has been blighted even without the Blue Angels. I usually am there are Monday because we hold the annual ANS meeting and like Airventure, it's not been like it used to be.

No matter how they tinker with the Airventure schedule the last day is always a ghost town. It used to be the venders even disappeared towards the end of the show, and unnerving to me who was still paying for my camp space, they started taking away the portolets and stuff the day before the last day. We'll see what a big airshow on Sunday does for things.