EAA plans major building expansion?

"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:4Xy%j.185282$yE1.138744@attbi_s21:

I bring this up because a lot of people feel that EAA has become too
commercial and has forgotten their constituency.

EAA is a big business with a shrinking constituency. Look at the
"Gone West" column each month, and all the empty airports, and it's
easy to see what they're up against.

If expanding the Airventure grounds so that it may be better used for
other events helps to preserve our annual fly-in, I'm all for it. I
wish it were otherwise, but there just ain't enough new pilots in the
pipeline to support EAA. As a result, their choices are rather stark.

There were only two at the beginning, idiot.



Bertie

"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote in message
...
"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:4Xy%j.185282$yE1.138744@attbi_s21:

I bring this up because a lot of people feel that EAA has become too
commercial and has forgotten their constituency.

EAA is a big business with a shrinking constituency. Look at the
"Gone West" column each month, and all the empty airports, and it's
easy to see what they're up against.

If expanding the Airventure grounds so that it may be better used for
other events helps to preserve our annual fly-in, I'm all for it. I
wish it were otherwise, but there just ain't enough new pilots in the
pipeline to support EAA. As a result, their choices are rather stark.

There were only two at the beginning, idiot.


Who come to your limited mind, you and Anthony?

"Maxwell" luv2^fly99@cox.^net wrote in news:99L0k.3194$t07.1982
@newsfe22.lga:


"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote in message
...
"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:4Xy%j.185282$yE1.138744@attbi_s21:

I bring this up because a lot of people feel that EAA has become
too
commercial and has forgotten their constituency.

EAA is a big business with a shrinking constituency. Look at the
"Gone West" column each month, and all the empty airports, and it's
easy to see what they're up against.

If expanding the Airventure grounds so that it may be better used
for
other events helps to preserve our annual fly-in, I'm all for it.
I
wish it were otherwise, but there just ain't enough new pilots in
the
pipeline to support EAA. As a result, their choices are rather
stark.

There were only two at the beginning, idiot.


Who come to your limited mind, you and Anthony?


Paul Poberezny and Steve Whitman, actually.


Bertie

It has only take two decades to get EAA to realize that it is in not
only to their benefit, but also the taxpayers of Winnebago County to
combine the AirVenture Grounds with the Fairgrounds...afterall it is
county property. When they build the existing fairgrounds there were
those who said combine the two...but no, EAA seemed to have the
political pull to keep everyone away from their corner of the world
and have the county taketh away land from landowners to expand the
airport grounds even further. Much of this expansion was being used
for vehicle parking, which subsidized the farmers who owned it...now
EAA collects the cash.

Over the past few years EAA has opened the doors to other events such
as Ducks Unlimited and a agriculture show. I believe John Deere still
has their dealer conventions there...hence the green tractors and ATVs
that blanket the grounds during the convention.

The taxpayers were cheated, now it has become apparent that EAAs sole
control of the grounds was short sighted. Even the new Country USA
grounds west of the airport aren't working as well as
predicted...access to the highway, something the EAA grounds has...had
they built a new amphitheater there (on the airport grounds) a decade
ago, it would have saved a lot of wasted resources and money.

The fairgrounds on the north side was a huge mistake...something about
building it across the road and downwind of the county landfill
doesn't make attending concerts enjoyable after a particularly busy
day at the dump.

Many of us knew this would happen...had they listened to us then, we
wouldn't be talking about it now. The geographic footprint of the
airport isn't justified 50 of the 52 weeks a year. Had the forefathers
of Winnebago and Outagamie Counties been able to agree on a location
for a joint airport....things would be a whole lot different than they
are today.

Before you ask...yes I am a member of EAA and a resident and taxpayer
of Winnebago County.

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 12:49:06 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

"Maxwell" luv2^fly99@cox.^net wrote in news:99L0k.3194$t07.1982
:


"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote in message
...
"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:4Xy%j.185282$yE1.138744@attbi_s21:

I bring this up because a lot of people feel that EAA has become
too
commercial and has forgotten their constituency.

EAA is a big business with a shrinking constituency. Look at the
"Gone West" column each month, and all the empty airports, and it's
easy to see what they're up against.

