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disappointed

Posted by disgruntled on Mon Jul 29, 2002 09:18:51 PM

In reply top Re: Oshkosh warbird extravaganza- comments? posted by Dan K on Mon Jul 29, 2002 07:26:27 PM

I was very disappointed by the lack of variety... I was surprised to see the EAA B-17 flying continuosly from a distant runway rather than participating in the warbird show (my assumption is that EAA was too busy giving rides to paying customers). The show seemed to be mostly a gaggle of P-51's with a few other assorted fighters, a bunch of trainers flying formation in the stratosphere, and a group of L-Birds. I thought the display was lackluster at best.

You are right, there were HUGE gaps in the display. The weather is always iffy in the Midwest, and summer is no exception, but it has been a relatively mild summer so I don't think that the weather kept many away- and the weather for the show was perfect on Friday.

I found the crowds to be quite manageable- but then again I used the campground showers at 2:00 AM and got kicked out of the warbirds area for taking flash pictures in the dark (no crowds then either)...

The show just doesn't seem to draw the interesting aircraft that it used to. In addition, everything is sponsored yet prices keep leaping up. The display areas have increased dramatically in size, changing Oshkosh from a fly-in aircraft swap meet to a commercial display show... Maybe EAA should move the event to the Las Vegas Convention Center? At least then the buffet lunches would be inexpensive enough!

The bargains on aircraft parts that used to be available at Oshkosh are no more. :-( My dad spoke to a number of vendors who stated that they could not afford to return next year due to the high prices. Only time will tell what the final result will be. Maybe if nobody shows up, things will change.

I feel that Oshkosh has become too commercial for my liking. I figured that this would happen when the "fly-in" was renamed "AirVenture".

I've heard from those who attend both that Sun N' Fun is a lot more laid back, like Oshkosh was in the old days. Maybe I'll go there next year instead.

Not flying in the show that I would liked to have seen:

CAF P-51B (or is it a C?)
Bearcat
Firefly
(2) B-25
(2) Avenger
A-26
Harpoon
(2 more) Corsairs

An actual T-6 or T-28 flypast at less than 1500 feet would have been nice too!

: The gradual reduction in numbers of warbirds at Oshkosh ov
: er the years has a simple answer (or two): Frustration. Fo
: r example, on Friday my son and I watched a string of 9 T-
: 28's sit idling on the taxiway for just shy of 25 minutes.
: ..simply waiting for 9/27 to be clear of air traffic to ta
: ke off. Added to that is the people traffic, long lines, a
: large FAA presence, iffy weather, and a few other odds an
: d ends and I'm amazed at how many warbirds still do show u
: p. Unless a warbird owner is trying for an award with a n
: ew restoration or displaying it for potential buyers, what
: 's the point of bringing it to Oshkosh?

Warbirds Described for AirVenture Visitors

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