Oshkosh '07 - The Numbers

[Jay Honeck]

This from EAA, via AvWeb:

Numbers Are In For EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007

Attendance at this year's AirVenture show was up about 3 percent over
last year, EAA President Tom Poberezny said on Monday, with an
estimated total of about 560,000 visitors. Other numbers included more
than 10,000 aircraft that flew in to Wittman Regional Airport in
Oshkosh and other nearby fields; 2,647 showplanes (985 homebuilts,
1,014 vintage airplanes, 365 warbirds, 136 ultralights, 117 seaplanes
and 30 rotorcraft); 784 commercial exhibitors; and more than 38,000
campers. Reporting on all that news and activity were 887 media
representatives from six continents (none, apparently, made the trip
from Antarctica). "The number of aviation innovations and
introductions we saw at Oshkosh were unprecedented, and there was a
very positive feeling among pilots and aviation enthusiasts,"
Poberezny said. "In addition, exhibitors throughout the grounds noted
strong interest and, in some cases, record sales." The increase in
attendance was thanks partly to good weather, plus a strong lineup of
features and attractions, and a large number of significant
announcements, Poberezny said. If you missed it this year, next year's
dates are July 28 to August 3.

I find it somewhat disappointing that they say over 10K aircraft flew
in, but they're counting other "nearby fields" in that number. That
makes it a pretty bogus number, IMHO. Where's the cut-off? Fond du
Lac? Green Bay? Milwaukee?

Regardless, OSH '07 was a great time, and I'm already counting the
days till OSH '08.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Matt Whiting]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> This from EAA, via AvWeb:
>
> Numbers Are In For EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007
>
> Attendance at this year's AirVenture show was up about 3 percent over
> last year, EAA President Tom Poberezny said on Monday, with an
> estimated total of about 560,000 visitors.

Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but I thought attendance was around
800,000 when I was there in 1995.

Matt

[Blueskies]

"Other numbers included more than 10,000 aircraft that flew in to Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other nearby
fields"

What does that mean? How many were at OSH?

[[email protected]]

On Aug 5, 2:31 pm, Matt Whiting > wrote:
> Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but I thought attendance was around
> 800,000 when I was there in 1995.
>

EAA has been putting out phony attendance #'s for decades. Their
latest IRS filing reported only $4.9 million for "Fly-in
Registrations." Do the math on what it costs to buy daily tickets to
get in and the avg number of days people stay.

Fred F.

[Jay Honeck]

> "Other numbers included more than 10,000 aircraft that flew in to Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other nearby
> fields"
>
> What does that mean? How many were at OSH?

Dunno, exactly, but it seemed like about the same number as usual from
Sunday - Tuesday, and then a sharp drop thereafter.

No matter how you cut it, though, camping in a field of airplanes that
stretches to the horizon, as far as the eye can see, is an awesome
experience -- whether it's 10,000 planes, or "only" 8,000...

I'm just glad AIrventure was a couple of weeks ago, and not this week.
We're getting "OSH weather here today -- unbearably hot and sticky.
OSH week was absolutely gorgeous, by comparison.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Blueskies]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message oups.com...
>
> No matter how you cut it, though, camping in a field of airplanes that
> stretches to the horizon, as far as the eye can see, is an awesome
> experience -- whether it's 10,000 planes, or "only" 8,000...
>
> I'm just glad AIrventure was a couple of weeks ago, and not this week.
> We're getting "OSH weather here today -- unbearably hot and sticky.
> OSH week was absolutely gorgeous, by comparison.
> --
> Jay Honeck


Yes, on all counts!

[Kyle Boatright]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> On Aug 5, 2:31 pm, Matt Whiting > wrote:
>> Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but I thought attendance was around
>> 800,000 when I was there in 1995.
>>
>
> EAA has been putting out phony attendance #'s for decades. Their
> latest IRS filing reported only $4.9 million for "Fly-in
> Registrations." Do the math on what it costs to buy daily tickets to
> get in and the avg number of days people stay.
>
> Fred F.

Registration earnings probably don't reflect attendance. They probably
reflect campsite rentals @ $19/day.

KB

[BobHoover]

> Registration earnings probably don't reflect attendance. They probably
> reflect campsite rentals @ $19/day.
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Using the EAA's own stats, attendance has dropped nearly 30% over the
last five years.

-R.S.Hoover

[[email protected]]

On Aug 6, 9:23 pm, "Kyle Boatright" > wrote:
>
> Registration earnings probably don't reflect attendance. They probably
> reflect campsite rentals @ $19/day.
>

Have you reviewed their IRS Forms 990 over the years? I have.
"Registrations" is the
only possible line item, and they've called admissions dollars
"Registrations" in financial
statements way back to the 1960s. Camping fees are probably in "Fly-
in Rentals." If both
admissions and camping fees are in "Registrations" -- as true in the
early years -- their
attendance claims are off more yet!

F--

[Jay Honeck]

> If both
> admissions and camping fees are in "Registrations" -- as true in the
> early years -- their
> attendance claims are off more yet!

It's interesting. Although I've noticed some decline in attendance at
OSH over the years, I didn't think it was so steep.