If expanding the Airventure grounds so that it may be better used
for
other events helps to preserve our annual fly-in, I'm all for it.
I
wish it were otherwise, but there just ain't enough new pilots in
the
pipeline to support EAA. As a result, their choices are rather
stark.

There were only two at the beginning, idiot.


Who come to your limited mind, you and Anthony?


Paul Poberezny and Steve Whitman, actually.


Bertie

no H, 2 t's

I fly steve's 8th design.

(I know, spelling errors are kook baits :-) )
Stealth Pilot

Paul Poberezny and Steve Whitman, actually.


Bertie

no H, 2 t's

I fly steve's 8th design.

(I know, spelling errors are kook baits :-) )
Stealth Pilot

Not when he is trying to quote someone, you actually got him.

Coarse, he will just lie.

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 12:49:06 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

There were only two at the beginning, idiot.


Who come to your limited mind, you and Anthony?


Paul Poberezny and Steve Whitman, actually.


Bertie


Nope. Paul Pobernezny is EAA #1, Steve Wittman was EAA #34.

Stealth Pilot wrote in
:

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 12:49:06 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

"Maxwell" luv2^fly99@cox.^net wrote in news:99L0k.3194$t07.1982
:


"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote in message
...
"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:4Xy%j.185282$yE1.138744@attbi_s21:

I bring this up because a lot of people feel that EAA has become
too
commercial and has forgotten their constituency.

EAA is a big business with a shrinking constituency. Look at the
"Gone West" column each month, and all the empty airports, and
it's
easy to see what they're up against.

If expanding the Airventure grounds so that it may be better used
for
other events helps to preserve our annual fly-in, I'm all for it.
I
wish it were otherwise, but there just ain't enough new pilots in
the
pipeline to support EAA. As a result, their choices are rather
stark.

There were only two at the beginning, idiot.


Who come to your limited mind, you and Anthony?


Paul Poberezny and Steve Whitman, actually.


Bertie

no H, 2 t's

I fly steve's 8th design.

(I know, spelling errors are kook baits :-) )
Stealth Pilot



Wasn't intentional! I type pretty quickly, obviously Good speed, crap
accuracy.

Bertie

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in news:P8idnVtvpM5
:

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 12:49:06 +0000 (UTC), Bertie the Bunyip
wrote:

There were only two at the beginning, idiot.


Who come to your limited mind, you and Anthony?


Paul Poberezny and Steve Whitman, actually.


Bertie


Nope. Paul Pobernezny is EAA #1, Steve Wittman was EAA #34.




Yer right. Can;'t remember who he set up with , but it was just a couple
of them at the very beginning...

Anyhow, the point was, you don't need winnebagos, loudspeakers, golf
carts, B2 bomber fly bys or any of that crap tp have the EAA or
something like it. You just need a couple of guys with the knowledge of
how to build an airplane and the desire to do it.



Bertie

I sat in on a focus group at the convention last year on the expansion
plans. While the two new exhibit buildings are the most visible change,
there's some things for the members too. They're going to put in real
showers and toilets in camp areas, and the plan of separating people
from vehicles is way overdue.

One of the comments we made several times, but I fear was ignored, was
the elimination of the parking fee. We thought that raising the
admission price a bit, and reducing the camping fee to make it revenue
neutral would get cars into the event a lot easier. It also gives a bad
first impression of the organization by having their hand out to collect
money before even getting near the main gate.

An item I wasn't too fond of is the triangle shape of the main, and (I
believe) only entrance. Obviously the new vendor rental rate is in the
same form where the peak rate is right at the entrance. This must be to
address the way vendors don't get much traffic to the left, and
especially the right, of the main gate. I think this will put an even
greater emphasis on the commercial aspects of our convention by moving
the people further away from the warbirds, experimental, vintage and
ultralight areas. One thing of note was the architectural drawing had
some display planes at the main entrance. They were all warbirds. None
were experimental or even LSAs.

It will be interesting to see what they do with food service. I
personally like the state fair type of food vendors they have at Sun N'
Fun. There's competition, and it seems like they have a good variety.