AirVenture summary & observations about the aviation community

Well, my first EAA AirVenture is in the books. I flew in on Monday (commercial, not in my plane) and flew out Saturday night (6 whole days surrounded by and immersed in planes!).

Overall, I was blown away... the presentations, the atmosphere, the sheer number of aircraft on site, and the flying displays / demonstrations all made for an awesome event. I personally met some of the legends of flying like Goulian, Rob Holland, Patty Wagstaff, Kyle Franklin, and Team Aeroshell. I met some social media personalities like Mel the Traveler and Cessnateur. Most notably, I rode along in the slot position with Jimmy Fordham of Team Aeroshell, and flew on Wednesday in the Goodyear Blimp (for the 7th time!). To say it was a memorable week would be an understatement (my job affords me some privileges that I try not to take for granted).

What stood out most was just how small the aviation community is... it really seems to be a world where everyone is very accessible, most are extremely welcoming, and everyone knows almost everyone. I also saw more kids than I expected, which gives me some hope that maybe GA has a some kind of future.

Stand out air demonstrations:
- The Viper demo is always great to see
- All of the warbirds displays were cool, especially the Hurricane and Spitfire, as I'd never seen them fly before.
- The Aeroshell Aerobatic Team flies some incredibly tight, precise formations.
- Kyle Franklin's routine is both entertaining and impressive.
- I didn't get over to see the STOL competitions... maybe next year.

I thoroughly enjoyed the week and hope to go back (preferably in my plane) next year. Just figured I'd share my thoughts.

Edit: added some pics, since a pic is worth a thousand words and all...

 

What was the sausage to melon ratio?

 

Thanks for sharing, I hope to make it out there next year for the first time. What did riding on the Goodyear blimp entail?

 

About about 65:1

 

Working for Goodyear.

 

Not far off of 50/50, honestly. I'd guess somewhere around 60/40.

 

???

 

I've determined the easiest way on earth to obtain free stuff is to be a female aviator on social media.

And I don't say that as a bad thing, I follow quite a few of the "aviation influencers" so by association I'm keeping their free stuff flowing. I don't have the legs for it myself.

 

Getting the slot ride is way cool…what ever your doing to makes things work is a true aviation blessing…

 

This was the first year we stayed more than 3-4 days as we flew in and glamped in a rented RV trailer vs tent camping with the plane. We’re now spoiled and very much doubt we’ll ever go back to a tent. We also bought a couple of folding electric bikes which made the journey from the campsite even easier.

Since we were there from July 23rd to the 31st, we took it easy, probably not spending more half a day at the show on any given day, and focused mainly on doing things we never have done before, like the Bell 47 helicopter ride.

Overall it was a great show and we were ecstatic to be back and see old friends and make some new ones.

 

IMO the ratio of m to f in the show area is about 60-40. In GAC it's more like 80-20. My wife and I camped in the N 40 from Sunday-Wednesday, not many woman camping, some, but not many. In the show area you have a lot of VERY attractive young woman working for the vendors! Plus, you see a surprising (to me) number of young families just enjoying the show.

 

Actually I said 65: 1, but you are probably much closer. Here is just a general picture of the crowd on Wednesday near the Ford display.

 

Awesome! This was my second time at the show, first time to fly-in as PIC-lots of fun. 2 other young ladies and I took the trip from Conroe so that would be a 0:3 ratio for us. No camping for me, but one of the young ladies did camp. I spent the first 3 days mentoring for GirlVenture which was tons of fun and I learned a lot. The rest of the week enjoying as much as I could. Too much to take in all at once that's for sure. I'll be back.

 

Extra sausage

 

It's almost like they know 93% of pilots are male. Those vendors aren't all dumb!

 

Did you fly or drive in? Where did you rent your glamper from?

 

Bring your own and it’s 1 sausage to 2 melons.

 

Was at OSH many many moons ago, and in the last few years have been trying to find some reasonably priced accommodations anywhere closeby, but have failed. Id love to go next year.

 

We flew in and parked in HBP. We rented the RV from Kunes: https://www.kunesdestinationrv.com/

 

Wow. 12-night/$3600 min for Airventure units.

 

Our reservation minimum for both trailer and camp site was for only 10 days and we paid significantly less for both combined than $3600.

But to put it in perspective, the price you quoted is $300 a night. A basic room at the Hilton Garden Inn for the same period would run over $400 a night. My cost was right at $200 a night.

 

Isn't it just the best?! Did you catch the night airshow? I got chased out by the nados this year so I missed it, but in past years its just amazing.

 

I don’t think the per day cost is unreasonable, just the 12 night minimum. I wouldn’t be comfortable if I left on, say, Thursday for whatever reason and was still liable if damages occurred after I left.

 

I think tent/plane camping and show admission are a decent deal financially. Clean showers, porta-Johns, and decent enough and close “grocery” amenities, coupled with aviation overload and decent tram service except maybe a few peak periods, was about all we could ask for. Flying in, taxiing, parking, and back out were well coordinated, especially considering how messy it could have become. We thought the first half of the show was super crowded this year.

 

It's hard to fault the prices really. EAA could fleece people way more than they do. For example, a t-shirt is $19, a bottle of water is $2. The food is pretty darn good, and the facilities are well maintained. Airventure is a great entertainment value IMO.

P.S. I heard that kids were admitted free this year? Fabulous idea.

 

WOW .. super jealous. I've been trying to snag a ride for as long as I can remember but I've been told they're invite only.. how did you snag this?

^that explains that!

Thanks for sharing

It was my second time. Loved it both times. Each time flew in on a club plane, all the way from San Diego!

 

I am amazed how well they handle the shower / bathroom situation with that many people.

In homebuilt, they have these restrooms on a trailer that are very clean.
I didn't take these photos but they are from the company's website.

 

I walked past the RV camping areas one night and they were rocking compared to GAC.

 

Kids under 18 got a free week admission sponsored by Boeing. They plan to that again next year.

 

You bring melons…..I bring peaches!

 

Those are much nicer than the shower facilities at Scholler (which were fine, so I'm not complaining)

 

The sexism in this thread is offensive.

Where's the @Pilots Of America Management at? All this talk of sausage, melon, ratios of those identifying as male or female.

It's absurd and many bans must be handed out!

 

Quit being a melon-baby. Go have a brat.

 

Wow! aren't you the inclusionary, non-offensive member the kids want.

Well, you're certainly a member. <- is that word allowed?

 

I joke with my kids all the time (they think it’s not funny).

My apologies if I offended you or others (seriously); Meant in jest. I’ll remove or happy to have it removed for me. Sometimes I cross the line. I try not to.

 

So what exactly do you eat at your back yard bbq’s?

 

Yea I’m a guy and those pictures of the girls at the vendors above were a bit of a dirty jack wagon move.

 

Yeah, we do. But the toilet trailer with AC only has 2 stalls/3 urinals for the men and (presumably) 3-4 stalls for the women. The demand far exceeds the capacity so about 90% of the "business" is done in porta potties in several clusters spread around HBC.

No complaints though, the showers are pretty nice and I haven't had to wait for one in years. The Homebuilt Pavilion (a pole barn) is pretty nice too - shade, benches, grills, charging stations.

 

Wait was this a serious post?