Airventure thoughts

[PaulDow]

I would think the goal is to move a lot of people quickly from a fixed point to another and back without interfering with the aircraft on the grounds.
Would a ski lift type system be cost effective? Installation would be less than putting it on a mountain since it’s flat. I know we’re only looking at about 9 days counting early arrivals. It might be cheaper than a major paving project.

[CHICAGORANDY]

I would think the goal is to move a lot of people quickly from a fixed point to another and back without interfering with the aircraft on the grounds.
Would a ski lift type system be cost effective? Installation would be less than putting it on a mountain since it’s flat. I know we’re only looking at about 9 days counting early arrivals. It might be cheaper than a major paving project.

Since they haven't been able to improve the pavement over the decades, I shudder to think about the maintenance and insurance nightmares involved in a ski lift. One of the BEST large scale customer service operations in my memory is Disney. AFAIK guests mostly walk at their theme parks. With a few stops necessary along the way on each route, I honestly can't think of a more practical, logistical and affordable way to move more folks than the trams do now at this brief event.

[PaulDow]

Perhaps city buses on the show grounds instead of school buses. They have the second wider door which would probably cut load/unload times by 2/3.

[Kyle Boatright]

Since they haven't been able to improve the pavement over the decades, I shudder to think about the maintenance and insurance nightmares involved in a ski lift. One of the BEST large scale customer service operations in my memory is Disney. AFAIK guests mostly walk at their theme parks. With a few stops necessary along the way on each route, I honestly can't think of a more practical, logistical and affordable way to move more folks than the trams do now at this brief event.

I think the tram approach is appropriate. But they need to add capacity on the N/S line and separate the foot traffic from the vehicles.

[turtle]

on trams that have no suspension

This is not the 1960s and an event with only a few hundred people. There’s no reason the existing trams couldn’t be retrofitted with a decent suspension and maybe a truck air ride seat for the conductor. Might get more volunteers if they didn’t have to suffer for hours getting rattled on a cart.

[krw920]

I think the tram approach is appropriate. But they need to add capacity on the N/S line and separate the foot traffic from the vehicles.

I agree, and one other thing I noticed is that the Express tram needed more trams on that route, at least the south side route for sure. Not sure how many they had running on that route, but I know I rarely saw one.

[CHICAGORANDY]

I agree, and one other thing I noticed is that the Express tram needed more trams on that route, at least the south side route for sure. Not sure how many they had running on that route, but I know I rarely saw one.

EVERY route has clamored for "more". The Tram operation can AWAYS use more volunteers. It takes a minimum of 4 volunteers to put ONE tram on the street. Were EAA to build additional tram coaches and the JD dealer donate a tractor to pull it, it only takes YOU to get that new rig rollin', consider joining us in 2026.

"To volunteer for the trams at AirVenture, you can contact the Volunteer Center at vccs.eaa@gmail.com.For more direct tram-related inquiries, some organizers have also used the email address airventuretrams@gmail.com to send sign-up sheets and information.You can also find more information on the official EAA website or contact them by phone:Phone: (920) 230-7744"

[FlyingRon]

3) Thursday morning departure window. A huge win. We got out this year with minimal delay. A big improvement over the last couple of years.

Last year was a debacle because 9-27 got closed. The only real change this year was not accepting arrivals Thrusday morning.

[krw920]

I already have a full-time volunteer position! Wish I could do both but want some time to enjoy the convention!

[Kyle Boatright]

3) Thursday morning departure window. A huge win. We got out this year with minimal delay. A big improvement over the last couple of years.

Last year was a debacle because 9-27 got closed. The only real change this year was not accepting arrivals Thrusday morning.

The point is they took action that appeared to fix the issue and I applaud that. Early Thursday departures have been a challenge for years.