With the demise of the WWII and Korean War vets, we've lost a HUGE
chunk of EAA (and pilots in general), yet strangely (IMHO) the biggest
drop in attendance has been in the weekend airshow crowd.

I've attended every OSH convention since '83 (drove into 16, flew into
9), and remember when the airshow crowd was MUCH larger -- there were
years when you couldn't approach the flight line after noon, with
everyone staking out good spots.

Now, it's tight around show center, but you can walk right up to the
line simply by walking several hundred yards south. That was simply
not possible in the past.

I was attributing this drop to the fact that the grounds themselves
have grown so huge that the crowd is more diffuse, but apparently it's
a deeper problem. Of course, all you have to do is look at the "Gone
West" page in the EAA mag to see that they're losing something like 50
members per MONTH to the Grim Reaper -- and we all know that kids
aren't jumping into flying like they used to...

The North 40 camping attendance was still strong this year, but (as
previously noted in other threads) the "2nd Wave" that usually arrives
mid-week (to take the place of the early-departers) was way down.
Dunno if that was due to weather, or other factors.

And, of course, the all-important vendors/exhibitors seemed to be busy
as always, often to the point of grid-lock. When *that* starts to go
away, you'll see AirVenture start to die...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Kyle Boatright]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>> If both
>> admissions and camping fees are in "Registrations" -- as true in the
>> early years -- their
>> attendance claims are off more yet!
>
> It's interesting. Although I've noticed some decline in attendance at
> OSH over the years, I didn't think it was so steep.
>
> With the demise of the WWII and Korean War vets, we've lost a HUGE
> chunk of EAA (and pilots in general), yet strangely (IMHO) the biggest
> drop in attendance has been in the weekend airshow crowd.
>
> I've attended every OSH convention since '83 (drove into 16, flew into
> 9), and remember when the airshow crowd was MUCH larger -- there were
> years when you couldn't approach the flight line after noon, with
> everyone staking out good spots.

You still go to the airshow? I got burned out on the airshow itself several
years ago because so many of the acts are essentially clones, and I've seen
'em a dozen times anyway. At both SnF and Osh, I look at the schedule of
performers and if I don't see an act I really want to see, I use the time to
shop the booths and take a look at exhibits which

>
> Now, it's tight around show center, but you can walk right up to the
> line simply by walking several hundred yards south. That was simply
> not possible in the past.
>
> I was attributing this drop to the fact that the grounds themselves
> have grown so huge that the crowd is more diffuse, but apparently it's
> a deeper problem. Of course, all you have to do is look at the "Gone
> West" page in the EAA mag to see that they're losing something like 50
> members per MONTH to the Grim Reaper -- and we all know that kids
> aren't jumping into flying like they used to...
>
> The North 40 camping attendance was still strong this year, but (as
> previously noted in other threads) the "2nd Wave" that usually arrives
> mid-week (to take the place of the early-departers) was way down.
> Dunno if that was due to weather, or other factors.

It certainly was in our case. There was a system that essentially cordoned
off everything from 100 miles East of Chicago to a couple hundred miles West
of the city. In addition, it looked like there was a good chance of rain at
Osh itself. I imagine the prospect of flying through very marginal weather
to get to a potentially rainy airshow was too much for many of the late week
folks.

KB

>
> And, of course, the all-important vendors/exhibitors seemed to be busy
> as always, often to the point of grid-lock. When *that* starts to go
> away, you'll see AirVenture start to die...
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"
>

[Jay Honeck]

> You still go to the airshow? I got burned out on the airshow itself several
> years ago because so many of the acts are essentially clones, and I've seen
> 'em a dozen times anyway.

We try to watch the airshow at least one day while we're at either SNF
or OSH. This year (and always) I truly enjoyed the guy that flies the
stock Stearman (now THERE is a pilot), and I always enjoy the "Crazy
Cub" that loses an aileron (really!) in flight, yet somehow continues
doing aerobatics.

I've long since grown weary of the high-powered-tumbling acts. I'll
watch a guy in a Cub, or a classic biplane, or even a hang-glider with
more interest...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Montblack]

("Jay Honeck" wrote)
> We try to watch the airshow at least one day while we're at either SNF or
> OSH. This year (and always) I truly enjoyed the guy that flies the stock
> Stearman (now THERE is a pilot)...


http://www.stearmanflyin.com/news/when_john_mohr.html
John Mohr blurb

As soon as he was finished with his (5:30pm) Sunday evening routine, at OSH
this year, he hopped into the Stinson Tri-Motor and flew it to ANE - landed
back in Minnesota before sunset.

A FANTASTIC September day in 2006! Thanks again Jay and Mary!
<http://new.photos.yahoo.com/landof10klakes/album/576460762322824225>
35th National Stearman Fly-In (2006)

Um, not many pics of John Mohr this day - card was full and/or battery was
low. Doh!


Paul-Mont

[Jay Honeck]

> A FANTASTIC September day in 2006! Thanks again Jay and Mary!
> <http://new.photos.yahoo.com/landof10klakes/album/576460762322824225>
> 35th National Stearman Fly-In (2006)

Yep, hard to believe that's coming up again, soon. You should plan on
joining us for it!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"